Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon Rosemary Garlic Butter

This perfectly tender and juicy whole oven roasted chicken gets brushed with a fresh lemon rosemary garlic butter and stuffed with aromatics for extra flavor. It's perfect for Sunday dinner, but easy enough for a weeknight!

📝 Ingredients

• one 4-5 pound chicken (at room temperature, giblets and neck removed from cavity)
• 2 onions (quartered)
• 1 head of garlic (cut in half plus 3 garlic cloves minced)
• 3 lemons (2 cut in half and remaining half sliced into thin slices)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter* (softened)
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs plus 1 sprig minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 425°F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Mix the butter with minced rosemary, 3 cloves of minced garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
2. 2Pat the chicken dry and rub half of the butter, garlic and lemon zest mixture under the skin and the rest over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Generously season cavity of chicken with salt and pepper and stuff with lemon half, ½ head of garlic, 2-3 quarters of onion and 2 rosemary sprigs. Truss legs with cooking twine and tuck wings under bird.
3. 3Place chicken in a roasting pan breast-side-up with the remaining onion, garlic, lemons and herbs. Add ½ cup of white wine.
4. 4Roast for 30 minutes or until the breast is firm and just beginning to brown in spots. Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-down, baste with juices and roast for 20 minutes longer, until the skin is lightly browned. Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-side-up and baste again. Add ½ cup of water if wine has evaporated. Roast for about 20 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 155°F to 160°F and juices are running clear.
5. 5Transfer the bird to a cutting board and tent with foil. Remove aromatics and vegetables from the cavity, carve the chicken and serve.