Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken – Great in the Oven or on the Grill

Springtime always brings me to exploring new flavor combinations as well as stepping up old favorites.  For some reason, lemons always make me think of spring and rosemary is the perfect match with lemons.  So when it was time to plan for Easter Dinner, I decided to throw this one out for the family.  Needless to say, it was a hit.  The flavors married together perfectly for a delicious combination.

Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken

1 whole chicken, 4-5 lb.,  rinsed and patted dry

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

7 sprigs of fresh rosemary, about 5 – 6 inches long each

3 fresh lemons; 2 cut into slices, 1 halved

3 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Prep a large roasting pan with a good drizzle of olive oil.  Place 4 – 5 lemon slices in the bottom of the roasting pan.  Next lay 4 – 5 sprig of rosemary on top.

In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 T olive oil with the juice of 1/2 lemon.  Mix in the garlic.  Dip three or four lemon slices in the olive oil mixture, coating both sides.   Carefully separate the skin from the chicken and rub the lemon/olive oil mixture into the meat.  Reposition the skin over the chicken and rub a little olive oil into the skin (only about 1/2 t.)  Sprinkle with salt and pepper then place the olive oil coated lemon slice on top of the chicken.  Place two sprigs of rosemary into the cavity of the chicken along with the remaining 1/2 lemon.    Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 45 – 60 minutes or until the internal temp. on the meatiest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F.  Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F and allow the skin to turn crispy and a golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Carve and serve.

(sorry there is no photo of the roasted chicken, my family dove into it before I could get the photo.  That’s how good it is!)