Slow Roasted Lemon Chicken
inpatskitchen
Photo by James Ransom
- Serves
- 4 to 6
- Prep Time
- 3 Hours 15 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 Hours 10 Minutes
This recipe is based on "sticky chicken" recipes you see on the internet, but I season the chicken differently and make a lemon pan sauce while the chicken is resting. This fall-off-the-bone roast chicken stays amazingly moist. It's remarkably good at room temperature and makes for great sandwiches!
Tip: Feel free to substitute the rub mixture for 3 tablespoons Cavender's Greek Seasoning.
Ingredients
For the rub mixture:
- 2 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
For the chicken:
- 1 4- to 5-pound whole chicken
- 1 lemon, halved
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon rub mixture (see above)
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 8 garlic cloves (up to 10)
- 2 tablespoon flour (optional)
- 2 cup chicken broth (optional)
Featured Video
This chicken is seriously slow roasted. It takes about 8 hours from start to finish, but requires very little active time and no part is particularly difficult. The spice rub is fabulous, though I did find that I didn't need the full 3 tablespoons on a 4-pound chicken. The chicken is tender and surprisingly moist, and makes for wonderful picking at a picnic. It had all vanished before I got the chance to try making it into sandwiches.
Directions
Instructions
- Step 1
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the rub mixture until mixed well. Set aside.
- Step 2
Wash and dry the chicken and rub all over with the juice of both lemon halves, reserving one used half.
- Step 3
Rub the chicken with the olive oil.
- Step 4
Sprinkle the rub mixture and the paprika all over the chicken and pat in a bit.
- Step 5
Place the garlic cloves and reserved half lemon inside the chicken cavity. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.
- Step 6
Roast the chicken for 5 hours (yep, that's right) at 250º F (that's right, too). After 1 hour, the chicken will start exuding some juice. Tip the chicken to drain juices from the cavity and baste with a brush. Do this every 45 minutes while the chicken is roasting.
- Step 7
After 5 hours, remove the chicken and serve. Optional: Make a pan sauce in the roasting pan by adding the chicken broth and flour until thickened. Scrape up the fond in the bottom of the pan into the sauce. Sometimes I remove the garlic cloves and mash them into the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken to serve. This sauce is purely optional, but is wonderful on the chicken.