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    HOME » Nut Free

    Dated: March 10, 2023 Last Modified: March 10, 2023 by Laura This post may contain affiliate links.

    Easy Lemon Roasted Chicken

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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This lemon basil roasted chicken is sure to become your go-to recipe for an easy meal! Fresh chicken roasts in the oven with  garlic, carrots, and potatoes. The whole dish is brightened with fresh lemon and basil.

    Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, nightshades, tomatoes, and more 

    Side view of a lemon and garlic roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes on a serving dish on a wood table. Fresh lemon and basil are next to the chicken.

    Lemon and garlic roasted chicken is a classic dish that is both flavorful and hearty. Roasting carrots and potatoes with the chicken serve as a perfect built-in side dish. The caramelization of vegetables in the oven brings out their natural sweetness that balances with the tangy lemon dressing. 

    With the leftover chicken, you can transform it into dishes like chicken salad sandwiches without celery or easy chicken and rice soup! 

    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love this Roasted Chicken 
    • Ingredients 
    • Instructions
    • Roasting the Chicken
    • FAQs
    • Top Tips
    • How to Store 
    • How to Serve Lemon Roasted Chicken 
    • More Easy Dinner Meals 
    • Recipe

    Why You’ll Love this Roasted Chicken 

    • Super easy, classic recipe
    • Built-in side dish with roasted veggies
    • Super healthy! Great source of protein, fiber, and vitamins
    • Gluten free, dairy free, egg free recipe, top 9 allergy friendly! 
    • Provides lots of extra chicken for leftovers the next day

    Ingredients 

    You only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe! 

    Ingredients for lemon garlic roasted chicken in various bowls on a wood table. Black and white labels have been added to name each ingredient.
    • Whole Chicken: A 6 to 7 lbs chicken is what my store typically carries. You can make this with a smaller 4-5 lbs chicken. 
    • Lemons: The star of this chicken! I use 2 whole lemons when making this, one to stuff inside the chicken and one to slice and lay on top. 
    • Fresh Basil: I love to use fresh basil, but you can used dried basil if that is all you have on hand.
    • Carrots + Potatoes: I love roasted carrots and potatoes with this dish, but you can use any combination of root vegetables you have to make this. Sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, and more! 
    • Garlic + Onions: These aromatics flavor the chicken both from the inside and out! I like using a sweet onion or yellow onion. 
    • Salt + Pepper + Olive Oil

    Instructions

    This is a quick run through of how to make this lemon chicken. For the full instructions, complete with recipe measurements, please see the recipe card below. 

    First, there is no need to tie the legs or wings or any such things. Leaving the legs loose actually helps the thick thigh meat cook faster, which means dinner is done all the quicker! 

    To start, place the oven rack in the middle to lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375F/ 190C. 

    Pull out your favorite baking dish that will hold the chicken and the veggies. Lightly oil the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks. 

    Place your chicken in the baking dish. Using paper towels, gently pat it dry. This helps the seasonings stick to the skin and helps with browning. 

    Season all the surfaces of the chicken with salt and pepper. I generally use about 3 to 4 teaspoons of kosher salt when cooking a chicken, depending on the size of the bird. 

    After letting the chicken rest, place the chicken breast side up into the baking dish. Drizzle about ¾ of the olive oil over the chicken and cover it with lemon slices. Add one roughly chopped lemon, a few cloves of garlic, half of the onion, and several basil leaves to the inside of the chicken. 

    Lemon garlic chicken before roasting. The fresh carrots, potatoes, lemons, and basil are bright as they are tucked up next to the chicken in the baking dish.

    Next, add the roughly chopped onions, carrots, garlic, and potatoes to the pan. Drizzle those with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle them with more salt and pepper. Finally, add the fresh basil to the pan next to the chicken. 

    Now, gently cover the chicken with some foil or a baking lid, if your baking dish has one. 

    Roasting the Chicken

    Roast the chicken in the oven for one hour and then remove the foil to let the chicken brown. Check the pan to make sure there is still liquid in the pan, adding any if the pan is starting to dry out. 

    Roast the chicken for 30 more minutes until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked all the way through. Check for doneness by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken, typically the breast or the thighs. It should read at minimum 165F but can go up to 180F, depending on how large your bird is. 

