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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken

    By Nancy Mock April 23, 2019 Updated July 4, 2022 Leave a Comment

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    Roast chicken with blackened herbs over surface

    Imagine the amazing aroma from the oven while making Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken! It's delicious thanks to a citrusy and herby sauce.

    Roasted chicken in a cast iron skillet with parsley and lemon slices around it.
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    We have an Argentinian restaurant in our area, Dale Boca, that serves delicious, freshly-made empanadas with a generous dish of homemade chimichurri sauce!

    That garlicky sauce brimming with parsley, garlic, and vinegar is such a tasty accompaniment... we've thought about licking the dish clean, but have managed so far to keep our tongues in our mouths!

    I think about that chimichurri a lot, and came up with a version of my own here to slather over a chicken before roasting! It has crushed red pepper flakes, finely chopped herbs, and I added a little twist... of lemon! Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest adds an extra layer of vibrant flavor to this sauce.

    A white bowl of lemon chimichurri sauce with lemon slices and garlic cloves around it.

    Why you'll love this recipe

    This sauce is perfect for adding loads of flavor to meats—like a roast chicken! Slather the chimichurri over every surface, and add a few lemon slices to the cavity as well.

    The chimichurri sauce comes together very quickly if you have a food processor or blender, much like homemade pesto. Be sure to use a big, fresh bunch of parsley for the best flavor. It's much more exciting than regular lemon chicken: it's a chimichurri roast chicken.

    If you have leftover chimichurri sauce or decide to make extra it's delicious as a dipping sauce for empanadas, spread over grilled meats or with steamed veggies.

    More great chicken recipes: Mexican Spiced Chicken and homemade Chicken Sausage Patties.

    Fresh parsley, garlic cloves and lemon slices on a table.

    🔪 How to make Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken

    Step 1: Make the chimichurri

    A bowl of lemon chimichurri sauce in the sunshine.

    Blend together onion, garlic, parsley, spices, oil, and lemon juice to make the thick and flavorful chimichurri. Set some aside.

    Step 2: Prepare the chicken

    Raw, whole chicken slathered in lemon chimichurri sauce.

    Pat dry the whole chicken and tuck back the wings. Fill the cavity with lemon slices then tie up the legs. Cover the entire surface of the chicken with the chimichurri sauce, then let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes.

    Step 3: Roast the chicken

    Set the marinated chicken in a hot, cast-iron skillet and place it in the preheated oven. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes per pound until cooked through.

    Step 4: Enjoy

    After giving the finished chicken a quick rest, serve it with the reserved chimichurri sauce. It's comfort food perfection!

    View of a roasted chicken with chimichurri sauce in a cast iron skillet.

    Notes:

    • I made my recipe using a five-pound chicken—a good size for our family. For your roast chicken the guideline is to roast it for about 15-20 minutes per pound, so adjust your cook time accordingly if need be.
    • If time is crunched you can skip the marinating step and just put the chicken in the oven right away. 
    • If you don't have a cast iron skillet use a baking dish or roasting pan instead.
    Overhead of roasted chicken in a cast iron pan, marinade behind.

    The recipe for Easy Roast Chicken with Lemon Chimichurri is below! Here are a few other dinner and appetizer recipes to try:

    Garlic Herb Chicken with Quinoa & Spinach
    This makes a delicious dinner: chicken baked with herbs and garlic and served with healthy quinoa, spinach and tomatoes. Make it for supper or for a week's worth of make-ahead lunches
    Take me there
    Tricolor quinoa cooked and copped with sliced chicken breast and cherry tomatoes.
    Country Style Gravy Meatballs
    This is comfort food at its finest! Serve these savory Country Style Gravy Meatballs, made with sausage and a rich, seasoned gravy, as an app or make them into a meal.
    Take me there
    Gravy topped meatballs on a white plate
    Haley's Easy 4 Ingredient Guacamole
    Though this is a simple guacamole comprised of only four ingredients, it has a bright and vibrant flavor thanks to plenty of lime juice and minced garlic.
    Take me there
    Bowls of guacamole and chips

    💬 Are you a Chimichurri fan? What do you think of this chicken? Leave a comment and star rating below!

    📖 Recipe

    Roast chicken in a cast iron pan with parsley leaves

    Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken

    Nancy Mock
    Imagine the amazing aroma from the oven while making Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken! It's delicious thanks to a citrusy and herby sauce.
    5 from 1 vote. Tap stars to vote
    Print it! Pin This Recipe
    Prep Time 25 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Marinating /Resting Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
    Course Comfort Food, Dinner
    Servings 6 servings

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ small onion
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 1½ cups fresh parsley leaves
    • 2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano)
    • 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
    • Zest of 1 lemon
    • 5 pound whole chicken (giblets removed and discarded, or saved for another time)
    • 2 lemons, sliced

    Instructions
     

    Make the chimichurri sauce:

    • Mince the onion and garlic in a food processor. Add the parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and process everything until the parsley is finely chopped and all ingredients are incorporated. (Scrape the bowl of the food processor a few times if necessary. 
    • Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and add to it the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir everything together - this is your chimichurri sauce! This will give you about 1¼ cups of lemon chimichurri.
    • Remove ½ cup of the chimichurri and set it aside. This will be to serve with the finished chicken.

    Prepare chicken:

    • Place the chicken in a shallow dish or pan. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Tuck the wings back behind the body. Place the sliced lemons into the cavity of the chicken, then tie the legs together with kitchen twine. 
    • Use the remaining chimichurri sauce on the chicken: pour some sauce over the bird and rub it into the entire surface. (I like to use my fingers to do this but you can also use a basting brush.)  Pour on a little more as you need to so that the entire bird is coated. (If you have leftover chimichurri you can serve it later as long as you keep it free of utensils and fingers that have touched raw chicken.) 
    • Loosely drape a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken, put it in the fridge and allow it to marinate for 30 minutes.
    • Preheat the oven to 450° F. Place a cast iron skillet large enough to hold the chicken into the oven, so that it heats up with the oven.

    Roast the chicken:

    • Remove the chicken from the fridge. Carefully lift the chicken from the dish and place it into the hot cast iron skillet sitting on the oven rack. Pour any marinade from the pan over the bird, and close the oven. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes per pound - 1 hour 15 minutes for a 5-pound bird. *Tent the top of the chicken with a loose piece of foil for the last 30 minutes, to keep the chimichurri from burning too much.
    • Use a meat thermometer to check if it's done: the thickest part of the breast should be 175 degrees F and dark meat should be 180 degrees F. (Be sure you're not touching bone with the thermometer.) If the chicken isn't done roast it for additional 10 minute intervals until it's ready. 
    • Remove the pan with the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
    • Serve the chicken with the reserved chimichurri for dipping or spooning over pieces. 

    Notes

    • If time is crunched you can skip the marinating step and just put the chicken in the oven right away. 
    • If you don't have a cast iron skillet use a baking dish or roasting pan instead.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 576kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 35gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 530mgPotassium: 521mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1628IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment, tell me what you think!

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