Easy Lemon & Spice Roast Chicken

I don't think roasted chicken gets the reputation it deserves. It's one of the cheapest forms of chicken in the grocery store and you can use it for so many amazing dishes. I think every family should have a go-to root chicken recipe because they're so versatile. It's great for having as the star of the meal, in a sandwich, or added to a soup. But trust me, you'll want to have a few bites while it's still warm!

It says it all in the name: this is one of the easiest recipes for chicken that creates a perfect balance of flavours between lemony, garlicky, and a little spicy (not too spicy though!). It's so juicy and tender, after I cooked it this time around, the wings fell right off. For an added bonus, this recipe has pretty minimal prep compared to what most people think roasting a chicken would take.

Serves: 6-8

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1hr 45 min

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, thawed

1/2 tbsp oil

Juice of half a lemon, about 1 tbsp

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Remove giblets from chicken (if any) and rinse the whole chicken.

3. Pat the chicken dry and place in a dutch oven, roasting pan, or any oven-safe pot (must have lid).

4. Combine the spices and powders to make the seasoning. Drizzle the oil and lemon juice over the chicken. Rub it on the bottom side of the chicken.

5. Then pour the seasoning over the chicken, ensuring you get some on the bottom side as well. Rub that in to cover the exterior of the chicken.

6. Place in the oven uncovered and sear for 30 minutes.

7. Once you've seareded for 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 350, pour the 1/4 cup water in, and cover. Cook for an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes. Checking each half hour and basting the juice from the bottom over the chicken.

8. Once cooked, remove from oven and place on a cutting board or serving plate (depending on what you're using it for). Let cool for 10 minutes.

9. If taking apart right away, place the chicken on a cutting board and take off all the chicken, ensuring there are no bones (except for the wings and legs).

Tip: For extra juicy chicken, pour the juice over the chicken again before serving.

There you have it; an extra easy recipe to make for the family or on Sunday for meal prep! It has very easy preparation and the oven does most of the work. How great is that?

To make this a full meal, just add some potatoes, carrots, or any of your favourite veggies to the pot after searing the chicken. Your whole meal will have that tangy, sweet, garlicky, spiced taste.

I hope you all had a great Monday and think about trying this recipe out. Let me know how it goes if you do!

If you try any of my recipes, be sure to send me a picture or tag me in your post on Instagram or Facebook! I'd love to see them.

Thanks for reading, have a good week! :)