Savory Roasted Chicken Recipe Drenched In Honey, Lemon & Garlic by Elisa Schmitz

If you’re a fan of those tasty fresh rotisserie chickens they sell at some grocery stores, you’ll absolutely love this savory roast chicken recipe you can easily make at home. A whole chicken is drenched in a honey, lemon and garlic marinade then baked to juicy perfection. This roast chicken dinner is so delicious, we think it’s even better than those store-bought rotisserie chickens.

If you’re intimidated by baking a whole chicken, don’t be. Roasting a chicken is really easy, and it gives you that “special occasion” dinner feeling anytime of year. It works equally well for weeknight dinners, holidays and elegant events.

To make this Mediterranean-inspired roasted whole chicken you will need a chicken, olive oil, honey (check out the health benefits of honey), a lemon for juicing, fresh garlic, ground turmeric (turmeric is loaded with health benefits), Italian seasoning and dried rosemary.

This whole roasted chicken recipe calls for a 5-pound chicken, but you can adjust cooking times as needed for smaller or larger chickens. Using this simple baked chicken recipe, your dinner should turn out moist, juicy and delicious.

The marinade is the key. Once you have the chicken covered in it, you just pop the bird in the oven and in less than two hours, you’ll have a perfect protein to pair with your favorite side dishes and vegetables. I served mine over rice, with a side of sautéed broccoli and cauliflower. Yum!

Cuisine: American / Mediterranean
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours (approximately)
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 5-pound (or close to it) whole chicken, ready for baking
• 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Recipe Notes

• Chicken is cooked through and safe to eat at 165 degrees F internal temperature on a food thermometer.

• You can use other seasonings on this roasted chicken. Get creative!

• You could use bone-in chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken. That will affect cooking time. 

Here’s how to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken in a roasting pan (I line mine with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier). Combine olive oil, honey, lemon juice, garlic and seasoning in a bowl and stir to blend.
   
2. Pour and rub olive oil mixture over chicken, ensuring that it’s coated in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
   
3. Cover chicken with aluminum foil and place in preheated oven. Set timer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove chicken and baste it with the juices in the pan.
   
4. Cover and bake another 30 minutes. Remove chicken and baste again. Put back in oven without foil. Let bake about 10 more minutes or until browned.
   
5. Check internal temperature. Chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer (inserted deep into a thigh). When chicken is done, allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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