Roasted Chicken with Lemon Herbs Feta (Printable)

Comforting roasted chicken with zesty lemon, herbs, and creamy feta over buttery potatoes.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Chicken

01 - 1 whole chicken (approximately 3.3 lbs), patted dry
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 lemon, zested and quartered
04 - 4 garlic cloves, smashed
05 - 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
07 - 1 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ For the Potatoes

09 - 2.2 lbs small new potatoes, halved
10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 1 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
13 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

→ To Finish

14 - 3.5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh dill or parsley, chopped
16 - Extra lemon wedges for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest, chopped oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Rub mixture evenly over chicken, inside and out. Stuff cavity with lemon quarters and smashed garlic cloves.
03 - Place chicken breast-side up in large roasting pan. Scatter halved potatoes around chicken. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Toss gently to coat.
04 - Roast for 1 hour, basting chicken and potatoes with pan juices once or twice during cooking. If potatoes brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
05 - Verify chicken is cooked through by measuring internal temperature at thickest part, which should reach 165°F. If needed, continue roasting for additional 10-15 minutes.
06 - Remove pan from oven and let chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.
07 - Sprinkle crumbled feta and fresh dill or parsley over potatoes and chicken. Serve with extra lemon wedges.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The chicken turns impossibly golden while the potatoes underneath soak up all the savory, lemony pan juices like little flavor sponges.
  • Everything roasts together in one pan, which means less cleanup and more time actually enjoying the meal with people you care about.
  • Feta and fresh herbs at the end add brightness that stops the dish from feeling heavy, even though it's completely satisfying.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting period; I learned this by carving too eagerly once and watching all those beautiful juices run onto the cutting board instead of staying inside the meat.
  • If your potatoes seem like they're cooking faster than the chicken, it means the pan's hot spot is under them, so rotate the pan halfway through or move the potatoes to a cooler area of the oven.
03 -
  • Meat thermometers are cheap and take the guesswork out of doneness—stick it in the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone, and you'll never have dry chicken again.
  • Pat your chicken extra dry before seasoning and the skin will crisp up faster, which means you can serve it golden and beautiful instead of pale and soggy.
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