Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken is the ultimate comfort food meal for your next dinner gathering or to include in your weekly meal plan. It is full of flavor and will be the perfect meal to share with family after a long day.
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Oven Roasted Comfort Foods
The mercury has plummeted after a rather warm holiday season, reminding us that yes, indeed it is winter. Menu planning for this week made sure that this house will welcome all with the cozy aromas of slow-roasted foods, soups, stews and baked treats. One of my favorite comfort food meals is roasted chicken. It is easy to prepare, can be as plain-Jane as you wish or you can dress it up all fancy with special herbs & spices. This week I had a few lemons left over so I decided to give it a go with a lemon rosemary concoction that turned out spectacular.
You may recall that I made a perfect Roast Chicken, which is my go-to recipe…it's delicious and even caught the eye of one Food Network chef, by the name of Alton. Yes, Mr. Brown seemed to like it and pinned it to his Pinterest Board. I normally don't pay attention to that kind of stuff, but I will admit, I do like his cooking style and miss his show Good Eats, so that was a little bit of a fan-girl moment.
Is Your Roasted Chicken Plain or Fancy?
Okay, back to our next roasted chicken recipe. As I mentioned, you can be as plain-Jane as you want to be- meaning a little oil rubbed on top and a good shake or two of salt and pepper. Done. Or, you can let your imagination run wild and go to town on flavor pairings. In this case, I had 1 lemon and a couple sprigs of rosemary and some veggies.
I gathered the rest of my ingredients and in 10 minutes, had my bird ready and in the oven.
A Printable Recipe is below!
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This is how I prepped:
- Remove the bag of giblets from inside the bird. This is the small paper-like item that holds the neck, heart & liver.
- Rinse out the cavity with water and blot dry the outside of bird with paper towel.
- Place a small roasting rack inside a roasting pan; I used a glass 10″x13″ pan
. Then put chicken on top of rack
.
- Cut 3 medium carrots & 2 stalks of celery in half and place around bird. Add 4 whole, unpeeled cloves of garlic and 1 onion cut in wedges. Slice one medium lemon into 1/4 inch slices.
- Salt and pepper inside cavity and place slices of lemon and 1 whole rosemary sprig.
- Rub olive oil over whole bird and generously top with salt and pepper. Add a little bit of garlic powder and top with 2 slices of lemon and second sprig of rosemary. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and place uncovered in preheated
- Add a little bit of garlic powder and top with 2 slices of lemon and second sprig of rosemary. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan
and place uncovered in preheated
- Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and place uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven. Roast 2 1/2 hours or until thermometer
reaches 180 degrees when stuck in
- Roast 2 1/2 hours or until thermometer reaches 180 degrees when stuck in thigh.
I thought by using the lemon it would make the gravy taste a little bitter, but was pleasantly surprised it ended up being light and fresh.
Once chicken is cooked, let rest in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to cutting area. Remove veggies and pour liquid in bottom of roasting pan through a fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup or bowl for the gravy.
To make gravy, I know you are supposed to separate the fat from the rest of the liquid, but you know what? I don't. I guess I live on the edge when it comes to gravy. The more fat the better- I only eat it twice a year and by golly, I'm going to enjoy it.
To make the gravy:
Make a roux by melting 4 Tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and then add 4 Tablespoons of flour , whisk until this mixture is smooth and golden brown. Add pan drippings, 1 cube of chicken bullion and a cup or two of chicken stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn to simmer until you are ready to use.
Serve with mashed potatoes, salad, mixed veggies or whatever sides you find make up the perfect cozy meal.
Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken

Perfect fall dinner to roast for family or friends! Chicken with lemon and rosemary will have you drooling for a seat at the table.
Ingredients
- 8 lb. roasting chicken
- 1 lemon, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 medium carrots, cut in half
- 2 stalks celery, cut in half
- 1 onion, cut in wedges
- 4 garlic cloves, whole & unpeeled
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove giblet bag from cavity of bird. Rinse bird and dry with paper towels.
- Place small roasting rack inside 10" x 15" pan.
- Place chicken on top of rack.
- Salt and pepper inside cavity.
- Place 3 - 4 slices of lemon and 1 sprig of rosemary inside chicken cavity.
- Pour 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over top of bird and rub all over skin.
- Salt & Pepper generously.
- Add garlic powder.
- Top with remaining 2-3 slices of lemon and rosemary sprig.
- Place all vegetables around the roasting rack and add 1/2 cup water.
- Roast for 2-1/2 hours or until thermometer inserted in thigh reads 180 degrees.
- Let chicken stand for 15 minutes before carving.
- Pour drippings through fine mesh strainer into another bowl to use for gravy if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 744Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 266mgSodium: 286mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 83g
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Holly
Saturday 10th of January 2015
Hey Kelly - two quick questions about this recipe. Your recipe was for an 8 lb bird but the biggest bird I could find at Whole Foods was 3 lbs so I'm going to roast for an hour (20 min per pound) - does that sound right? Also, some sites say its done when thermometer is 165 but you suggest 180. Why is 180 better? Just curious - thanks so much for posting this! I saw your pick and wanted to make it :)
Kelly Pugliano
Thursday 15th of January 2015
Yes- that sounds about right. With the 8lbs, it seems when the temp reaches 165, it doesn't always cook the bird all the way, so I know when it hits close to 180 (175 even) when I take it out of the oven it will continue to cook for a little bit. The thighs still stay juicy and I was pouring gravy over the white meat anyway! So glad you made it and happy to hear it came out good! :)
John (Daddy Runs a Lot)
Friday 9th of January 2015
To think, I was kind-of a Social Media Celebrity for a day when a retired porn star & I had a conversation . . . but an Alton Brown pin? You win. Hands down.
This looks quite yummy.
Kelly Pugliano
Saturday 10th of January 2015
You crack me up! It really was a fan girl moment... When that came through the email I was all shades of happy. As I'm sure you were with your convo! ;)