Best Lemon Roast Chicken With Pilaf Recipes

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 ROAST CHICKEN WITH PILAF

Steps:

• Chicken: Mix lemon juice and oil, salt and pepper.
• Rub mixture over chicken and in cavity.
• Put squeezed out lemon halves in chicken cavity and sprigs of rosemary (or dried).
• Roast breast side down in oven at 200oC until almost cooked.
• Turn over and allow to finish breast side up.
• Let chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
• Pilaf: Wash rice and drain.
• In a frying pan over low/medium heat cook the onion in oil and butter for five minutes.
• Add the rice, stirring with a metal spoon and allow to brown a little.
• Turn down the heat and add hot stock, cloves and cinnamon.
• Stir in well, cover and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• When rice is cooked add chopped pistachios and whole currents.
• Serve chicken on rice with lemony pan juices from the chicken.

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 LEMON CHICKEN

Steps:

• Loosen skin around chicken breast, leg and thigh. Combine the seasonings; rub half under skin. Cut half of the lemon into quarters and place in the cavity along with rosemary sprigs. Skewer openings; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. , Place chicken breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Squeeze the remaining lemon over chicken; rub with remaining spice mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until chicken juices run clear and a thermometer reads 180° (cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly). Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Remove and discard skin, and discard lemon and herbs from cavity before carving.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Working carefully to prevent tearing, loosen the skin over as much of the chicken as possible by slipping your hand under it. Rub the chicken flesh lightly with salt, and slide the herbs under the skin. (You should be able to see them through the skin.)
• Place all the lemon in the chicken's cavity, and cover the chicken in plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate overnight.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil. Unwrap the chicken and place it breast side up in the pan, surrounded by any vegetables to be roasted. Drizzle the vegetables with oil, turning them to coat well. Roast for 20 minutes, then baste the chicken and vegetables with pan juices. If there are no juices, add 1/4 cup water to the pan, scraping the bottom, and baste.
• Reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Continue basting every 10 to 15 minutes until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced at the thigh, about 20 minutes to a pound. Roast vegetables until browned and caramelized, removing when cooked to taste.
• Transfer the chicken to a platter and keep warm. Remove the lemon from the cavity and place in the roasting pan, mashing it a bit to release the juices. Place pan on low heat and add the chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan. Carve the chicken, adding any juices to the pan. Pour the hot juices into a pitcher or gravy boat. Serve the chicken and vegetables, passing the juices separately.