My easy Lemon Roasted Chicken recipe has juicy chicken and generous spices that get baked with tender potatoes, caramelized onions and savory lemony juices. Perfect for busy nights and easy entertaining.
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Lemon roast chicken ingredients
- Potatoes: Peeled then sliced thinly. Russet or Yukon work great.
- Onion: Yellow or white is fine.
- Olive Oil: A neutral oil like vegetable, avocado or canola also works. Ghee can also add a nice buttery flavor.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, and lemon pepper work great here!
- Garlic & Paprika: You can also substitute with minced garlic. I use smoked paprika but regular is fine.
- Chicken: Pick whatever pieces you like. I prefer bone in so they don’t dry out. You can even go for a whole chicken. Just spatchcock it so it stays juicy and cooks evenly over the potatoes.
- Lemon: Small lemons, sliced in half, are the way. Go with another citrus like limes or oranges for another zesty note.
How to make lemon roasted chicken
Prep the Potatoes and Onions
Step 1: Add potato slices and onions to the bottom of the dutch oven.
Step 2: Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and lemon pepper to taste. Season with half of garlic powder and paprika.
Prep Chicken and Bake
Step 3: Season both sides of chicken pieces with salt, pepper and lemon pepper.
Step 4: Place chicken facing up on top of potatoes and onions. Season with remaining garlic powder and paprika.
Step 5: Sprinkle with lemon juice then add lemon slices to pan. Cut butter into small pats and add to the top of the chicken.
Step 6: Cover dutch oven and bake for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes and onions are tender and caramelized.
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Step 7: If you want to brown the top of the dish further and add more color, place under a broiler for a few minutes until it reaches the color you prefer. Cool for 10-15 minutes, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Lemon Roasted Chicken
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Ingredients
- 6 medium gold potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (can also use russet)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, pepper and lemon pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound chicken pieces
- 2 small lemons sliced in half
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Add potato slices and onions to the bottom of the dutch oven.
- Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and lemon pepper to taste.
- Season with half of garlic powder and paprika.
- Season both sides of chicken pieces with salt, pepper and lemon pepper.
- Place chicken facing up on top of potatoes and onions.
- Season with remaining garlic powder and paprika.
- Sprinkle with lemon juice then add lemon slices to pan.
- Cut butter into small pats and add to the top of the chicken
- Cover dutch oven and bake for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes and onions are tender and caramelized. If you want to brown the top of the dish further and add more color, place under a broiler for a few minutes until it reaches the color you prefer.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
How to store & reheat roasted lemon chicken
To store leftovers, first let it cool to room temp, then place it in an airtight container. For reheating, warm it in the oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes, or until it’s heated through and the skin is crispy again. This method helps to retain the flavors and keeps the chicken moist and delish boos!How long will lemon roast chicken last in the fridge?
It should last for up to 3-4 days.Can I freeze roast lemon chicken?
For sure boos. Just make sure you bring the entire meal to room temp then divide the potatoes and chicken separately. They should last for about 3 months.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Cut those potato uniformly: Make sure you thinly slice the potatoes the same size so they bake evenly and also cook faster.
- Pat Dry: Make sure you dry that chicken with paper towels before you season and bake. It will help that seasoning stick and brown perfectly.
- Season everything: I like to season the chicken, onions and potatoes separately so each component has poppin flavor.
- Be Careful: For that perfect browning, you can have the chicken under the broiler for a few seconds. Watch carefully so. you get that nice golden caramelized finish.
Serving Suggestions
- Keep it Simple: For a simple weeknight meal, serve this up with some harvest salad and easy garlic bread.
- Southern Vibes Sunday Supper: This lemon roast chicken is great with succotash, a pan of honey cornbread and turnip greens. And don’t forget the sweet potato pie.
- Comfort Food Dinner: Entertaining your boos? Make this dinner along with a delish lobster mac and cheese, creamed spinach and angel biscuits.
Recipe Help
The simple answer is yes however the bone definitely provides more moisture so it stays juicy while cooking. Just know that it also may cook faster too so check after 40 minutes of cooking.
If you have time for this extra step, it will give you more flavor. You can marinate in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and herbs for a little something extra!
No worries boos. Just remove the chicken from the dutch oven, then cover and continue cooking the potatoes until they are tender.
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Can I double this recipe and keep it one dutch oven?
Depends on what size your dutch oven is. If it will all fit then it will be fine.
So Good! And so easy to make. Left the skin on the taters ’cause I was too lazy to peel them. Great recipe – thanks!
You’re welcome!!
I made this tonight using 5 pounds of chicken legs, and my family of six devoured every last one. I sliced the onions and potatoes in the food processor, resulting in thin pieces. Surprisingly, my grandchildren, who typically avoid onions, ate them all because the juices from the chicken, along with the lemon juice and butter, made them unnoticeable. Everything was gone! It was incredibly delicious, and I will definitely make it again.
I am going to use sweet potatoes rather than yellow potatoes. What do you think?
That sounds great!
Do I leave the skins on the thighs and drumsticks?
Yep, I do at least. You can remove if you want to though.
I had a lemon chicken dinner many moons ago and it had a gravy over the chicken that looked like chicken gravy but had a lemon taste. Could you just add some lemon zest and juice to chicken stock along with a roux to make a pan gravy?
You sure can.
Can you make this with skinless, boneless chicken breasts? Would that change the cook time?
Yes, you can, but it would change the cook time dramatically and I have not tested this recipe with chicken breasts, so I am not sure by how long.
I wanted to try out my new dutch oven so decided on this recipe as it looks so yummy and it did not disappoint!! going to be a family favourite!
So glad everyone liked it!