# Lemon Herb Roast Chicken with Crispy Potatoes

Garlicky lemon herb butter under the skin, and potatoes that crisp in the drippings while the bird rests.

- Total time: 1 hr 50 min (one cook, steps overlapped; 2 hr 29 min if done strictly in order)
- Hands-on time: 34 min
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: medium
- Source: https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com/r/lemon-herb-roast-chicken

## Ingredients

### Chicken

- 1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 lb
- 1 tbsp kosher salt. Substitutes: fine sea salt (Saltier by volume, so use less)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened. Substitutes: salted butter (Works fine. Cut the kosher salt to 2 tsp)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped. Substitutes: dried thyme (Use a third as much. Earthier, less bright)
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 lemon

### Potatoes

- 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled. Substitutes: red potatoes (Waxier and creamier, a little less crisp); russet potatoes (Fluffier inside, but they break up more when tossed)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)

### Salsa verde

- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, packed leaves. Substitutes: parsley mixed with basil or mint (Sweeter and more fragrant)
- 1 tbsp capers, drained
- 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar. Substitutes: lemon juice (Brighter and less sharp)
- salt, to taste

## Steps (in the fastest order for one cook)

1. [0:00] **Mash** (Chicken): Mash 4 tbsp unsalted butter with 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves and 2 tsp fresh rosemary, then zest 1 lemon into it. Halve the zested lemon. _(4 min, hands-on)_
2. [0:01] **Preheat** (Chicken): Heat the oven with a rack in the middle. _(15 min, hands-off, 425°F, critical path)_
3. [0:04] **Season** (Chicken): Pat 1 whole chicken dry and push most of the herb butter under the breast skin, rubbing the rest over the top. Season all over with 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper. _(6 min, hands-on)_
   - Why: Butter under the skin seasons the meat and bastes the breast as it roasts.
4. [0:10] **Cut** (Potatoes): Cut 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes into 1 1/2 inch chunks and toss them in a large roasting pan with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt and 2 sprigs fresh rosemary. _(6 min, hands-on, critical path)_
5. [0:16] **Roast** (Chicken): Set the chicken breast side up on the potatoes and tuck the lemon halves in cut side down. Roast until the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F. _(1 hr 10 min, hands-off, 425°F, critical path)_
   - At 35 min in: Rotate the pan and stir the potatoes around the edges
6. [0:16] **Chop** (Salsa verde): Finely chop 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, 1 tbsp capers, 2 anchovy fillets and 1 clove garlic, then stir in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and salt. _(8 min, hands-on, optional)_
7. [1:26] **Transfer** (Chicken): Lift the chicken and lemon halves onto a cutting board, tipping the juices from the cavity into the pan. _(1 min, hands-on, critical path)_
8. [1:27] **Rest** (Chicken): Let the chicken rest uncovered so the juices settle and the skin stays crisp. _(15 min, hands-off, critical path)_
9. [1:27] **Toss** (Potatoes): Toss the potatoes in the pan juices, spread them out, and turn the oven up to 475°F. _(1 min, hands-on)_
10. [1:28] **Crisp** (Potatoes): Roast the potatoes until deep golden and crisp at the edges. _(15 min, hands-off, 475°F)_
   - At 8 min in: Flip the potatoes
   - Why: Potatoes under the bird steam in its juices. A final blast of heat crisps them.
11. [1:42] **Carve** (Chicken): Carve the chicken into legs, thighs, wings and sliced breast. _(6 min, hands-on, critical path)_
12. [1:48] **Serve** (Chicken): Pile the potatoes on a platter, top with the chicken and its juices, and squeeze the roasted lemon over. Serve with the salsa verde. _(2 min, hands-on, critical path)_

## Graph

Each step lists the steps that must finish before it starts.

- preheat (can start immediately)
- herb-butter (can start immediately)
- season after herb-butter
- cut-potatoes (can start immediately)
- roast after preheat, season, cut-potatoes
- transfer after roast
- rest after transfer
- toss-potatoes after transfer
- crisp after toss-potatoes
- carve after rest
- salsa-verde (can start immediately)
- serve after carve, crisp, salsa-verde

## Notes

- To dry brine, salt the chicken up to 24 hours ahead and leave it uncovered in the fridge. Skip the salt when you season.
- Take the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone. The breast is done before the thigh.
- Salsa verde keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Stir it before serving.

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Recipe graph by Dagwood (https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com). Licensed CC BY 4.0. JSON graph: https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com/r/lemon-herb-roast-chicken.json