This delicious Roasted Citrus Chicken is flavored with zesty ingredients like lemons and oranges, among other aromatics like fresh rosemary sprigs and parsley. It’s wonderfully easy to make, extra juicy and so tender!
Why You’ll Love This Citrus Roasted Chicken Recipe
We totally get it. Cooking a whole bird can be intimidating! However, we’ve simplified the steps for you in this tried and true recipe. Every time we roast a citrus chicken, it turns out absolutely perfect because of these simple steps. Here’s why you’ll love this roasted chicken:
- Low-effort. The minimal effort here is SO worth the delicious results. It requires little upfront work, and the rest is done in the oven.
- Perfectly cooked. The chicken meat is tender, juicy, and never dried out, while also being so unbelievably full of flavor from all the citrus and herbs. And the seasoned, roasted chicken skin on the outside? Swoon.
- Family-friendly. Roasting a whole chicken is a great weeknight dinner for the family. There’s enough for everyone, and we all get to pick our favorite parts of the bird!
If you’re looking for more easy chicken dinner ideas, check out my air fryer chicken legs, this grilled chicken breast, and this Cajun chicken casserole.
What You’ll Need
You only need a handful of ingredients to make the juiciest citrus roast chicken, and most of them are probably already in your kitchen. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list.
- Chicken: Buy a 5-6 pound whole chicken with the giblets removed. Unless you’d like to remove the giblets yourself, of course, more power to you!
- Olive Oil: While extra virgin olive oil is preferred, avocado oil can be used in a pinch.
- Orange: Sliced into wedges.
- Lemon: Also sliced into wedges.
- Rosemary: Use fresh rosemary sprigs, not dried rosemary! The sprigs will provide the best flavor and aromatic experience.
- Parsley: Just like the rosemary, your parsley should be fresh.
- Salt and Pepper
- Garlic Powder: Toss a little extra in there if you want a more prominent garlicky flavor.
- Lemon Pepper: This seasoning is what makes the skin of the chicken so mouthwatering.
How to Roast a Whole Chicken
The first time you roast a chicken, it can be daunting because it seems like so much can go wrong. But, never fear, because it’s actually a LOT easier than you think. Follow these simple steps. Scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Prepare your kitchen: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, grease a large cast iron skillet or shallow roasting pan with olive oil and set it aside. You can also use a 9×13 (or similar-sized) casserole dish.
- Prepare the chicken: Rinse the chicken and wash the inside cavity. Trim away any excess skin. Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry. Place chicken breast side up in the prepared roasting pan.
- Make it flavorful: Coat chicken skin and the inside of the bird with olive oil. Cover with spices inside and out. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 of the lemon and 1/2 of the orange over the breasts of the chicken. Place citrus rinds in the pan with chicken.
- Stuff it: Insert the remaining lemon slices, orange slices, parsley, and rosemary into the cavity of the chicken. These are the aromatics that will help flavor your chicken. If you have extra space inside your bird, roughly chopped onion or garlic cloves are always great added aromatics as well.
- Roast: Roast uncovered for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. You can estimate about 20 minutes of baking time per pound of chicken.
How Do I Make Sure My Roast Chicken Is Fully Cooked?
Want to keep your chicken juicy? Use a meat thermometer! It’s the only way to guarantee you have baked your chicken to the exact temperature needed. Insert your meat thermometer deep into the chicken breast, but making sure not to touch bone, and cook the chicken until it reaches 165°F. You’ll never end up with a dry chicken again!
Tips for Success
How easy was that? To make sure that your roast chicken cooks up perfectly every time, keep the following recommendations in mind:
- Temperature: ALWAYS use a thermometer to watch the temperature of chicken as you roast it (see above), especially if it’s a whole chicken like this. The meat needs to reach 165°F before it’s safe to serve, any higher than that and you will wind up with dried out chicken.
- Gravy: The juice/gravy that gathers at the bottom of the baking dish is absolutely mouthwatering. We like to pour it onto the chicken right before serving for some added flavor! You can also thicken it with flour to create a homemade chicken gravy.
- Oil: Don’t be shy with the olive oil when coating your chicken.
- Better than a candle: Your kitchen is going to smell like an herbaceous, citrusy heaven as you bake this chicken, so enjoy it! That’s it, that’s the tip. Enjoy the smells!
Serving Suggestions
A whole roasted chicken is certainly a crowd-pleaser at the dinner table. While someone might like drumsticks, another may want the wings, and there’s enough sliced breast meat to go around. It’s a similar experience to eating turkey on Thanksgiving, albeit there are much fewer leftovers. Serve this citrusy roast chicken with any of these easy side dish ideas:
- Veggies: Chicken pairs deliciously with honey glazed carrots or sauteed mushrooms. Or, pop in a batch of roasted vegetables while the oven’s hot.
- Salad: We love this easy roasted beet salad with goat cheese or this creamy and crunchy broccoli salad.
- Bread: Serve this chicken with your choice of veggies and a basket of homemade garlic bread or Caprese garlic bread.
- Rice: Roasted chicken and parmesan garlic rice is a hearty combination.
More Ways to Use Roast Chicken
If you have leftover roasted chicken meat, use it in a sandwich or add it to another easy dinner the next night. We have so many recipes that you can make leftover chicken! Try these chicken skillet enchiladas, or pasta dinners like chicken, spinach and artichoke baked tortellini and chicken bacon ranch pasta. These white chicken lasagna rollups are also amazing.
Can I Prep This Chicken Ahead Of Time?
Yes! Absolutely, you can prep the chicken, including seasonings and stuffing with aromatics up to 24 hours ahead. Wrap it tightly with Saran Wrap and refrigerate it.
Before you are ready to roast the chicken, remove it from the fridge and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes to warm up. Then bake as directed in the recipe.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Store: Store any leftover roast chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat chicken in the oven under foil at 350ºF until it’s hot throughout. You can also heat the chicken using your air fryer if you have one. Whatever you do, avoid the microwave! Reheating in the microwave is a recipe for tough chicken.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
Here are a few reader favorite chicken recipes you don’t want to miss:
Roasted Citrus Chicken
Ingredients
- 5-6 pound whole chicken, giblets removed
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 orange, sliced into wedges
- 1 lemon, sliced into wedges
- 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
- Fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a large cast iron skillet or shallow roasting pan with olive oil, set aside.
- Rinse chicken and wash cavity. Trim away excess skin. Use paper towels to pat chicken dry. Place chicken breast side up in a prepared roasting pan.
- Coat chicken skin and the inside of the bird with olive oil. Cover with spices inside and out. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 of the lemon and 1/2 of the orange over the breasts of the chicken. Place citrus rinds in the pan with chicken.
- Insert the remaining lemon slices, orange slices, parsley and rosemary into the cavity of the chicken.
- Roast uncovered for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Use a meat thermometer inserted deep into the breast, but making sure not to touch bone, and cook chicken until it reaches 165°F. You can estimate about 20 minutes of baking time per pound of chicken.
- Remove chicken and oven and let rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve as desired.
