Roast Garlic and Lemon Chicken (Printable)

Golden roasted chicken with zesty lemon and aromatic garlic for a succulent Mediterranean meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 1 whole chicken (3.3 lbs), patted dry

→ Aromatics

02 - 2 lemons, zested and halved
03 - 1 bulb garlic, halved horizontally
04 - 1 small bunch fresh thyme (about 10 sprigs)

→ Seasoning & Fats

05 - 3 tbsp olive oil
06 - 1 tsp kosher salt
07 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Vegetables (optional, for roasting base)

08 - 1 large onion, sliced
09 - 2 carrots, cut into chunks

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - Place onion slices and carrot chunks in the bottom of a large roasting pan to create a bed for the chicken.
03 - Rub the chicken all over with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
04 - Stuff the chicken cavity with both halved lemons, halved garlic bulb, and fresh thyme sprigs.
05 - Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wings under the body.
06 - Place the chicken breast-side up on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.
07 - Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour 10 minutes, basting once or twice, until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
08 - Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with pan juices and roasted vegetables if desired.

# Tips from dashanddishes:

01 -
  • The skin turns impossibly crispy while the meat stays impossibly juicy
  • Your whole kitchen will smell like a cozy Mediterranean restaurant
  • It looks impressive but requires almost zero active cooking time
02 -
  • Dry skin equals crispy skin, do not skip the paper towel pat down
  • The resting period redistributes the juices, cutting too soon lets all that moisture escape
  • A meat thermometer takes the guesswork out completely, worth the small investment
03 -
  • Save the leftover roasted garlic from the cavity and spread it on bread the next day
  • If the skin browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes
  • Substitute rosemary or oregano if thyme is not your thing, they all work beautifully

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