Lemon Paprika Whole Roasted Chicken
Lemon Paprika Whole Roasted Chicken
For so many years, I tried to figure out how to roast a perfect chicken. I experimented with all kinds of procedures, and as you may know, getting that breast to end up moist, instead of the normal dry, is NOT easy! Until I found this method. No matter what flavors you choose to add, if you stick to this method, you will not go wrong! Trust me! Foolproof, perfectly moist, beautifully browned and oh so flavorful chicken!!
Lemon Paprika Whole Roasted Chicken
I’m sharing here one recipe with this method. Try it out and see how it easy it is! After this, the sky is the limit! Try this way of roasting chicken with your favorite marinades. It will be gorgeous every time!
These are the basic rules for this method for perfectly whole roasted chicken, a sort of secret checklist:
The rub should be somewhat pasty, not liquid, not dry. There’s no need to marinate overnight if the marinade has lemon in it. If you do decide to marinate overnight, leave the chicken covered in the rub, preferably in a tight sealed bag, in the fridge. Then remove the chicken from the fridge at least 30 minutes before roasting to let the chicken come to room temperature.
There should be a good bed of liquid under the chicken while roasting, a good inch is what I always want.
Roast the chicken breast side down, always! Let those juices do their job! Broiling for that golden crispy skin you want comes later. Let’s give the breast some TLC first.
Roast, tightly covered with tin foil for 1 hour. Tightly. You want to trap all that moisture inside the roasting tent. If you are using a roasting pan with its own lid, it helps to place a sheet of foil overhanging the rim before covering the pan with its lid.
Brown under high heat for at least 7 minutes per side. Wait before turning until you see the color you like on the skin. I like it a bit charred here and there. Yummm.
Once it’s ready remove the chicken from the oven and place the chicken on a board and cover with foil. Let it rest for at least ten minutes before serving and cutting.
Use those juices! The leftover juices in the pan are awesome at this point. You can serve as is (strained if you like) to drizzle over chicken pieces. Or use these juices to make your own gravy!
Follow these basics and you will always get perfectly moist and flavorful chicken!
Lemon Paprika Whole Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 Whole Chickens
- 2 Tbsps Garlic, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsps Onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsps Paprika, regular or smoked
- 1/4 cup Lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsps Salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cup Water, boiling
- 1 Chicken bouillon cube
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C / 350F
- Place the chickens breast side down on a deep roasting pan. Dry the skin with paper towels.
- In a small bowl mix together garlic, onion, paprika, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- This is the messy part! Rub both chickens with this mixture, inside and out, over and under.
- Stuff the cavity of the chickens with your choice of vegetables and herbs *optional
- To whatever is left in the bowl add the chicken bouillon cube and the boiling water. Stir to dissolve the cube.
- Add this water to roasting pan carefully without pouring over chicken. You want the chicken to sit in the liquid while roasting, but you don't want to wash the flavor off the chickens.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil.. tightly!
- Roast, covered, for 1 complete hour.
- Switch the oven setting to broil on high.
- Remove the foil from the roasting pan. Leave the door ajar if your oven so needs. Broil chickens 7-10 minutes per side, until they brown to your liking.
- Remove pan from oven and cover with aluminum foil until serving time.
- Serve the roasting juices in a side bowl to drizzle on your favorite piece! Yummm
Notes:
*Feel free to stuff the cavity of the chickens with whatever you want to use to add more flavor. Any choice of vegetables and/or herbs could work!
- some ideas:
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Onion wedges
- Lemon slices (or the used lemon halves you just squeezed!)
- Garlic cloves (with the skin)
- Laurel leaves
- Fresh sprigs of Parsley, Cilantro, Thyme, Sage, Oregano