Grandma's Roast Lemon Chicken
Submitted by Bloomlika
Spatchcocked roast lemon chicken with white wine pan gravy, basted until deep golden brown. A classic whole chicken dinner with homemade gravy from the drippings.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
100 minREADY
145 minSpatchcocking is the secret weapon of this recipe, even if grandma probably just called it “butterflying the bird." Cutting out the backbone and flattening the chicken means it cooks evenly and faster, with more skin exposed to direct heat. That means crispier skin all over, not just on top.
The bird roasts on a bed of parsley, celery, and onion that serves as a natural rack and flavors the drippings below. After the first 35 minutes of dry heat to get browning started, a mixture of chicken broth, lemon juice, and dry white wine goes into the skillet. From there, you baste every 15 minutes. Each baste layers more flavor onto the skin while keeping the meat underneath juicy.
That basting liquid becomes your gravy base. Once the chicken rests under foil, you defat the pan juices, thicken with a cornstarch slurry, and simmer until it coats a spoon. No separate gravy-making required.
Chef Tips
- Use the heel of your hand to crack the breastbone firmly. You should hear and feel it break. A half-flattened bird doesn’t cook evenly.
- Reserve that ¼ cup of broth-wine mixture before adding the rest to the pan. You need it cold to dissolve the cornstarch without lumps.
- Baste on schedule. Every 15 minutes builds layers of flavor and color. Set a timer.
- The vegetables in the pan are for flavor only. They get discarded after roasting, so don’t bother cutting them pretty.
Variations
- Add a head of garlic, halved crosswise, to the vegetable bed for a roasted garlic note in the gravy.
- Swap white wine for dry vermouth, which has herbal depth and keeps in the pantry longer.
- Sprinkle fresh thyme leaves over the chicken along with the paprika for an herbed crust.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Place the chicken on it’s breast on a flat work surface.
Using poultry shears, cut along the entire length of the backbone.
Spread the chicken open and rinse with cold water. Dry with paper towels.
Cut off excess fat at neck and tail, and discard fat.
Open the bird out as much as possible.
Use the heel of your hand and strike the breast firmly to break the breast bone, collar bones, rib cage, and wishbone.
Place the parsley, celery, onion into a 10 to 12 inch oven proof skillet or baking dish , and lay the chicken, breast side up, on top, arranging the bird so it rests neatly in the skillet.
Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika, and dot with butter.
Roast uncovered for 35 minutes or until chicken has begun to brown.
In a two cup measuring cup, combine broth, lemon juice, and wine.
Reserve ¼ cup o the liquid, and add the rest to the skillet.
Baste the chicken, and continue to roast uncovered, basting every 15 minutes, for 50 to 60 minutes longer, or until the skin is a deep golden brown and juices run clear when chicken is pierced in the thickest part of the thigh and interal temperature registers 180 degrees.
Transfer chicken to a warm platter or grooved carving board and keep warm by covering with a tent of foil.
Discard the vegetables.
Tile the skillet, and spoon off the fat. Strain the defatted cooking juices if desired and return juices to the skillet.
Stir cornstarch into the reserved ¼ cup both wine mixture.
Add the dissolved cornstarch mixture to the broth in the skillet.
Bring to a simmer and stir frequently until thickened.
Serve gravy alongside chicken.
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