Garlic Butter Basted Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday vacation! We spent some time at home relaxing and some of the time in Idaho with my sister, her family, my parents, and some of our very best friends. It was wonderful quality time with people we love so much, eating all of our very favorite foods, and enjoying the beautiful winter weather. We all received some great gifts from Santa, and my husband spoiled me with two new All-Clad nonstick skillets to replace my old one–oh, how they made me smile on Christmas morning! Once home, I wanted to cook comfort food, starting with this garlic butter-basted roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon recipe. There is something so homey and comforting about a roasted chicken! This delicious and juicy roasted chicken was a hit with all of us, and it paired nicely with some duchess potatoes, roasted asparagus, a loaded Caesar salad, and some crusty bread.
Garlic Butter Basted Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion cut into wedges, divided
- Olive oil, to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 (4 lb) whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
- 4 cloves of garlic, divided (2 whole for cavity & 2 minced for butter)
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
How to Make a Garlic Butter Basted Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place half the chopped onion in a cast-iron skillet, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Toss to coat evenly.
Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. Season the inside of the chicken cavity with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Place the chicken on top of the onions in the cast-iron skillet.
Stuff the seasoned cavity with the remaining half-chopped onion, 2 lemon wedges, 2 small cloves of garlic, and a sprig of rosemary.
Tuck the wings under and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
Place the butter and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a small glass ramekin. Heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until the butter is melted.
Baste the entire chicken with a bit of garlic butter, then season the whole bird well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
Place the chicken into the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Baste the bird with the garlic butter, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and roast, basting with the garlic butter every 15 minutes, for 40-45 minutes, or until the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when stuck into the thickest part of the thigh.
Remove from the oven and let it rest on a cutting board for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Spoon any fat off the top of the onions and sauce into the cast-iron skillet.
Place the skillet with the roasted onions and juices over medium-high heat and reduce the onion sauce in the cast iron skillet by half, about 5-7 minutes.
Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
Carve the chicken and serve with onion pan sauce drizzled on top if desired. Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion cut into wedges, divided
- Olive oil to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 1 4 lb whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 lemon cut into 4 wedges
- 4 cloves of garlic divided (2 whole for cavity & 2 minced for butter)
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 3 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Place half the chopped onion in a cast-iron skillet, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil and season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Toss to coat evenly.
- Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Season the inside of the chicken cavity with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Place the chicken on top of the onions in the cast-iron skillet.
- Stuff the seasoned cavity with the remaining half chopped onion, 2 lemon wedges, 2 small cloves of garlic, and a sprig of rosemary.
- Tuck the wings under and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Place the butter and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a small glass ramekin.
- Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until the butter is melted.
- Baste the entire chicken with a bit of garlic butter, then season the bird well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
- Place the chicken into the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Baste the bird with the garlic butter, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and roast, basting with the garlic butter every 15 minutes, for 40-45 minutes, or until the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when stuck into the thickest part of the thigh.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest on a cutting board for at least 15 minutes before carving.
- Spoon any fat off the top of the onions and sauce into the cast-iron skillet.
- Place the skillet with the roasted onions and juices over medium-high heat and reduce the onion sauce in the cast iron skillet by half, about 5-7 minutes.
- Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
- Carve the chicken and serve with onion pan sauce drizzled on top if desired. Serve with remaining lemon wedges. Enjoy.
Love the flavour! The roasted chicken looks perfectly golden brown and delicious.
I think the whole world loves a roasted chicken and yours looks perfectly cooked.
Nothing says home cooking better than roast chicken! So good — one never tires of it. Love how you’ve prepared yours — really good. Thanks. And Happy New Year!
Awesome! Thank you for posting.
Great simple recipe thank you. We both enjoyed a very tasty chicken dinner.
Rimmy,
I’m so glad you liked it!
-Pam
Wow! You did not exaggerate! I made thus tonight and it turned out juicy and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Susan,
Thanks for letting me know. I’m so glad you liked the recipe.
-Pam
This looks sooo good !! There’s nothing like a roasted chicken dinner! And I’ve found the roasted chickens sold in the supermarkets have been water injected, and, therefore, the true taste of the chicken is gone. GREAT RECIPE – as always!!
This was amazing! Super delicious and really, really easy to make. I’ve been looking for a good roast chicken recipe to make in a Dutch oven and this was just perfect so thank you! X
Gabriel,
Thank you for letting me know. I’m so glad you like this recipe.
-Pam
This sounds like a great combination of ingredients. I’m sure my husband would love this recipe.
A wonderful holiday vacation with that
I LOVE Chicken Roasted Chicken…..This recipe is in the oven right now….I have no doubt it will be Amazing…..The smells coming out of my Kitchen right now….are Incredible!!! I can’t wait to taste this Chicken to be done!!!!!
I Made this for a gathering and it was a hit, everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
Elizabeth,
Thank you for letting me know! I’m so glad everyone liked it.
-Pam
I will try this recipe but I need to ask would it be ok to cut in half and lay the skin up or do I need to keep the chicken whole?
Ann,
The recipe instruction is for a whole bird. If you spatchcock it first, make sure to use a meat thermometer to measure cooking time because it will take less time to roast than the whole bird. Let me know how it goes.
-Pam