I’ve made Ina Garten’s lemon chicken no fewer than a dozen times, and each and every guest has raved. It’s also a favorite of The One’s family, especially his niece, Callie.
I have a special relationship with the lemony and schmaltzy croutons in this recipe that soak up all the juices from the hen. In fact, I’ve always made extra croutons, just for me, ever since I had to practically tackle others at the table for the last few croutons on the platter. (My solution? Stash some croutons in the kitchen, far from the prying eyes of assertive guests. How easy is that?!)
Why Our Testers Loved This
This roast chicken recipe is a favorite among our testers. They found it to be easy to make and so tender that Suzanne Fortier’s siblings were tearing meat directly from the carcass at the dinner table.
Kristen K. proclaimed it, “the easiest, most gorgeous, and most delicious chicken I’ve ever made.”
What You’ll Need to Make This
- Whole chicken–A 4-to-5-pound bird is perfect for the roast lemon chicken recipe. You don’t need the giblets or gizzards. Freeze them then pull them out when making chicken stock or chicken gravy.
- Lemons–Since you’re cramming the lemons inside of the chicken, small organic lemons work best here.
- Bread cubes–Use sturdy bread for this, such as artisan bread, sourdough, or baguette. A one-pound loaf of bread will give you more than enough croutons. (Even if you want to make extra for yourself.)
How to Make This Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
- In a small roasting pan, toss the onion with a little olive oil. Mix well so that the onion is evenly coated.
- Pat the chicken dry and place it on the onion. Sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper and cram the lemons into the cavity.
- Brush the chicken skin with the melted butter and sprinkle with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken and, if desired, tie the legs together with kitchen string.
- Roast the chicken. Cook, until the juices run clear when pricked with a knife and the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh, is 165°F (74°C).
- Toast croutons. While the chicken is roasting, heat the oil in a skillet until very hot. Add the bread and toast until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
- Let the chicken rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Arrange the croutons on a serving platter. Carve the chicken, and arrange the pieces on top of the croutons, then drizzle with the pan juices.
Common Questions
You can, but you’ll need to adjust your oven temperature and cooking time accordingly. A whole chicken contains 2 breast halves, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, and 2 wings – but when separated, the wing pieces will bake far more quickly than the other pieces. Use bone-in pieces for the most comparable results, and tuck the lemons closely around the chicken.
We like to highlight the bright lemony flavors in the chicken dish, and suggest this lemon-thyme risotto or Ina Garten’s Mashed Potato with Lemon and this simple celery salad. If you’d rather not have such a citrus-forward meal, we also love asparagus and brussels sprouts in all of their forms and potatoes roasted in olive oil and sprinkled liberally with sea salt.
Yes, our testers were successful at making this roast lemon chicken recipe in a slow cooker.
Arrange a halved onion and two halved lemons on the bottom of the slow cooker. Prepare the chicken as instructed in the recipe, setting it on top of the onion and lemons. Cook on high for 2 hours, then on low for 3 1/2 hours.
To get crispy skin on the chicken, pop it under the broiler for a few minutes.
Helpful Tips
- If the onions start to burn, remove the pan from the oven, carefully lift the chicken, and tuck the onions underneath.
- Don’t use packaged, dry-as-cement croutons. By toasting fresh bread, the croutons remain soft enough to absorb all that buttery lemon liquid.
- If your chicken is browning too quickly while roasting, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.
More great roast chicken recipes
Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the onions
- One (4- to 5-pound) roasting chicken
- 2 small lemons, quartered
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter, melted (or, if keeping kosher, substitute chicken fat or margarine)
- 6 cups bread cubes, each 3/4 inch (18 mm) thick, from a baguette, boule, or other artisanal loaf
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
- In a small roasting pan, toss the onion with a little olive oil.
- Pat the chicken dry and place it on the onion. Sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper and cram the lemons into the cavity.
- Brush the chicken skin with the melted butter and sprinkle with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken and, if desired, tie the legs together with kitchen string.
- Roast the chicken for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until the juices run clear when you make a slit between the leg and the thigh with the tip of a sharp knife.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high, heat the 2 tablespoons oil until very hot. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the bread, and let it toast, tossing frequently and adding more oil if needed, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the bread with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Loosely cover the chicken with foil and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Grab a platter and place the croutons on it. Carve the lemon chicken and place the pieces on the croutons. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken. Taste and, if desired, sprinkle with salt.
