As we gear up for fall cooking, this Lemon Roasted Chicken needs to be in your rotation! One pan + one hour = one delicious weeknight dinner. Baby potatoes, carrots, and onion surround the chicken and caramelize as they roast. This recipe is also a top pick for dishing up great flavor and elegance with ease when entertaining.
This is one of those early posts I’ve been wanting to re-photograph and this past chilly, rainy weekend was the perfect opportunity. It takes only a half hour at most to prep, and while the chicken roasts the house smells like a mini Thanksgiving to boot.
Lemon Roasted Chicken
Think of preparing the chicken as similar to prepping a turkey, but a quarter of the size! Combining lemon, garlic and fresh herbs inside with dried herbs rubbed into the skin outside provide layers of flavor.
You can prep the chicken a day ahead. Leave it uncovered and place in the fridge. This helps crisp the skin when roasting. Before popping in the oven, toss the chopped vegetables with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and spread around the chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss a halved lemon on there too!
After roasting for about an hour, you’ll have a beautifully browned chicken with tender, caramelized vegetables kissed with thyme. Squeeze the roasted lemon over the whole gang before serving. Enjoy!
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Here are more easy and delicious sheet pan recipes!
- Roasted Salmon & Broccoli with Soy-Mustard Glaze
- Herb & Peach Glazed Chicken with Butternut Squash
- Roasted Halibut with Green Beans & Mushrooms
- Buffalo Chicken Nachos
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Recipe
Lemon Roasted Chicken and Caramelized Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 5- lb chicken
- Juice of 1 lemon, do not discard
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 20 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
- 5 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon each: dried tarragon, dried thyme, salt, and pepper
- 1 ½ lbs baby potatoes, smaller ones can be left whole, half larger potatoes
- 1 ½ lbs carrots, peeled and chopped in 1-inch chunks
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped onion
- Additional salt and pepper for vegetables
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove giblets from chicken’s cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out. Pat dry. Remove any excess fat. Generously salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Squeeze lemon juice all over the outside of the chicken. Place lemon halves inside chicken along with garlic cloves. Tie 5 sprigs fresh thyme, the parsley, and rosemary together with kitchen twine. Place inside chicken with lemon and garlic. Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over chicken. Mix dried tarragon, thyme, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Rub mixture over outside of chicken. Tie chicken legs together with kitchen twine. Use additional twine around back of the chicken to keep wings in place. (Chicken can be prepped a day ahead. Chill uncovered. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.) Transfer prepped chicken to large rimmed sheet pan.
- In a large bowl, combine potatoes, carrots, and onion with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread vegetables around chicken on the large sheet pan. Place remaining 15 sprigs of thyme around on the vegetables.
- Roast chicken and vegetables for 50-60 minutes. Let chicken rest 15 minutes before slicing. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a large platter, and serve.
Notes
* Republished post with updated photos. Recipe generously adapted from Ina Garten.
