This Roasted Chicken Recipe made with lemon and herbs is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next holiday meal! Full of fresh flavors, and juicy all the way through, this Roasted Chicken is surprisingly easy to make!
Preparing the main course of a holiday meal can seem like a lot of pressure. Let us take over with this quick and easy recipe!
How to Make Juicy Chicken
There are many ideas out there of how to make a juicy chicken all the way through. However, to date, I think this one is the best! For me, it’s not about marinating it the night before, or cooking at a really low temperature for hours on end (although this does work). There are two steps to my method, and they’re actually very simple!
Stuffing the Skin
While many people stuff veggies and herbs inside the chicken, I stuff within the chicken, and under the skin!
By placing fruit, veggies, and herbs under the skin of the chicken, it allows the flavor and juice of these plants to marinade into the meat. This not only adds extra flavor, but it also adds extra moisture and juiciness!
This is a super simple concept I developed while experimenting with roasted chicken recipes for the holidays. It has quickly become a method I use each and every time now!
Lemon Sauce for Chicken
My second step in my method on how to make juicy chicken is by dousing it in a thick and creamy sauce before roasting (dairy-free, of course)!
Creating a simple herb, garlic, and lemon based, creamy sauce to pour over before baking adds so much moisture and flavor to the roasted chicken. It really is a huge component of what makes this roasted chicken so juicy. More on the ingredients in the recipe card!
Healthy Chicken Dinner
Meat can be an important and healthy part of a diet, or the opposite depending on how you source it. While organic is a huge step up from most store-bought meats, it is not the only thing to look out for.
You simply can’t separate the health of the animal you eat from your own health.
The biggest problems lies in the fact that conventional farming is designed to grow and fatten animals at an unnaturally rapid rate. To do this, the animals are being fed a high-calorie, grain-based diet. This is in opposition to the nutrient-rich, natural-diets they would naturally consume in the wild (grass for cows, plants, insects, seeds, small animals for chickens, etc.). Inappropriately feeding animals a deviant diet of dry grain is a direct contributor to those animals developing pathogens (such as salmonella in poultry).
Conventionally raised animals fed grain-based diets have more pro-inflammatory omega-6 fat, and less anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat. The balance between these two types of fat is incredibly important for our health.
All-in-all, it doesn’t really matter what type of grain the animals are being fed..organic or conventional. Feeding large amounts of any type of grain to a grazing or foraging animal will take a negative effect on the quality of the animal’s meat and milk. So, while organic meat may cut down on toxins, it is still nutritionally inferior to grass-fed/ pastured meat.
What is the Healthiest Meat
With all of the unhealthy meats out there, by now, you’re probably wondering what meat you should even choose. The best choice is both organic and pastured/grass-fed. However, we understand that this is not always possible. From affordability to the options for sourcing this type of meat, organic and pastured poultry can be hard to come by. Therefore, if you have to make the decision between one or the other, it is best to choose pastured or grass-fed.
Click here to read more about sourcing the healthiest meat!
Now since you know all about the secrets of how to make a juicy chicken, and how to source the healthiest meat, let’s get into the recipe!
Kitchen Favorites
Roasted Chicken
Full of fresh flavors, and juicy all the way through, this Roasted Chicken is surprisingly easy to make, and perfect for your holiday dinner!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour + 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour + 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 whole chicken – pastured
- 1–1.5 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
- 1 large white or yellow onion
- 3 lemons
- 3–4 rosemary sprigs
Lemon Sauce for Chicken
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
- 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary – chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven or air-fryer to 350ºF.
- Rinse and pat chicken dry, and place in casserole dish. Remove any giblets from inside, and set whole chicken aside for later.
- Slice lemons and onions into thin slices, and rosemary sprigs into halves. Place 1/2 the amount inside the cavity of the chicken.
- Make small, inch long slices in chicken skin in a variety of areas covering the whole chicken.
- Place remaining lemon, onion, and rosemary under the skin.
- Sprinkle chicken with salt, and set aside.
- Place all ingredients for lemon sauce in a medium/large-sized bowl.
- Using a hand blender, blend all ingredients for lemon sauce until smooth, and pour on top of chicken.
- Place chicken in the oven or air-fryer, and bake (use the roast feature if using an air-fryer) at 350º for around 20 minutes per pound, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165º.
- For crisp skin, place on broil, or air-fry for 2-5 minutes once chicken is finished cooking.
- Remove from heat, and serve warm! Enjoy!
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