This Lemon and Thyme French Roast Chicken Recipe (Poulet Rôti au thym et citron) with Roasted Garlic is one of our family's favorite dishes. The meat is juicy and tender with the delicate perfume from the lemons, garlic and thyme. The skin is crispy and flavorful. Simply exquisite as well as super easy to make!
We will make this recipe on a week night when we need a pick me up or serve it when we have friends over. Everyone loves this recipe!
Make sure to check out my post on the 15 best sides to serve with roast chicken for inspiration.
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The most versatile dish
To a French woman, a Roast Chicken, or Poulet Rôti, is the culinary equivalent to a little black dress. Quick to put together, chic to serve and versatile. This super simple French Roast Chicken recipe can easily be the main course for a special Sunday lunch with friends or a Tuesday night meal for the kids. A culinary rite of passage, every French woman has "her" recipe for Poulet Rôti.
I was always under the impression that a Roast Chicken was complicated to make. Sure, some recipes require a rather intricate basting and turning method (ahem, Julia Child!) but one day I observed Le Chef make a roast chicken in less time that it takes me to make a sandwich. He popped it in the oven and didn't touch it until it was time to take it out. The result was the most succulent, flavorful, crispy skinned chicken that looked like it belonged in a magazine.
Working from home? Pop a chicken in the oven at 3pm and you will have the most delicious scent calling you to finish up your workday and set the table for a nice dinner with your family.
This variation of my Super Simple Roast Chicken Recipe is even more flavorful with addition of Lemon, Thyme and Roasted Garlic.
What is a French Roast Chicken or Poulet Rôti?
First and foremost - it starts with the chicken. Choose the best quality chicken you can find. Organic? Great! Free of antibiotics? Yes, please. Le Chef swears by D'Artagan Green Circle Heritage Chicken. They are more expensive than your typical fryer chicken, or the rotisserie chicken you find at large grocery stores but the end result is worth it. I try to keep a couple chickens in my freezer to defrost and serve when I am craving it or if we have an impromptu dinner party.
French Roast Chicken Seasoning:
This recipe is seasoned with thyme, lemon, garlic and a pinch of French Sea Salt. You can add pepper or additional seasonings to taste, but if you are cooking a high quality chicken you won't need much.
Le Chef's Tip: Don't Sprinkle herbs on the top of the chicken - they will burn. It is better to add the herbs to the inside of the chicken and under the skin, mixed with butter.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole 3.5-4lbs chicken
- 1 lb baby potatoes, rinsed and cut in half
- 2 heads of garlic plus 3 cloves for inside the chicken, peel on
- 2 teaspoon of coarse salt
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- 5 tbsps of butter - room temperature
- 1 lemon, rinsed and cut in half
- 7-8 branches of fresh thyme
How to Prepare a chicken for roasting:
(You don't need to wash a chicken. Rinsing it in water does not kill off bacteria - cooking does! This is a very curious tradition that confounds Le Chef every time he hears of it.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Start with a whole chicken, about 3.5-4 lbs.
- Remove the insides. Your bagged chicken might have a neck and gizzards inside the cavity. Reach your hand inside and pull them out. You can wear a rubber glove if you prefer. Discard the neck and gizzards unless you are planning to make chicken broth with the carcass - in that case keep the neck to add to the bouillon for flavor.
- Pat down the chicken with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Removing the moisture helps to make a crispy skin!
- Set the chicken in a roasting pan greased with olive oil. I use a pan big enough with space around it for the potatoes (Roasted Chicken is always served with potatoes in France)
- Mix the room temperature butter with the leaves from 3 branches of thyme in a bowl. Now it is time to get a little messy. Using your fingers gently lift the chicken skin over the breast and spread the butter and herb mixture under the skin. You may need to pry the skin a little at the beginning (starting from the base of chicken) but then it will lift rather easily. By adding the butter mixture under the skin you will get a very flavorful, juicy meat and a crispy skin. It is worth it!
- Inside the chicken cavity stuff 2 branches of thyme, the 3 cloves of garlic and both lemon halves and a teaspoon of coarse salt.
- Using cooking twine, tie the legs together. (This is not necessary but a chicken does look more elegant with her knees together...!)
- Sprinkle coarse salt over the top of the chicken
- Drizzle olive oil generously over the chicken (it helps to make the skin crispy)
- Cut the top off a whole head of unpeeled garlic (width wise) and place opposite sides of the pan (skin side down).
- Arrange the halved baby potatoes around the chicken and garlic.
- Put the remaining branches of thyme in with the potatoes (closer to the bottom of the pan so that they infuse with the cooking juice)
- Add another generous drizzle of olive oil over the garlic and potatoes.
- Place 2 tablespoons of butter around the potatoes. (Using butter as well as olive oil on the potatoes makes for the most amazing crispy potatoes!)
