Cooking the whole chicken is what scares most of the people because they’re not sure how to check if the meat is done and cooked through. And that is exactly what I will show you in this post. Today I am sharing the recipe for the most famous lemon and garlic chicken roast. It is one of those recipes that call for just a few ingredients, but the result is so amazingly simple but very delicious chicken roast.
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I really love roasting a whole chicken.
First, it’s because it looks really professional. Sometimes we all want to be professional chefs, and roasting a whole chicken is the easiest way to be seen as one.
And secondly, all of those different types of chicken meat combined altogether give the wonderful aroma and flavor to the meat and everything that is cooked with it.
Lemon and Garlic Chicken Cooked to Perfection
To make sure that my chicken is always cooked to the perfection, I like to butterfly it. That way the chicken is cooking more evenly and the skin is always perfectly crisp.
To butterfly the chicken all you have to do is remove the backbone using the kitchen scissors. After you did that, turn the chicken over and press the breastbone with the palm of your hand, to flatten the chicken. And you’re done! (Check out this tutorial on how to butterfly a chicken.)
Now all you have to do is to season the chicken with sea salt and ground black pepper. Put the chicken on lemon wedges and halved garlic bulbs, and drizzle with a little bit of vegetable oil. The oil is going to help the skin get that golden color and become even more crispy. Put everything in the oven, preheated to 180°C (350°F) and roast covered with aluminum foil for 1 hour.
After that 1 hour of roasting covered, remove aluminum foil and roast until the chicken gets that golden skin. Now you have to check it for doneness every 10-15 minutes to make sure that all of the meat is cooked through.
Here is how you can check the chicken for doneness:
- If you own an instant-read thermometer, just go ahead and use it to make sure that, at the thickest part of the thigh, the internal temperature of meat is at least 75°C (165°F).
- Or you can just pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a knife. If the juice that comes out is clear, the chicken is done. If it has any red or pink color, you need to roast it more.
It took me about 2 hours to roast one 2 kgs. chicken (4.5 lbs).
After the chicken is done, take it out of the oven and cover again with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes before serving. The meat is going to fall off the bones.
Anchy
Yields 6-8 servings
Perfectly cooked whole chicken roast with lemon, garlic and rosemary.
5 minPrep Time
1 hr, 15 Cook Time
1 hr, 20 Total Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 3 lemons
- 3 garlic bulbs
- 4 rosemary springs
- Vegetable oil
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Cut lemons into 1 cm (1/2 inch) wedges, and half the garlic bulbs crosswise. Place them in a roasting pan, and put rosemary springs on them.
- Butterfly your chicken. This will help the chicken to be cooked faster and more evenly, and you will get a wonderfully crispy skin. ( Check out this tutorial on how to butterfly a chicken. )
- Then season with sea salt and ground black pepper, and massage into the chicken.
- Put the chicken over the lemons and garlic, breasts facing up, in the roasting pan. Sprinkle with few rosemary leaves, drizzle with vegetable oil and cover everything with aluminum foil.
- Roast in preheated oven for 1 hour, then remove aluminum foil (don't throw it away) and roast until your chicken is golden, and the meat is cooked through. After the skin gets golden, check the chicken for doneness every 10-15 minutes. Overall cooking time really depends on the size of the chicken, so make sure the internal temperature of the meat is 75°C (165°F).
- Take the chicken out of the oven, and cover it again with aluminum foil, and let it rest at least 20 minutes before serving.
- Cut the chicken and serve with your favorite side dish. Enjoy!
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Did you enjoy this recipe? I would like to hear what you think in the comments below. If you make it don’t forget to post it on Instagram and tag me @simply.anchy, because I love to see all of your kitchen creations. Also be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook, so that you never miss any of my recipes and posts.
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