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Meals

Lemon roast chicken.

A whole chicken roasted with lemon, garlic and thyme, served with simple pan gravy.

Makes
4 servings
Hands-on
25 minutes
Total time
About 2 hours
Effort
Some practice
Make it yourself ↓Buy premade ↓

GET WHAT YOU NEED

Your shopping list

For 4 servings.

Whole roasting chicken

1, 5–6 pounds, fully thawed

Whole Chicken with Giblets, 5 lb

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Remove the giblets before preparing the chicken.

Fresh thyme

1 bunch

Amazon Grocery fresh organic thyme, 0.5 oz

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This fresh-herb listing was out of stock when checked. Use fresh thyme sprigs for the recipe.

Unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons

365 unsalted butter sticks, 16 oz

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Melt only the amount called for in the recipe.

Large onion

1, thickly sliced

Fresh yellow onion, each

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Select a large onion for the recipe.

All-purpose flour

2 tablespoons

Amazon Grocery all-purpose flour, 2 lb

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Starting a sourdough culture requires extra flour for repeated feeds; buy enough beyond the bread dough quantity.

Kosher salt and black pepper

To season

Lane’s coarse salt-and-pepper blend, 12.5 oz

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This 50/50 blend seasons salt and pepper together; add gradually to taste.

Amounts are what the recipe uses, not package sizes. Compare quantities and product details before buying.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Tools & supplies

Roasting pan

Holds the chicken and onions.

Cuisinart stainless steel roasting pan with rack, 16 inches

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Instant-read thermometer

Checks breast and thigh doneness.

Alpha Grillers Digital Food Thermometer

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Small saucepan and whisk

Makes gravy without putting a roasting dish on a burner.

Cuisinart Chef’s Classic stainless saucepan with lid, 1 qt

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OXO Good Grips mini whisk, 7.25 in

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STEP BY STEP

Make it

  1. Prepare

    Heat oven to 425°F. Remove giblets; pat chicken dry. Do not rinse raw poultry.

  2. Season

    Season cavity and skin. Add lemon, garlic and thyme to the cavity. Brush with butter; tuck wing tips underneath and place over onions.

  3. Roast

    Roast about 1 1/2 hours. Check thick breast and innermost thigh, avoiding bone: both must reach 165°F.

  4. Rest and make gravy

    Rest chicken 15 minutes. Reserve 2 tablespoons pan fat; whisk with flour in a saucepan for 2 minutes. Add stock and defatted pan juices; simmer until thickened.

  5. Carve

    Carve chicken and serve with onions and gravy.

Good to know

  • Use temperature, not clear juices, to decide doneness.
  • The gravy is made in a saucepan so the roasting pan need not be stovetop-safe.
  • Refrigerate perishable leftovers promptly.

SAVE THE MAKING

Prefer it ready-made?

Compare these finished options with making your own.

Cooked roasted chicken breast pieces

A ready-cooked chicken alternative in pieces; seasoning and presentation differ from a whole roast chicken.

Tyson cooked oven-roasted diced chicken breast, 22 oz

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Frozen diced chicken; heat according to the package directions.

Links go to the selected products. Availability and delivery vary by location; check the current listing and package size before ordering.

Sources & further reading

Independent instructions informed by the sources below. No affiliation or endorsement is implied. These instructions have not been kitchen- or workshop-tested by DIBuyIt.

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