Voilà! Easy as that. Once you get the hang of it, the entire process takes 10 minutes. Add in the time it takes to toss a green salad and you have an entire fancy meal ready with less than 25 minutes of effort.
Roasting the Chicken
Place the roasting pan with the chicken and potatoes in the middle rack of your 350 degree oven, uncovered.
Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes until the chicken is done.
About an hour in to cooking, baste the chicken by taking a spoon (or a baster) and pouring the cooking juice over the Chicken, potatoes and the garlic. Stir the potatoes then put back into the oven to finish cooking.
Chef's Tips for a Perfect French Roast Chicken
FAQS
The most reliable way is to check the temperature. Place the needle into the crook between the chicken's breast and thigh. The temperature should read 165 degrees Farenheit. Don't have a meat thermometer? Check to see if the skin has begun to pull away from the the drumstick - that is a good indication that it is done. I also like to pierce the thigh with a fork - if the juice that runs out is clear and not pink it is a good indicator that it is done
3-4 generally. For 6 people I will roast 2 chickens and keep the leftovers for chicken soup.
Pick the carcass for leftover meat. Set aside. In a large soup pot, cover the carcass with water. Add 2 branches of celery, 2 carrots, 2 cloves of garlic (skin on), and 1 chopped leak. Season with rosemary, thyme and sage as well as a whole clove and a star anise (Le Chef's secret ingredient!). Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let simmer for 45 minutes. Strain out the liquid and you have your delicious broth! Perfect for freezing to add to a multitude of recipes or use as the base for the most delicious chicken soup with your leftover chicken meat! For the full recipe click here: Homemade Chicken Stock
Nope! Keep it simple. No rotating or standing a chicken on its head while cooking is necessary. Try it, you will wonder why you have been making your roast chicken perform oven acrobatics.
What to Serve with French Roast Chicken?
French Asparagus Recipe with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette
La Salade Mentonnaise - A fresh fennel and citrus salad that pairs beautifully with French Roast Chicken
Creamy Butternut squash Soup with Crispy Sage
Garlic Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
Confit Bayaldi - a showstopper Ratatouille!
Wine Pairings with French Roast Chicken or Poulet Rôti
I personally love drinking a crisp, dry Provençal Rosé with roast chicken, all year round. The light florals pair beautifully with the chicken.
A lighter bodied red wine such as a Pinot Noir is also incredible with this dish. Avoid going for a full bodied red as it will overpower the delicate flavor of the chicken.
If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like some of my other French family dinner recipes:
- Petits Farçis Niçois
- Foolproof Eggplant Lasagna Recipe
- One pot cheesy chicken and orzo
- Easy Branzino with Vierge Sauce
- Roasted pork tenderloin with apples and sage
- Roasted Duck Magret with Apples and Squash
Meal Prep
One of my favorite busy mom hacks is to roast two chickens on the weekend. We have a delicious Sunday Lunch and then enjoy chicken throughout the week. In school lunches, in soup or else in different dishes. I always use the bones at the end of the week to make a bouillon which can easily be frozen and used later (like in French Onion Soup Gratinée) A roast chicken is the perfect meal prep solution.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know by rating the recipe and leaving a comment! I love to hear from you.
Au plaisir,
Le Chef's Wife
About Le Chef's Wife
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.
I share our home cooking on Instagram, pinterest and tiktok. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to receive my new recipes and have advance access to cooking classes. I look forward to cooking with you!
Print
Lemon and Thyme French Roast Chicken (Poulet Rôti au thym et citron)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1h45
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 3-4 people 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: French
Description
This Lemon and Thyme French Roast Chicken Recipe (Poulet Rôti au thym et citron) with Roasted Garlic is one of our family's favorite dishes. The meat is juicy and tender with the delicate perfume from the lemons, garlic and thyme. The skin is crispy and flavorful. Simply exquisite as well as super easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 Whole 3.5-4lbs chicken
- 1 lb baby potatoes, rinsed and cut in half
- 2 heads of garlic plus 3 cloves for inside the chicken, peel on
- 2 tsp of coarse salt
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- 5 tbsps of butter - room temperature
- 1 lemon, rinsed and cut in half
- 7-8 branches of thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Start with a whole chicken, about 3.5-4 lbs.
- Remove the insides. Your bagged chicken might have a neck and gizzards inside the cavity. Reach your hand inside and pull them out. You can wear a rubber glove if you prefer. Discard the neck and gizzards unless you are planning to make chicken broth with the carcass - in that case keep the neck to add to the bouillon for flavor.
- Pat down the chicken with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Removing the moisture helps to make a crispy skin!
- Set the chicken in a roasting pan greased with olive oil. I use a pan big enough with space around it for the potatoes (Roasted Chicken is always served with potatoes in France)
- Mix the room temperature butter with the leaves from 3 branches of thyme in a bowl. Now it is time to get a little messy. Using your fingers gently lift the chicken skin over the breast and spread the butter and herb mixture under the skin. You may need to pry the skin a little at the beginning (starting from the base of chicken) but then it will lift rather easily. By adding the butter mixture under the skin you will get a very flavorful, juicy meat and a crispy skin. It is worth it!
