Slow Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA SUMMERIntroduction
This is one of those recipes you just can't make once: that's to say, after the first time, you're hooked. It is gloriously easy: you just put everything in the roasting dish and leave it to cook in the oven, pervading the house, at any time of year, with the summer scent of lemon and thyme — and of course, mellow, almost honeyed garlic. I got the idea of it from those long-cooked French chicken casseroles with whole garlic cloves and just wanted to spritz it up with lemon for summer. The wonderful thing about it is that you turn the lemon from being a flavouring to being a major player; left in chunks to cook slowly in the oven they seem almost to caramelise and you can eat them, skin, pith and all, their sour bitterness sweetened in the heat.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
This is one of those recipes you just can't make once: that's to say, after the first time, you're hooked. It is gloriously easy: you just put everything in the roasting dish and leave it to cook in the oven, pervading the house, at any time of year, with the summer scent of lemon and thyme — and of course, mellow, almost honeyed garlic. I got the idea of it from those long-cooked French chicken casseroles with whole garlic cloves and just wanted to spritz it up with lemon for summer. The wonderful thing about it is that you turn the lemon from being a flavouring to being a major player; left in chunks to cook slowly in the oven they seem almost to caramelise and you can eat them, skin, pith and all, their sour bitterness sweetened in the heat.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Serves: 4-6
- 1 chicken (approx. 2.25kg / 4½lbs) cut into 10 pieces
- 1 bulb of garlic (separated into unpeeled cloves)
- 2 unwaxed lemons (preferably thin-skinned) - cut into chunky eighths
- 1 handful fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 150 millilitres white wine
- black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes or ½ teaspoon fine flowing salt
- 1 chicken (approx. 2.25kg / 4½lbs) cut into 10 pieces
- 1 head of garlic (separated into unpeeled cloves)
- 2 unwaxed lemons (preferably thin-skinned) - cut into chunky eighths
- 1 handful fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅔ cup white wine
- black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or ½ teaspoon fine flowing salt
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF.
- Put the chicken pieces into a roasting tin and add the garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil and using your hands mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up.
- Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper and sprinkle over the sea salt flakes, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavour-intensifyingly low heat, for 2 hours.
- Remove the foil from the roasting tin, and turn up the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelise at the edges.
- I like to serve this as it is, straight from the roasting tin: so just strew with your remaining thyme and dole out.
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF.
- Put the chicken pieces into a roasting tin and add the garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil and using your hands mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up.
- Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper and sprinkle over the sea salt flakes, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavour-intensifyingly low heat, for 2 hours.
- Remove the foil from the roasting tin, and turn up the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400ºF. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelise at the edges.
- I like to serve this as it is, straight from the roasting tin: so just strew with your remaining thyme and dole out.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Leftover chicken will keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Transfer leftovers to the fridge as soon as possible and within 2 hours of cooking. Eat cold.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Leftover chicken will keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Transfer leftovers to the fridge as soon as possible and within 2 hours of cooking. Eat cold.
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Show more commentsTried this recipe today and it was fabulous. So easy to make and yet so delicious. Our teenage children are not the biggest fans of chicken but they all really loved this and asked to have it again.
This is such an easy dinner with maximum taste. I just use chicken thighs and add peeled spuds and serve with a green salad, Yum yum
I found it very hard cutting the raw chicken into pieces, next time I will ask my butcher!! We are having this recipe for dinner this evening can’t wait to try it!!
I'm thinking that a touch of rosemary would be fabulous
I love this recipe, I like to use oregano and throw in some small potatoes and onion wedges for the last 40 mins roasting. Perfect, light roast dinner!
I've made this recipe dozens of times, often for company, and it's a hit every time. I absolutely love this chicken dish and how simple it is to make. When I have fingerling potatoes, I throw them in for the last 30-45 minutes of cooking. So tasty.
Simply incredible, my wife liked it a lot and wants me to do it again!!!! Even if she is a bit jealous of Nigella, because I find her very attractive ! Hahahaha
Love this recipe, so easy and delicious. I make it in a large cast iron braiser/shallow casserole, using the lid instead of foil. I don't always have wine to hand so use 125ml of stock plus 2 tablespoons of dry white vermouth. And have used a couple of pinches of dried thyme at step 2 if I don't have any fresh.
I've made this a few times now and it's always delicious. The house smells amazing while it cooks. Love, love, LOVE this recipe!
I made this delicious slow roast chicken recipe yesterday and it went down a treat. Everyone enjoyed it very much. Cooking the chicken slowly with the lemon, garlic with thyme, and wine was very moist and the taste of garlic and lemon came through beautifully. Thank you for the recipe, will make this dish again and again for sure.
My mother had just passed away and I started as I have always by raiding her freezer like I was when I first moved out and of course got a bag of chicken out first. I have been waiting to do this recipe forever and oh my gosh! I will say that I did add fresh mushrooms and onions in the beginning and fresh Brussels sprouts at the end at the higher temp. This was such comfort food! As I was savoring every bite I kept thinking that my mother would of loved this and wished she could have had it with me. And she was - in my heart! Thanks for bringing these awesome meals and memories to us!!
This recipe has become a staple at my house! Easy to make, delicious and makes the house smell like heaven!