Simple Honey-Lemon Roasted Chicken
This Simple Honey-Lemon Roasted Chicken is a go-to recipe that's delicious any time of the year. It's a comfort food that's full of fresh and rich flavors.
Servings: 4
Calories: 456kcal
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped (or ½ teaspoon dry thyme)
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 (approximately 4 pound) whole chicken
Instructions
- Set oven and make butter. Preheat the oven to 500°F.In a small bowl, mix the softened butter with the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, thyme and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Prep the chicken and baking dish. Remove the insides of the chicken, and pat dry with paper towels. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture on the bottom of a small roasting pan that's at least a couple of inches larger than the chicken, on all sides.
- Baste and truss. Place the chicken in the pan, on top of the butter, breast side up. Rub 2 more tablespoons of the butter mixture under the skin. (This should include the breasts and legs.) Work your way under as much of the skin as possible -- if you're very gentle, it won't tear.Now truss the chicken with butcher's twine. (Here's How to Truss a Chicken.) (It's also okay to just tie the ends of the legs together if trussing it becomes tricky.) Rub the remaining blackberry-thyme butter mixture on top -- all over the skin of the chicken.
- Roast. Place the pan in the preheated 500°F oven and roast until the surface of the chicken is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 F degrees.
- Flip. Very carefully, using tongs, placing one part inside the cavity and one gently on the top of the breast side, flip the chicken over so it's breast side down. Coat the back of the chicken with the remaining butter mixture and then return the chicken to the oven.
- Continue to roast. Once the oven has cooled to 350°F, continue to roast the chicken until internal temperature is 155°F -- this should take about an hour, but focus only on the temperature and not the time. (For an accurate reading of the temperature, place the thermometer deep into the flesh, away from bones.) During the roasting process, every 15 or so, use a spoon to baste the chicken with the butter and juices from the bottom of the pan.The final internal temperature will be about 165°F, as the chicken will continue to cook for several minutes outside of the oven. It should be nicely browned, the juices should run clear and the legs should move easily when it's done. (If you think it's getting too brown before the chicken is cooked, lightly cover it with foil in the oven.)
- Let the chicken rest. Once you remove the chicken from the oven, crumple up a few sheets of foil and place it under the chicken, beneath the legs. This will let all of the juices flow into the breasts while it rests for about 15 minutes.
Notes
Unsure about what season to taste means? Here's an explanation.
Calorie count is only an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 456kcal