Best Lemon And Onion Roast Chicken Recipes

CHICKEN ROASTED OVER LEMONS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Add coriander, cumin, or paprika to the salt, if desired. Pat chicken dry and season the cavity and skin with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt each. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a rack. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Sprinkle the cavity with 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Then pierce whole lemon all over with a fork; put it inside the cavity with 6 thyme sprigs. Rub butter evenly over the skin, season with another 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and tie the legs firmly with twine. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, overlap lemon and onion slices to create a base slightly larger than the chicken. Set the bird on top of this "rack," which will collect the chicken fat as it drips. Strip the leaves from remaining 3 thyme sprigs and scatter them over the chicken. Let the bird stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, which will help it cook evenly.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast the chicken 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, rotate the sheet, and continue cooking until a thermometer registers 160 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. (For the most accurate reading, insert it in two places: the thickest part of the breast, then the thigh, near but not touching the bone.) Let the chicken stand 10 minutes (the temperature will rise to 165 degrees) -- this allows the juices to redistribute, creating tender meat. Serve, with the roasted lemon and onion slices.

LEMON ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Zest the yellow rind of the lemon. Cut the lemon in half and juice half of the lemon into a small bowl. Add the rind, olive oil, softened butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well (the mixture should be fairly thick).
• Gently lift the skin from the chicken breasts and place about 1 tablespoon of the butter mixture under the skin. Massage it evenly across the breasts.
• Cover the skin of the chicken with the remaining butter mixture. Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice the remaining lemon half and place it inside the chicken along with ½ an onion. Tie the legs together. Place the chicken in a shallow pan breast side up and place in oven.
• Turn oven down to 375°F and bake for 1 ¼ hours or until the inner thigh reaches 165°F.

LEMON AND GARLIC ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.
• Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.
• Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.
• Slice the chicken on a platter. Garnish the chicken platter with the bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme and 1 lemon, sliced. Serve with the gravy.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Combine chicken, onion, lemon slices, garlic, and rosemary together in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and black pepper over the chicken mixture; toss to coat. Spread chicken mixture out in the bottom of a baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 45 to 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.