Butterflied Lemon Roast Chicken

4.75 from 4 votes

This scrumptious recipe coats the chicken with a flavorful mixture of zesty spices.

lemon roast chicken

From stuffing and roasting to baking and searing, there are millions of ways to prepare chicken. You might think you’ve tasted them all, but have you tried butterflied roast chicken? No? Let Skinny Ms. expand your cookbook. Butterflying involves removing the backbone, which flattens the meat and lets it bake quickly and evenly. It also makes serving a breeze.

This scrumptious recipe coats the chicken with a flavorful mixture of rosemary, olive oil, garlic, and zesty spices. The chicken meat absorbs incredible flavor and aroma while roasting to perfection on a bed of lemon wedges and garlic cloves. Our Butterflied Lemon Roast Chicken requires very little prep time. It’s a fabulous weeknight dinner on busy days!

4.75 from 4 votes

Butterflied Lemon Roast Chicken

You won't be missing out on flavor with this roasted chicken recipe.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield 12 people
Serving Size
Course Dinner
Cuisine Universal
Author SkinnyMs.

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds whole chicken
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 garlic cloves 4 cloves minced and 4 peeled but left whole
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 lemons cut into wedges
  • 2 whole rosemary sprigs

Instructions

  • Set oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Butterfly chicken by placing chicken breast-side down on clean countertop or cutting board. Starting at the bottom, cut along the spine with sharp kitchen scissors on both sides. Discard the spine. Flip the chicken over and lay it open. The chicken skin should be facing up.
  • Combine olive oil, garlic, paprika, minced rosemary, salt, and pepper to make a rub. Loosen chicken skin a little at a time. Use hands to spread the rub between meat and skin.
  • Place four whole garlic cloves and four lemon wedges on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet. Place butterflied chicken, skin-side up, on top of the wedges and cloves. Add remaining lemon wedges between legs and body.
  • Place baking sheet in oven and roast for 50 to 60 minutes, until juices run clear and a meat thermometer inserted between the breast and thigh reads at least 175 degrees F. Remove skin and cut into pieces to serve. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 107mg |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 10
Keywords Gluten-Free, Holiday, Keto, Low-Carb

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The SkinnyMs. team believes that all people, regardless of age, size, and fitness level, have the power to transform their lives — they just need the resources to do so. The SkinnyMs. method promotes healthy living through a combination of clean eating and regular exercise. We offer everything you need to be successful.

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15 Comments

  1. I tried making this tonight, and it turned out great! The chicken was flavorful and very moist. My husband is not a very big chicken fan, but he loved it. The cook time was just right for me. Thank you so much! I will definitely be making this dish again.

  2. Going to try this tonight. I couldn’t recommend a high protein low carb diet enough. Back into a size 12 and have found these pages invaluable for advice. Thank you.

  3. How were the Freestyle SmartPoints calculated? The only culprit I see is the olive oil-8 points total.
    Divided by 12 servings…

    1. Hi David, the only part of the chicken that is 0 Freestyle Points is the chicken breast – boneless and skinless. Because this recipe is for a whole chicken the chicken thighs, drumsticks, skin, etc are calculated into the Freestyle Points.

  4. I have made this a couple of times and I dare say it is foolproof and a “much better option than grocery store chicken” per my kids. Super easy to make and once again… essentially foolproof; and it looks fancy. Tastes great!5 stars

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