Roasted Chicken With Lemon Butter Recipe

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Butter Recipe Add a little zest to the old chicken and potatoes combo.
Mindy Fox•

I'll never tire of a butter-rubbed chicken roasted with rich, earthy potatoes tucked along its edges. Still, it's nice to update the classic pairing with a simple tweak or two. Here, when the bird is almost done, I sprinkle whole parsley leaves and squeeze a few lemon quarters over the potatoes, then pop the whole thing back into the oven. The herb leaves crisp up and the lemon pieces caramelize.

Roasted Chicken With Lemon Butter Recipe
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Prep Time
25
minutes
Cook Time
1
hour
Servings
4
servings
Roasted Chicken with Lemon Butter Recipe
Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Ingredients
  • 1 4-pound whole chicken
  • 1 cup basil leaves
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 lemons
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 2 scallions
  • flakey coarse sea salt
  • 1 3/4 pounds small to medium potatoes (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 good-sized bunch parsley
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with the rack in the middle.
  2. Slip a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, then loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs.
  3. Put the basil and butter in a bowl. Finely zest the lemons into the bowl and add the garlic and scallions and mix together.
  4. Using your hands, gently push the mixture into the spaces you created between the chicken skin and meat, being careful not to tear the skin.
  5. Season the chicken all over, using 2 to 3 teaspoons coarse salt and generous pepper, then tie the legs together with kitchen string.
  6. In a large bowl, toss your pick of potatoes with oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a generous grind of pepper to coat well. Cut a lemon into quarters and set aside.
  7. Put a roasting pan (not nonstick) or baking dish in the oven to heat for 10 minutes.
  8. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately put the potatoes and any oil left in the bowl into the pan, keeping them in as much of a single layer as possible, and pushed to the edges of the pan to make room for the chicken (it’s fine if the bird sits on some of the potatoes); put the chicken into the pan, breast-side up.
  9. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and turn the chicken breast-side down.
  10. Continue to roast for another 20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and turn the bird breast-side up again.
  11. Sprinkle the parsley over the potatoes, then stir the parsley and potatoes to coat with the pan drippings. Squeeze 3 pieces of the cut lemon over the chicken, and put the squeezed rinds into the roasting pan. Continue to roast until the juices of the chicken run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes more.
  12. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and carve. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken and serve with the potatoes and roasted lemons.
 
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