I love an herb roasted chicken. So much that this is one of my go-to recipes, especially if I have company over. It's nice because you can pretty much pop it in the oven and have a pretty decadent dinner available that feeds a lot of people, or gives you amazing leftovers, tastes great and is pretty hard to screw up. That's a win in my book!
This Herb Roasted Cast Iron Chicken is all of that. Easy, delicious and doesn't need to be babysat. The mix of lemons and garlic and all of the fresh herbs penetrates the skin and meat so that each bite is extremely juicy and flavorful. The crispy skin on the outside is just a bonus!!!
So in all honesty, I was trying to get dinner ready and wrangling my three kiddos while preparing this. It was a bit of a disaster scene, especially being week two of being stuck indoors due to the bitter cold. It was shocking I didn't burn my chicken and managed to pull it out at the right time to ensure it was still super juicy and was tender enough. Lucky me :)
I did a sear on it before cooking at 400° for 45 minutes and this locked in all of the juices. Lowering the temperature after that just ensures the rest of it is cooked inside and the outside doesn't get too crispy. The chicken is completely soaked in the marinade which it also bakes in, so the flavors of lemon, dill and garlic really got into the meat. Every bite tasted like a lemony-herb explosion. I highly recommend if you haven't had one of those before!
This recipe is super simple and always makes a ton. Plus I use the leftover chicken carcass to make homemade bone broth in the InstantPot for soup later in the week. I love making this dish for company since it looks so pretty, you don't have to babysit the chicken and it only takes a few minutes to prepare before popping it into the oven.
How Do We Make It?
First things first, get your cast iron nice and hot!!! This is so important. This will allow the chicken to sear on both sides to help lock in the juices. While my cast iron was heating up, I use this one by the way, I chopped up all my herbs and made up my marinade. Champagne Vinegar, olive oil, a few cups of fresh herbs, garlic, green onions and lemon + salt and pepper. Easy! If you don't have Champagne Vinegar, try out Apple Cider Vinegar or another type that's fairly mild. Or just add a bit more lemon juice.
After mixing it all up in a bowl, I got to work on stuffing my chicken.
First I rinse and patted dry my chicken. Please ensure to clean out the inside of the chicken. This one didn't have a packet of gizzards, but some of them do. Just check. It's kind of gross but it's worth it. Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken then stuff in some butter, garlic and lemons.
I put the chicken into a large bowl and dumped the marinade over it being ensure to thoroughly coat it. I shoved some of the fresh herbs into the chicken as well.
From there, I placed into my hot cast iron and began searing the outside skin. Sear for about 5 minutes, sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper and flip it, repeating on the other side.
With my oven preheated to 400°, I popped the cast iron pan with my chicken into the oven. For this, I didn't rinse off the marinade. I let the chicken cook with a little bit of the marinade in the bottom of the pan. Trust me, it works. The chicken just soaks up all the flavors better this way, plus, while it cooks at 400°, the chicken will get a good crisp on it.
After 45 minutes, lower the heat on the oven to 325° and cook for another 45 minutes. This ensures everything cooks inside of the chicken as well. From there, remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before diving in.
It will be a tough 5 minutes, but definitely worth it. From there, carve up the chicken!
Save up that chicken carcass per the notes on the recipe card and make some homemade chicken broth. You won't regret it, I promise!!
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