Lavender, Rosemary and Lemon Roasted Chicken
For weeks now, I’ve been eyeing the progress of my sweet little lavender plant. Checking and waiting. Then checking and waiting some more. When that final moment came and their delicate blooms vibrantly showed their faces, I lovingly picked away as many as could be spared and threw them into the insides of a chicken.
I never knew just how amazing lavender could taste until I paired it with some rosemary, lemon and honey, then allowed it to slowly infuse into the tender meat of a farm-raised chicken until it was golden brown. It was so, so good! There may have been a fight or two that broke out as to who would get that last piece of chicken.
I will tell you this recipes is incredibly easy to make, and can also be prepared ahead, if needed. Allowing the flavors to marinate into the skin for a few hours before baking never hurt anybody! Let’s be honest.
If I’ve yet to scare you away with my slight excitement for shoving (lovingly) a bunch of herbs into a chicken and roasting it until its perfectly crisp, then we should continue on towards the good stuff. The recipe itself. Enjoy!
I find every time I stuff a chicken my mind goes to dark places and I have to sensor myself from making any silly jokes. I am no comedian, but everything about this photo cracks me up!
- 8-10 rosemary sprigs, divided
- 15 stems of lavender, divided
- 1 4-5 pound chickens
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 lemons, 1 halved, 1 sliced into eight 1/4" rounds
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ onion, peeled
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a heavy skillet or roasting pan with ¾ th each of rosemary and lavender. Place chickens on top.
- Combine ½ cup butter, lemon zest, and honey in a small bowl. If butter is too soft, chill butter until firm. Season cavity of chicken with salt and pepper
- Using your hands, gently lift skin away from the chicken, being careful not to tear the skin. Under skin of the chicken, rub lemon mixture into meat. Make sure to rub a small portion of the lemon mixture over the top of the skin.
- Place 1 lemon half, a small amount of onion slices, remaining lavender and rosemary sprigs. Place remaining onions around the chicken; arrange 4-5 lemon slices on top of the chicken. Drizzle everything with 2 tablespoons oil. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper.
- Roast chicken, basting frequently with pan juices, for 50 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425°F and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160°F and skin is deep golden and crispy, about 15-20 minutes longer.
- Spoon pan juices over chicken, onions, and lemon slices. Cover chicken with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Uncover, carve chicken and serve.
- Grenache-based Cotes du Rhones
- Viogniers from Paso Robles (CA), Washington State, South Africa and Australia
- Dry rosé wines
- New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
