Crispy and Juicy Italian Roast Chicken
This recipe for Italian Roast Chicken is a definite family favorite. The skin is nice and crispy and the meat is perfectly tender. It has amazing Italian flavors from garlic, lemons, onions, and seasonings like rosemary, oregano, thyme, and more delicious herbs.
This post has been updated from its original publish date of September 9, 2019. It has been updated to provide better photos, additional helpful information and step by step instructions.
Italian Roasted Chicken
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What you’ll love about this recipe:
- KID FRIENDLY – This is our favorite recipe for roasting chicken. It comes out perfectly juicy and fork tender, every time. It’s sure to become a favorite family Sunday meal or something to wow your guests! Everyone will be pleased with the yummy results. And I love it because it isn’t complicated to make!
- HEALTHY – This recipe uses simple, real food ingredients so you can feel good about serving it to your loved ones!
EASY – Simple to put together for a delicious family dinner.
How to get crispy chicken skin
- A trick to getting that flavorful and delicious crispy chicken skin is to make sure that you pat the chicken dry before baking. Simply use a couple of paper towels and blot the outside of the chicken to dry it.
- Drizzle olive oil over the top of the chicken before baking. This will help with crisping the chicken skin.
- And roast the chicken uncovered. Covering up the chicken will leave you with a soft and soggy skin. Which works for other chicken recipes, but not with a roasted chicken.
What gives this roasted chicken its amazing flavor are:
- Lemon and garlic inside of chicken
- Generously salted inside and out
- Quality olive oil drizzled on chicken skin
- Primal Palate Amore seasoning, which contains: garlic, rosemary, onion, oregano, thyme, basil, parsley, red chili flakes
Ingredients
All you’ll need for this delicious roasted chicken dinner are a handful of simple & basic ingredients.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 5-6 pound whole chicken
- fresh lemon
- garlic
- onion – white or yellow both work in this recipe
- sea salt
- Italian seasoning – I heartily recommend Primal Palate for the best option, but use what you’ve got!
Instructions
When putting this recipe together, it’s helpful to measure out the ingredients and prep everything ahead.
Place chicken inside of a baking dish. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels – this is a trick to preparing the chicken skin for crispiness.
Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine to help with roasting the chicken more evenly. And it helps to give the chicken a better presentation by holding it together during the baking process.
Remove the giblets or any organs if necessary. Season the chicken inside and out with the salt.
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Place half of the quartered lemon and the two halves of garlic cloves inside of the chicken.
Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place the remaining half of the lemon and the sliced onions around the sides of the chicken.
Season the top of the chicken with the Primal Palate Amore seasoning.
Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the chicken and the onions, ensuring that the entire chicken is coated well with the olive oil.
Roast in the preheated oven, check for doneness of the chicken around 1 hour. And allow the chicken to rest for about 10-15 minutes before carving & serving.
Serve with additional salt and fresh black pepper if desired.
How to store leftover roasted chicken
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week. It is best if used within 5-7 days.
To reheat the leftover chicken: heat up the oven to 350 and heat until warmed through. Time will vary depending on how many leftovers there are. And I don’t recommend reheating in a microwave oven.
What to serve with this Italian roast chicken recipe
These are a few of our favorite sides and pairings for roasted chicken.
FAQ (frequently asked questions)
The secret to to making a roast chicken tender and juicy is in the techniques. The chicken should be roasted at a high temperature (425 degrees F in this recipe) and left uncovered.
Roasting it uncovered helps to create that perfect crispy skin and tender, juicy chicken meat.
When the chicken is done roasting and fresh out of the oven, allow it to rest for a few minutes (about 5-10) before carving it.
A whole chicken is cooked completely when the internal temperature reads 165 degrees F. I recommend using an instant read thermometer for checking the proper temperatures of meat. And check at various parts of the chicken, especially the thickest areas.
Don’t throw them out! I save my meat bones and create a delicious broth.
Homemade bone broth is nutritious and makes a delicious addition to many recipes. Such as, this Italian tortellini soup!
Here’s more information on bone broth and how to make your own!
want more recipes?
Check out the recipe index where you can discover more homemade recipes from my homestead!
Italian Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 5-6 pound whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 lemon quartered
- 1 whole garlic halved
- 1 large onion quartered – sliced into large pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons Primal Palate Amore seasoning see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place chicken inside of a baking dish. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels – this is a trick to preparing the chicken skin for crispiness.
- Remove the giblets or any organs if necessary. Season the chicken inside and out with the salt.
- Place half of the quartered lemon and the two halves of garlic inside of the chicken.
- Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place the remaining half of the lemon and the sliced onions around the sides of the chicken.
Season the top of the chicken with the Primal Palate Amore seasoning. - Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the chicken and the onions, ensuring that the entire chicken is coated well with the olive oil.
- Bake for 45 minutes and then rotate the entire pan in the oven so the other side is evenly roasted.
- Continue roasting in the oven for about another 20-30 minutes. Or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F.
- Start checking for doneness around 1 hour of cook time. Use an instant read thermometer to check all parts of the chicken for doneness. Allow the chicken to rest for a bit before slicing.
- Serve & enjoy!
