Imagine the amazing aroma from the oven while making Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken! It's delicious thanks to a citrusy and herby sauce.
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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.
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.
🔪 How to make Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken
Step 1: Make the chimichurri
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
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!
Tips:
- 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.
The recipe for Easy Roast Chicken with Lemon Chimichurri is below! Here are a few other dinner and appetizer recipes to try:
💬 Are you a Chimichurri fan? Leave a comment below!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Chimichurri Roast Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 5-6 pound whole chicken (giblets removed and discarded)
- 3 lemons, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (or vegetable oil)
- ½ medium yellow onion
- ½ medium red onion
- 1 pound red potatoes (Scrubbed clean)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 1½ cups parsley leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
Instructions
Prepare chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease the inside of a roasting pan that's large enough to hold your chicken, plus the cut up vegetables.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place it in the roasting pan.
- Use a microplane to zest one of the lemons into a small bowl. Hold the zest aside to use later for the sauce.
- Cut the zested lemon into quarters; place them inside the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wings back behind the body.
- Rub two tablespoons of the olive oil over the entire surface of the chicken, including the legs and wings.
Prepare the onions, potatoes, and lemons:
- Remove the outer, papery peels of the yellow and red onions. Slice them into thick wedges, then place them around the chicken in the pan.
- Cut the red potatoes into 1½-inch chunks and add them to the pan around the chicken. Cut two lemons into quarters and add them to the pan around the chicken.
- Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the onions, potatoes, and lemons. Sprinkle the ½-teaspoon of salt and ¼-teaspoon of pepper over the chicken.
Begin roasting the chicken:
- Slide the pan into the oven, and roast the chicken for 15 minutes per pound: for a 5-pound bird, that's 1¼ hours; for a 6-pound bird, plan on 1½ hours.
Make the chimichurri sauce:
- While the chicken roasts, make the chimichurri sauce.
- Add the onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Process the ingredients until they're finely chopped and blended together. (Scrape the bowl of the food processor once or twice if necessary.)
- Pour in the olive oil, lemon juice, and the reserved lemon zest. Run the processor again until you have a thick sauce—this is your chimichurri sauce! You'll have about 1¼ cups of chimichurri.
Baste and finish roasting the chicken:
- Thirty minutes before the chicken is finished roasting, brush a ¼ cup of the chimichurri sauce over the entire surface of the chicken. Drape a piece of foil over the top of the bird (to prevent the herbs from browning too quickly.) Return the pan to the oven for the final 30 minutes.
- The chicken is done when juices are clear when the meat is sliced between the thigh and leg. The internal temperature of the meat should be at least 165°F; the dark meat will have the best texture when cooked to around 185°F.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes. You can spread a little more chimichurri over the surface if you'd like.
Serve!
- Carve the chicken and serve pieces with chimichurri sauce on the side for dipping and driizling. Don't forget to serve roasted potatoes, onions, and lemons with the chicken!
Notes
- If you have a very large cast iron skillet or baking dish, these can be used instead of a roasting pan.
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