One-pot lemon herb roast chicken and potatoes is so easy and delicious. Served with a simple side salad, it makes the very best family dinners.
Is there anything as wonderful as having a whole roasted chicken in the oven? Roast chicken is without-a-doubt my absolute favorite easy home-cooked comfort food because there are very few people who don’t love a juicy, roast chicken. This recipe for lemon herb roast chicken is the one I go back to time and time again because it is so easy, requires minimal prep and results in a chicken so flavorful, you will be licking your fingers, guaranteed.
I make a marinade/cook-in sauce kind of thing before rubbing it all over the chicken, making sure I get the flavoring into all the nooks and crannies. I also like to gently lift the breast skin and get some of the marinade under it, flavoring the chicken breast meat directly.
The rest of the marinade gets poured over the chicken as it is in the roasting dish before potatoes are added. Now, the potatoes are completely optional but I would seriously suggest you add them because there is just nothing better than potatoes roasting alongside a chicken. It absorbs some of the chicken juices and just becomes so good, I could an entire dish of them.
Using a spatchcock (or butterflied) chicken makes it so much easier. Not only does the chicken roast in just more than half the time it roasts a whole chicken but carving is also made effortless. I also love that more of the skin is exposed resulting in crispy, gnarly, sticky bits of flavor.
How to spatchcock (butterfly) a whole chicken
Start by placing a whole chicken breast-side down on a large cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears or scissors, cut down either side of the back-bone, removing it. Flip the chicken over so that the breast-side is up and push the chicken down to flatten it.
How long to roast a chicken
A 1.5kg/3.3lb whole chicken that has been butterflied should roast in 45 minutes – 1 hour in a preheated 200°C/390°F oven. If the chicken is left whole and not butterflied, the chicken may take 20-30 minutes longer to roast. A chicken is cooked when the juices run clear when cooked or when it reads 75°C/165°F on a thermometer.
What to do with leftover roast chicken
What to serve with roast chicken
- Crispy salt and pepper smashed potatoes
- Cucumber, tomato and red onion salad
- Easy side salad with lemon dressing
Easy lemon herb roast chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- ½-1 tsp chilli/red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For the chicken
- 1.5 kg spatchcock/butterflied chicken
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 4 cups potatoes cut into chunks
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/390ºF.
- To spatchcock the chicken, start by placing the chicken breast-side down on a large cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears/scissors, cut down either side of the back-bone, removing it. Flip the chicken over so that the breast-side is up and push the chicken down to flatten it.
- Combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well.
- Place the chicken in a roasting dish and season with salt, then spoon over half of the marinade. Make sure to rub the marinade all over the chicken. Lift the breast skin and spoon some of the marinade onto the breast meat.
- Place the chicken breast-side up and pour over the remaining marinade. Add potatoes to the roasting dish. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and place in the oven.
- Allow to roast for 45 minutes-1 hour or until the chicken is cooked. I like to spoon the juices over the chicken every 20 minutes or so to aid in the browning of the chicken.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Can you make this without butterflying the chicken?
Of course! The roasting time will just need to be adjusted.
Hi Alida,
I need to get parsley as I am itching to make this recipe – do you use curly or continental parsley?
Cheers ?
Hi Kim. I always prefer continental or Italian parsley but curly will work too.
do you roast the chicken open or with cover on???
Open so that the skin can brown.
I only had chicken pieces but followed the recipe otherwise, adapting the cooking time, and my family loved it. The marinade is the perfect chicken marinade.
Love the idea of using chicken pieces. 🙂
This chicken was so delicious. We loved it.
SO happy to hear that Jocinda.
Delicious! I added green beans for the last 20 mins of cooking and my family loved it.
Great idea adding green beans!
Best chicken recipe I’ve ever tried. Delicious every time.
Yay. Thanks so much Abi!
It really was the BEST roast chicken I’ve ever made! Even better than Jamie’s! My new go-to
Oh yay! So glad you loved it Zoe and such high praise. 🙂
Such a fantastic recipe. Tastiest chicken I’ve had in a long time.
That’s great to hear Chris! 🙂
The chicken is awesome but those potatoes cooked in the chicken juices are honestly addictive. I ate almost all of them!
Right? They are too good!
Best roast chicken recipe!
I made this for dinner and it was spectacular. All our guests said that this is the best roast chicken recipe they’ve ever tasted. Thanks for a fool-proof recipe.
Only a pleasure!
Doubled this recipe because we love having leftover chicken but both chickens were eaten for dinner. So so delicious.
Hahaha, I love that! So glad you liked this recipe!
Great recipe!! The chicken and potatoes are delicious. Spices are perfect!! Great flavor !!
So happy you liked it. 🙂
This chicken recipe was fantastic. The chicke was succulent and the potatoes were the best we’ve ever had.
Wow! I’m so happy to hear that Jo-Anne!
Love the lemon herb marinade Alida! Looks so juicy! Perfect Sunday dinner.
Thanks Mary Ann! It’s a goodie. And yes, SO perfect for Sunday dinner.