Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken
Cast iron skillet roast chicken with lemon and garlic. Juicy, crisp, and simple enough for weeknights, special enough for Sunday.
Servings: 6
Calories: 369kcal
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 5 lbs
- 1 lemon halved crosswise
- 1 head garlic halved crosswise
- 1/2 onion cut in 4 wedges
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, or oregano (optional)
Instructions
- The night before, pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Use a sharp knife to make a 3-inch incision between the leg and the breast on both sides, just until you see the joint—this helps the dark meat cook more evenly.
- Rub the chicken lightly with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper, inside the cavity and all over the skin.
- Place the chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet. Refrigerate overnight, uncovered, to let the skin dry out and the seasoning absorb.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 450°F with a large cast iron skillet inside.
- Slice the lemon and garlic in half crosswise, exposing the cut surfaces for roasting. Slice the onion into wedges.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface. Add half the olive oil to the pan.
- Tuck the wings under the chicken to prevent them from burning, then place the chicken breast-side up in the hot skillet.
- Add the lemon halves, garlic halves, and onion wedges around the chicken, cut sides down. If using herbs, tuck them into the cavity. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the chicken and vegetables.
- Roast at 450°F for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting for 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165°F.
- Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest in the skillet for 15 minutes.
- Before serving, remove the lemon and garlic. Lift the chicken with a carving fork and tilt it over the skillet to let the juices from the cavity flow into the pan, then transfer it to a carving board.
- Scrape up any browned bits and stir the juices. For extra flavor, squeeze some of the roasted lemon and garlic into the pan sauce before spooning it over the sliced chicken.
Notes
- For crisp skin and even cooking, season the chicken the night before and refrigerate uncovered.
- Tucking the wings under the bird prevents them from burning.
- Make a small cut between the leg and breast to help dark meat cook through.
- You can squeeze the roasted lemon and garlic into the pan juices for extra flavor.
- Fresh rosemary, thyme, or oregano in the cavity adds subtle aromatic flavor but is optional.
Nutrition
Calories: 369kcal | Total Carbohydrate: 4g | Protein: 24g | Total Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 299mg | Dietary Fiber: 1g | Total Sugars: 1g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Vitamin D: 0.3µg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg