This juicy, savory dish brings lip-smacking flavor to the dinner table. Chicken seasoned with Herbs de Provence and lemon juice produce a flavor combination that will leave your mouth wanting more. Furthermore, this recipe for Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken is effortless and easy.
Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken
With Roasted Sweet Potatoes
I love the lemony flavor in this dish. And often times I will cook potatoes along with the chicken. The addition of sweet potatoes to this dish is one of my favorites. The tangy lemon juice compliments the sweetness of the potatoes and gives them a bright zippy flavor. And I would like to note here, that everything will cook together in one pan! I’m always on board for this…less clean up!
Additional lemon juice is poured over both the chicken and potatoes during cooking. This renders the chicken with a crispy skin and enhances the potatoes with a delicate lemon flavor.
Additionally, this dish is adaptable to any type of potato. Simply swap out the sweet potatoes for your potato of choice. Perhaps, you’d like to toss in a couple of carrots. You cannot go wrong with this combination.
Another alternative would be to prepare this dish with my recipe for Colorful Roasted Potatoes. Simply prepare the potatoes up to the point of combining them with the leek mixture. After the leek and bacon mixture have been added to the potatoes, continue with this recipe. Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes before adding the chicken to the roasting pan. Remove the pan from the oven and proceed with the recipe for Lemon-Herb Chicken.
The Chicken
Typically, I use a whole chicken split in half for this dish. This provides plenty of dark meat for my husband and breast meat for my daughter and I. However, sometimes I prefer to make all breast meat. In this case, I will use four to five split chicken breasts. Simply replace the whole chicken for the parts that you prefer and adjust the cooking time accordingly. For instance, all chicken breast may cook a little faster. While chicken thighs may take a little more time.
The Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are my go to with this dish. This is due in part to my love for sweet potatoes. And believe it or not, they are delicious with citrus. However, now and then, I like to mix things up. In this case, I will use Yukon Golds. Additionally, if a more elegant meal is desired, exchange the sweet potatoes for my recipe for Colorful Roasted Potatoes. Just the same, all of the ingredients will roast together in the one pan.
Weight Watcher and Waist Watchers
A 4-5 ounce serving of Lemon-Herb Chicken Breast with a 4-ounce serving of Sweet Potato is 4 WW Smart Points or 621 calories.
A serving of Dark Chicken Meat (A Whole Chicken Leg with back) with a 4-ounce serving of Sweet Potato is 859 calories or 10 WW Smart Points.
Buon Appetito!
A few of my favorite products used in making this recipe.
PrintLemon-Herb Roasted Chicken
Juicy and tender chicken rubbed with Herb de Provence and lemon zest then roasted over a bed of potatoes. The addition of lemon juice during roasting enhances the flavor profile of the potatoes and creates a crispy brown skin on the chicken.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner Entre
- Method: Oven Roasted
- Cuisine: French Inspired
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken, split in half OR 4-5 Split Chicken Breasts, bone-in (4 to 5 breast halves)
- 1 Tablespoon Herbes de Provence, dried
- 2 1/2 Teaspoons Sea Salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 20 ounces Sweet Potatoes (about 2 large)
- 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
Instructions
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.
FOR THE POTATOES:
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into bite size chunks.
- Season with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil.
- Place in roasting pan or on a baking sheet and place in the oven.
- Roast potatoes for 15-20 minutes.
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- Combine the Herbs de Provence, 2 teaspoons of sea salt, black pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl.
For a whole chicken:
- With a sharp chef’s knife or with kitchen shears, remove the backbone by cutting along both sides. Turn the chicken over and with the breast facing up, press down onto the breastbone to crack or flatten the chicken. If preferred, the chicken maybe split in half by cutting through the breast bone.
- Season the chicken with the herb and lemon mixture. Rub the mixture both under the skin and on the inside of the cavity. Set aside.
Alternatively for Chicken Breasts or Thighs:
- Season pieces with the herb and lemon mixture by rubbing into the flesh. It is essential to rub the herb mixture on all sides of the chicken, placing the rub under the skin, if left on.
- Set the chicken aside until roasting.
Roasting the Chicken:
- Once the potatoes have roasted for 15 minutes, remove from oven.
- Arrange the chicken halves over the potatoes, or alternatively arrange the chicken breast or other pieces over the potatoes.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the lemon juice over the top of the chicken and place in the oven.
- Roast uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Remove roasting pan from the oven and check the temperature.
- Pour the remaining lemon juice over the top of the chicken.
- Place back in the oven and continue to roast, about another 15-20 minutes.
- The chicken is cooked when a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 160 degrees. Breast meat is usually cooked at 145-148 degrees. The skin should be golden brown. If it is not, place under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve Immediately.
Notes
Nutritional Facts are based on as follows:
- A 4 ounce serving of potato with a 4-5 ounce Chicken Breast 621 calories or 4 WW Smart Points
- One whole Chicken Leg with back bone served with a 4 ounce serving of potato is 859 Calories or 10 WW Smart Points
