Are you looking for an easy lemon and herb roast chicken? This recipe is so succulent and carries that beautiful citrus flavour through cooking until serving. This easy roast chicken with lemon and herbs will be a family favourite recipe and great when you just want a simple one pot roast.
This recipe first appeared in my post for Elys Wimbledon in April 2020
Easy roast chicken
This is a really easy way to flavour a simple roast chicken which keeps the delicious citrus flavours and brings out the earthy herbs too. We have a little rosemary and thyme plant on the kitchen window sill. Fresh herbs will always get used a lot so I would recommend having them if you can!
If you don’t have fresh herbs dried will work really well too. Your kitchen will smell incredible when this is cooking and make you very hungry.
What do I need for an easy roast chicken with lemon?
To make a lemon rub for your chicken is really easy. You only need to have a few things to give the chicken a super lemon flavour. This lemon roast chicken is really easy to make and it only takes a few ingredients.
You only need to mix the lemon and honey together and rub it into the chicken. If you can put it under the skin that is best but on top will still work. Make sure you don’t throw away any of the lemon rinds. Pop them in the chicken cavity or in the tin.
- 1 roast chicken
- 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 handful fresh thyme
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
How to make a lemon drizzle for and easy roast chicken
Mix together the juice of the lemons, or pantry bottle lemon juice, with tablespoons of good honey and drizzle it over the chicken. Give it a good rub in and wash your hands well after. If you have use a fresh lemon add used pieces in to the pan. Add good handfuls of the herbs and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper too. Finally add a drizzle of olive oil and it’s oven ready.
If you are looking for an easy spring roast potato recipe then try out my wild garlic roast potatoes recipe.
Roast chicken with lemon
What herbs are best for roast chicken?
Chicken is a subtle flavour any herbs you add will give off their flavour really well. In this recipe I used thyme and rosemary. The thyme is more subtle than the rosemary but with a two parts thyme to one part rosemary the balance works well. Thyme is a
Why do you put lemon in a chicken?
I add lemon to a chicken for two reasons. One it adds such an increidble flavour which will infuse through the chicken and make the kitchen smell amazing. The other reason is to help with the grease of the chicken. The citrus helps cut through it.
How do you make a chicken soft and juicy?
To make a chicken soft a juicy my best recommendation is to cook it with a drizzle on top. Like in this recipe you can use juices and oils to keep it moist. I find lemon juice and honey really sinks in to the chicken to keep it soft while cooking.
Another tip when cooking the chicken is to cover it with silver foil to stop it drying out. It will need to be cooked a little higher temperature and for longer if you cover it. The silver foil will repel the heat slightly so will affect the cooking time.
How do I know if my chicken is cooked?
It is important to make sure the chicken is cooked properly all the way through. Start by cutting in to the meat and see what colour the juices run. If the juices coming out from the chicken run clear, then the chicken is fully cooked. If the juices are still looking a little red or are slightly pink, the chicken may need to be cooked a bit longer to be fully cooked.
What could I serve with the easy lemon roast chicken?
This easy roast chicken with lemon is a great spring and summer roast. It makes the finished roast chicken a little lighter than a tradition roast dinner. When we make this lemon roast chicken I often serve it roasted baby potatoes and little whole carrots. If it is a summer I sometimes serve the chicken with boiled potatoes and salad to make it an even lighter meal.
Gravy – wise for the lemon roast chicken I would really recommend using the juices from the chicken and lemon with the left over herbs in the bottom of the pan. Pop them on the hob and add some stock to make it juicy.
The stock will absorb the flavours and keep the gravy with the same feeling of the lemon and herbs. It can be made light and lemony. If you have extra lemons then add some more juice to the gravy. Lemon and chicken gravy is delicious.
If it is a bit thin add a tablespoon of plain flour and whisk in to get rid of the lumps and to help thicken up the finished gravy. For this I used chicken stock as sometimes it doesn’t give a lot of juice but you will have to see how much liquid has come off the chicken.
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Easy Lemon Roast Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (1) Roast Chicken
- 2 (2) lemons
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) Honey
- 1 handful (1 handful) fresh thyme
- 5 sprigs (5 sprigs) fresh rosemary
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan.
- Freshly squeeze the juice of the lemons (fresh is best but if you have bottled lemon juice use about 4 tablespoons).
- Mix it together with the honey.
- Drizzle it over the chicken.
- If you have use a fresh lemon add used pieces in to the pan.
- Add good handfuls of the herbs and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper too.
- Finally add a drizzle of olive oil and it’s oven ready.
- Cook as per the instructions on the chicken. It is normally about 20 minutes per pound (450g) plus 20 minutes.
- If you cut into it and the juices run clear the chicken is fully cooked. If the juices are red or slightly pink, your chicken may need to be cooked a bit longer.
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Could I post your Lemon Roast Chicken recipe on my website? It looks Devine!
Hi Deedra, I’m so glad you love my recipe. I’m afraid it’s copyrighted to me so it can’t be reproduced. You could come up with your own version and link to my recipe for the inspiration however..Or if you just want to share the link to the recipe and a photo in a post that would be OK (please don’t remove my logo). Happy cooking, Sisley
What a sexy looking chicken! I love roasting chicken and I can’t wait to try it with lemon!
Thank you, I hope you enjoy it.
This was so delicious. I made it today! It was approved by my entire family! I am adding it to the rotation! YUMMMM
That is so wonderful hear! I’m glad it was enjoyed so much. x
What a simple but fabulous recipe for chicken. I love using fresh herbs too. I don’t have any thyme right now, but I’ll substitute some dried. Thanks for sharing this.
I hope you enjoy it. It is hugely adaptable between fresh and dried herbs which is brilliant.
We love a good roast chicken, especially on a Sunday, so I’ll be adding this to my to try list. Sounds ever so flavourful!
Thank you Bintu. I hope you enjoy it x
I’ve never made a whole roast chicken believe it or not! This recipe looks easy to follow!
You must! I tend to cook a whole chicken just so I can have left overs for sandwiches the next day.
Yum! Love this chicken with that citrus flavour coming. Nice and simple too.