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!
David, sweet story. And I like how you “replay it in [your] mind over and over again.” I had a slight acquaintance with Julia Child and chatted with her on several occasions, and I’ve replayed those conversations in my mind many times since she died.
Thanks, Jean. Ah, Julia. She, too, was a great lady. I had the good fortune to interview her before she passed. Fascinating, and so genuine.
I am a huge Ina fan so I can sympathize with your friend. I wouldn’t be able to speak either. I once had the honor of meeting Ms. Eudora Welty and I just stood there gaping with my mouth closed, thankfully. I have most of Ina’s cookbooks–I love the ease of her recipes, common ingredients, and the fantastic results. I like just as much her approach to entertaining and have used her ideas many times. I can attest it really is true what Ina says about entertaining the boss; don’t go to extremes, cook in your zone and they will enjoy it. I find a good old-fashioned dish doesn’t hurt either.
EUDORA WELTY? I would be speechless, too. Actually, this reminds me of an event The One and I went to two years ago in Washington Depot, CT. It was a fund raiser for farmers and Meryl Streep was the speaker. Well, I stood in line for almost a half hour to meet her, and when she turned to me I just looked at her, my mouth moving like a guppy out of water, and walked away. The One hasn’t let me forget it since.
David, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece. I could picture everything that you described. I kept quietly shooing you and your friend over to where Ina was standing. I am quite often met with odd glances when I recommend recipes of Ina’s, but we have many tried-and-true dishes that we make again and again. Those who poo-poo her because she is on the Food Network don’t know what they’re missing.
It is odd, but some people have raised eyebrows when it comes to Ina because she’s on the Food Network. Like you, we have many wonderful recipes of hers that we’ve made over and over again. We love them.
I just hope Ina reads this and invites me on her show!
You will be picking me up on the way, won’t you?
Yes. I just need your address….