- Inside the chicken cavity, 2 branches of thyme, the 3 cloves of garlic and both lemon halves and a teaspoon of coarse salt.
- Using cooking twine, tie the legs together. (This is not necessary but a chicken does look more elegant with her knees together...!)
- Sprinkle coarse salt over the top of the chicken
- Drizzle olive oil generously over the chicken (it helps to make the skin crispy)
- Cut the top off a whole head of unpeeled garlic (width wise) and place opposite sides of the pan (skin side down).
- Arrange the halved baby potatoes around the chicken and garlic.
- Put the remaining branches of thyme in with the potatoes (closer to the bottom of the pan so that they infuse with the cooking juice)
- Add another generous drizzle of olive oil over the garlic and potatoes.
- Place 2 tablespoons of butter around the potatoes. (Using butter as well as olive oil on the potatoes makes for the most amazing crispy potatoes!)
Voilà! Easy as that. Once you get the hang of it, the entire process takes 10 minutes. Add in the time it takes to toss a green salad and you have an entire fancy meal ready with less than 25 minutes of effort.
Roasting the Chicken
Place the roasting pan with the chicken and potatoes in the middle rack of your 350 degree oven, uncovered.
Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes until the chicken is done.
About an hour in to cooking, baste the chicken by taking a spoon (or a baster) and pouring the cooking juice over the Chicken, potatoes and the garlic. Stir the potatoes then put back into the oven to finish cooking.
Notes
(You don't need to wash a chicken. Rinsing it in water does not kill off bacteria - cooking does! This is a very curious tradition that confounds Le Chef every time he hears of it.)
How do you know when the chicken is done?
The most reliable way is to check the temperature. Place the needle into the crook between the chicken's breast and thigh. The temperature should read 165 degrees Farenheit. Don't have a meat thermometer? Check to see if the skin has begun to pull away from the the drumstick - that is a good indication that it is done. I also like to pierce the thigh with a fork - if the juice that runs out is clear and not pink it is a good indicator that it is done
How to make broth with the chicken carcass?
Pick the carcass for leftover meat. Set aside. In a large soup pot, cover the carcass with water. Add 2 branches of celery, 2 carrots, 2 cloves of garlic (skin on), and 1 chopped leak. Season with rosemary, thyme and sage as well as a whole clove and a star anise (Le Chef's secret ingredient!). Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let simmer for 45 minutes. Strain out the liquid and you have your delicious broth! Perfect for freezing to add to a multitude of recipes or use as the base for the most delicious chicken soup with your leftover chicken meat! For the full recipe click here: Homemade Chicken Stock
Lisa says
What a fantastic meal! I’ve never made a roast chicken so moist. We started having Thursday family dinner with our oldest and his family. We’ve had the French Onion Soup and now the roast chicken. As they left they asked what I was thinking of next week. Hmm…..more fun cruising through your recipes. Merci Beaucoup!
Adrienne says
Fantastic recipe! Will do again. I found it important that roasting pan isn’t too large. If it is the juicer evaporate and or burn. Our 3 lb chicken was done in 75 mins So delicious! We made twice and added sliced up anise bulb the second time. Recipe is a keeper.
Anina Belle Giannini says
Thank you, Adrienne! I am glad you enjoy the recipe. Bon appétit!
Katie says
I just made this tonight and it was the perfect way to end the year! I don’t like the dark meat so I just did with chicken breasts and came out amazing! I look forward to sharing this when I have friends over!
Kristi Ryan says
Amazing! My chicken was a little over 4lbs and was done in an hour and a half. I'll definitely make this again!
lechefswife says
I love to read this! Thank you, Kristi, for letting me know! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Bon appétit,
Anina Belle
Alyssa says
I made this for my family for Christmas Eve and I cannot give it high enough remarks! I used a 5lb chicken but still went the same time, it came out BEAUTIFULLY. Flavorful, browned, and the juiciest bird I've ever made! Thank you for this staple!
lechefswife says
Dear Alyssa, Thank you so much for your kind comment and glowing review. It brings me so much joy to think of your family enjoying a beautiful roast chicken together on Christmas Eve that you were proud to serve. Best wishes for a Happy New Year to you and your family. Anina Belle
Michele Miller says
I made this chicken last week, it was perfect, great flavours, moist and delicious
lechefswife says
Merci, Michele, for taking the time to leave a comment and rating on the recipe. I really appreciate it! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Bon appétit, Anina Belle
Ross says
Hi
Is the oven temperature for fan or conventional ovens?
Thanks.
Ross
lechefswife says
Bonsoir Ross, The cooking time is for a conventional oven. As always, every oven is different so make sure to check for doneness - I suggest using a meat thermometer if you have one. Thank you!