Notes
- Onions–If the onions start to burn, remove the pan from the oven, carefully lift the chicken, and tuck the onions underneath.
- Croutons–Don’t use packaged, dry-as-cement croutons. By toasting fresh bread, the croutons remain soft enough to absorb all that buttery lemon flavor.
- Browning–If your chicken is browning too quickly while roasting, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This is the best roast chicken I’ve ever made. I’ve tried probably more than 100 roast chicken recipes in my life. They never meet my expectations.
This was the easiest, most gorgeous, and most delicious chicken I’ve ever made. It brought tears to my husband’s eyes and I was strutting around the house like I’d just won a pageant. Simply amazing.
The only thing I changed was to add some chicken stock to the pan and set it over a flame to reduce. After straining everything at the bottom of the pan, you’re left with a rich, dark, and delicious pan sauce.
I’m tearing up just writing about it. Thank you. I really, really want to hug you!
“Mom, you are awesome!” is a quote I love to hear.
Coming home to Ina Garten’s lemon chicken for dinner produces just that reaction from my two teenage boys, who play soccer after school, and my husband, who works long days, often without a break for lunch.
Being out of the house before dinner is the norm for me, so dinners that need to cook for more than an hour are impossible. I decided to try to produce the same great chicken using the slow cooker.
I added another onion and two more small lemons. I cut the lemons in half and placed them on the bottom of my 7-quart slow cooker. I followed Ina’s instructions from there, using salt and pepper and placing the lemons in the chicken cavity, and then brushing the skin with butter and seasoning it with more salt and pepper.
I cooked the chicken on high for 2 hours and low for 3 1/2 hours. When I got home, I could tell the chicken was done and juicy. Copying a technique from Ellie Krieger’s Broiled Buffalo Wings from this site, I then put the chicken under the broiler to blister and crisp the skin for more of that roasted texture and appearance.
The roast lemon chicken turned out perfect, with raves from all! I will definitely do this recipe this way again.
I was first served this roast lemon chicken dish at the home of a well-known website publisher. I assumed it was so good because he made it, but when I invited my family over for Sunday dinner, I decided to try it.
The recipe couldn’t have been easier and the results couldn’t have been more spectacular. My siblings were ripping the meat off the carcass at the dinner table. They raved madly about it for hours—and even after several bottles of wine later.
I was serving 5 meat-eating adults and a couple of small kids, so I cooked two 3 1/2-pound free-range natural chickens, side by side, in a large roasting pan. I used a loaf of durum wheat bread from Seven Stars Bakery in Providence for the croutons.
Thank you, Ina!
If this is the roasted chicken recipe you would select if you could only have one, is there an equivalent spatchcock chicken recipe? Asking for a Jewish uncle responsible for a Hanukkah dinner.
Dear Uncle Ryan, this recipe is da bomb. I’ve made it a gazillion times. You can spatchcock this baby with no problem. Just lay the butterflied chicken on top of the lemons. Easy-peasy. The chicken, depending on the size, will take 50 to 70 minutes to cook. Keep that thermometer handy; it’s the best way to a perfect chicken.
I would never expound on anything Ina creates but here is what I do: I put wads of butter, thinly sliced lemons and herbs under the skin then lemon wedges, more herbs, and garllic bulbs cut in half into the cavity. For spatched, I simply put the above under the skin. Brush the chicken with more butter (melted), lemon jiuce and worcestershire all stirred together. I do this with turkey as well.
That sounds fabulous, Pat. Especially the part about the “wads of butter”!
I’ll admit–I was skeptical. Have made many roast chooks (I’m an Aussie; chook = chicken), including complicated butter-under-the-skin, lemon-stuffed, garlic/herb//onion infused concoctions. This was a revelation! How can five ingredients (free-range chook, lemon, onion, butter, bread) and salt+pepper seasoning taste soooooo good?!
My family loved it. Typically complaining if there’s no gravy, they didn’t care at all as they sopped up those gorgeous caramelized pan juices with croutons. Oh my. Ina has another fan! I will make this again and again! Thank you xx
Evoir, You are more than welcome! I’m delighted we helped up your chook game!
This recipe is perfect in every way. Just made it for Valentine’s Day. Spatchcocked and cooked on convection setting of oven. Took only an hour!
Spatchcocking is such a time saver, Suzanne. We do it all the time with our Sunday Supper chicken!