    The lemon chicken after cooking in the oven in its baking dish. It rests on a wood tabletop.

    Finally, let the chicken rest in the pan at least 15 minutes before carving. This helps the juices in the meat settle back down. Serve and enjoy! 

    FAQs

    Why add lemon to the chicken? 

    Aside from adding tons of flavor, the lemon actually helps to tenderize the meat on the chicken. Just don’t let the chicken soak in a marinade of lemon for more than a few hours as the acidity of the lemons can actually break down the chicken proteins too much and you’ll have gummy chicken. 

    How long does it take to roast a chicken? 

    Roasting times can vary based on the temperature and how big the chicken is. In general, you want to make sure that the thighs (typically the thickest part of the bird) reaches an internal temperature of 165F. 

    In general, you want to plan for 20 to 25 minutes of cooking, per pound, when cooking a whole chicken. 

    Overview of a whole lemon garlic roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes. Fresh basil is next to the chicken as it rests on a serving dish. It's on a white and gray towel on a wood tabletop.

    Top Tips

    You can let this chicken rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before cooking if your time allows. This will help with more even cooking.

    Salt your chicken up to 24 hours in advance, keeping the chicken in the fridge while it rests. This method allows for the salt to evenly diffuse throughout the chicken, making for a more flavorful chicken. Plus, it will be more tenderful. 

    How to Store 

    Any leftover chicken should be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

    How to Serve Lemon Roasted Chicken 

    • With Fresh Salads: A classic green goddess salad in the summer or an apple cider salad in the fall. 
    • As Leftovers: This would make a great addition to classic minestrone soup! 

    More Easy Dinner Meals 

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    If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, dietary friendly recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!

    Recipe

    Close up of a whole lemon garlic roasted chicken in a serving dish with roasted carrots and potatoes.

    Easy Lemon Roasted Chicken

    This lemon basil roasted chicken is sure to become your go-to recipe for an easy meal! Fresh chicken roasts in the oven with  garlic, carrots, and potatoes. The whole dish is brightened with fresh lemon and basil.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Healthy
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Keyword: allergy friendly, chicken
    Allergen: Celery Free, coconut free, Corn Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Fish / Shellfish Free, Nightshade Free, Peanut Free, Sesame Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Wheat Free
    Yield: 8 servings
    Calories: 577kcal
    Author: Laura // Living Beyond Allergies

    Equipment

    • Roasting pan
    • measuring cups
    • measuring spoons
    • Baking foil or cover
    • knife
    • cutting board

    Ingredients

    • 7 lbs Chicken
    • 2 Lemons fresh one cut into wedges one into slices
    • 1 garlic head
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon basil dried or 3 sprigs fresh basil
    • ⅓ cup olive oil or melted butter
    • 1 onion medium sized roughly chopped
    • 4 potatoes roughly chopped
    • 4-5 carrots roughly chopped

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C. Lightly spray a 2-inch deep baking dish with oil. Set aside.
    • Prep the chicken. Gently pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff the chicken with one of the lemons cut into wedges, along with half the onion, a few cloves of garlic, and some leaves of fresh basil. Place the chicken into the baking dish. Drizzle with ¾ of the olive oil and cover the chicken with additional lemon slices.
    • Prepare the veggies. Roughly peel and chop the carrots and potatoes. Arrange the vegetables alongside the chicken. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over top the vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add fresh basil next to the chicken. Cover with baking foil or a lid if your baking dish has a lid.
    • Roast the chicken. Roast the chicken for 60 minutes, then remove the cover to let the chicken brown. Check the pan for moisture, adding some water or chicken broth if necessary. Continue to roast the chicken for an additional 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F / 75°C.
    • Rest. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest at least 15 minutes before carving and serving. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • How to Store 
      • Any leftover chicken should be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
    • How to Serve Lemon Roasted Chicken 
      • With Fresh Salads: A classic green goddess salad in the summer or an apple cider salad in the fall. 
      • As Leftovers: This would make a great addition to classic minestrone soup!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 577kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 453mg | Potassium: 964mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5371IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3mg

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

    Love this recipe?Mention @livingbeyondallergies or tag #livingbeyondallergies!

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