Garlic Butter Basted Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Servings
8
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Garlic Butter Basted Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
Description
The recipe calls for seasoning the whole chicken both inside and out with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, placing it in a cast iron skillet on a layer of sautéed onions. The cavity is filled with lemon wedges, fresh rosemary, and garlic cloves for aromatic flavor.
Before roasting at 450 degrees, the chicken is basted with melted butter infused with minced garlic, which helps develop a golden, flavorful crust while locking in moisture. The high oven heat encourages a crispy skin and tender meat. Onions in the skillet roast alongside the chicken, absorbing juices and becoming tender.
This roasting method creates a balanced dish where the herb and lemon notes from the cavity, the buttery garlic basting, and the vegetables underneath come together. It's suitable for roasting a whole chicken as a centerpiece main dish.
Ingredients
- 1 onion cut into wedges, divided, sweet yellow
- olive oil to taste
- salt to taste, sea salt and freshly cracked
- black pepper to taste, sea salt and freshly cracked
- 1 whole chicken 4 lb, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 lemon cut into 4 wedges
- 4 cloves garlic divided (2 whole for cavity & 2 minced for butter
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 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 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 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 entire chicken very 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 the chicken 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.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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