This recipe creates the most delicious, moist chicken, with minimal time and effort. All you need is chicken, lemons, and salt & pepper! Sound too good to be true? Read on!
Now, this isn’t the chicken recipe to bust out when you want to impress your friends at a dinner party. (Also, stop trying to impress your friends, they already love you…just be yourself.) It is however, simple, delicious, and goof-proof, which is EXACTLY how I like my recipes.
The only ingredients you need are a whole chicken, salt & pepper, and lemons. I usually get the Young Whole Chicken from HEB pictured below, which is roughly 3 pounds. That is more than enough for myself and my husband, but feel free to get a larger chicken if you’re cooking for more.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry your chicken and remove any of the included “innards” (I know that is the correct word, it just felt like it needed quotes.). Take your lemons and pierce them repeatedly on all sides with a fork to create holes. Liberally salt and pepper your chicken inside and out, and stuff the punctured lemons into the cavity. 
I’ve cooked this on a baking sheet, in a dutch oven, and in a casserole dish, and each time it comes out great. The latter two are better, however, if you want to save the delicious juices to spoon over your chicken or for future recipes. Whatever you choose, lay the chicken breast-side down into a baking dish you’ve brushed with olive oil or pam, and place it into the oven. Cook for 1 hour at 350, and roughly 20 minutes at 400. (Your cooking times may vary if you are cooking a larger chicken.)
Once you have insured your chicken is fully cooked (165 degrees internal temperature), remove it from the oven, and let it rest on a cutting board for at least ten minutes. After that, carve into your delicious chicken, and enjoy! I typically squeeze the lemons over Louis’s chicken as he loves the citrus flavor, and you can also spoon the pan sauce over the chicken.
This chicken is so delicious, moist, and flavorful without being super lemony. I’m not a fan of lemon, so I was worried when I first cooked this, but the lemon flavor really doesn’t come through. It seems they just help the chicken stay juicy while cooking.
This dish can be paired with potatoes, salad, vegetables, or whatever you’re craving! If you’re trying to cook a whole chicken for the first time, try this simple recipe, and I know you won’t be disappointed!
3-Ingredient Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken
- Lemons
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Wash and dry chicken and remove innards.
- Pierce lemons repeatedly with fork.
- Liberally salt and pepper inside and outside of chicken.
- Insert lemons into cavity.
- Bake at 350 for 1 hour, and 400 for 20 minutes.
- Let chicken rest for 10 minutes on cutting board.
- Carve and enjoy!
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