Lemon Herb Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 5 to 6 pounds, patted dry
- 2 lemons 1 halved and 1 sliced
- 1 head garlic halved crosswise
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and thyme
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- 3 carrots cut into large chunks
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before roasting to take the chill off.
- Preheat the oven to 425F with a rack in the center.
- Mix the butter with the herbs, 1 teaspoon salt and half the pepper in a small bowl.
- Loosen the skin over the breast with your fingers and push half the herb butter underneath, directly on the meat.
- Rub the remaining butter over the outside skin, then season the cavity and outside with the remaining salt and pepper.
- Stuff the cavity with the halved lemon, garlic head and 2 lemon slices.
- Scatter the onion and carrots in a roasting pan, set the chicken on top, and pour the broth around the vegetables.
- Roast 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reads 165F on an instant thermometer.
- Tent loosely with foil if the skin browns too fast before that temperature is reached.
- Rest 15 minutes before carving, so the juices settle back into the meat instead of running out onto the board.
Good to Know
Make the herb butter the night before and keep it covered in the fridge; soften it on the counter while the oven heats.