Marinate-All-Day Low-Carb Greek Lemon Chicken
A whole chicken soaks in lemony Greek seasoning, then roasts until browned for an easy low-carb dinner with bright, savory flavor.
Prep 15 min · Cook 1 hr 15 min · Total 9 hr 40 min · Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- Whole chicken, about 5 pounds
- 1/3 cup olive oil, good quality
- 1 tsp. grated lemon zest, optional but recommended
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 T Greek seasoning
- Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Tie the chicken with kitchen string if you like, though it is not required. Grate the lemon peel for zest, then cut the lemon and squeeze out the juice. If you do not have a zester, a microplane or fine cheese grater will do the job.
- Stir the marinade together in a measuring cup. Set the chicken in a large Ziploc bag, pour the marinade in, seal it tightly, and move everything around until the chicken is coated on all sides. Refrigerate it for the day while you are at work.
- When you are ready to cook, heat the oven to 450F/220C. Pour off the marinade, then place the chicken breast side down in a glass or heavy metal roasting pan. A roasting pan with a rack is nice because the heat can reach the underside of the chicken, but any roasting pan or baking dish is fine.
- Roast for about 25 minutes. Turn the chicken so the breast faces up, then spoon the juices from the pan over the top.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and continue roasting for about 35-45 minutes, until the skin is browned and an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer registers about 170. For a 5 pound chicken, the total cooking time is about an hour and 15 minutes.
- Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before you carve it.