Easter Lemon Butter Roast Chicken (Because Not Everyone Wants Ham)
Not Into Ham? This Easter Chicken Slaps! Let’s be real: ham gets all the Easter hype, but this Lemon Butter Roast Chicken? She’s the real main character. Golden. Juicy. Absolutely glowing. Like she just came back from a skincare retreat in the Mediterranean.
This chicken is giving cozy family vibes and spring brunch energy. It’s the type of roast that makes everyone at the table go quiet after the first bite—and not just because their mouths are full. She’s buttery, garlicky, bright with lemon, and perfectly herby. Basically: she understood the assignment.
What makes this roast chicken so good?
Besides the fact that it’s stupid simple and your oven does most of the work? The lemon butter. It sneaks into every corner of the chicken and the veggies and turns your kitchen into a five-star bistro. Plus, we roast it on top of aromatics—like quartered onions, fresh garlic, carrots, celery, and juicy lemon halves—so it basically makes its own flavorful base while it cooks. Easy, impressive, and lowkey foolproof.
A little fun fact for the dinner table:
Lemons have been used to preserve meats for centuries (hey, before refrigeration was a thing, ya had to get creative). But nowadays, we just love them because they’re zesty, fresh, and make everything taste like sunshine. 🕶️🍋
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 1 whole chicken (around 4 lbs), giblets removed
- Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 lemons – juiced, halved, and divided
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, chopped into chunks
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 whole head of garlic, halved crosswise
Why this chicken slays for Easter:
- It’s ultra-flavorful. The lemon juice and butter get all up in the chicken’s business for a juicy, herby bite every time.
- It’s low effort, high reward. You don’t need a culinary degree to pull this off. Just season, roast, and pretend you worked way harder than you did.
- It makes your house smell insane. In the best way possible. Like garlic, love, and lemon-scented dreams.
Whether you’re hosting the fam, bringing a dish to Grandma’s, or just vibing at home with stretchy pants and your favorite rom-com—this Easter Lemon Butter Roast Chicken is about to be your new tradition.
Stay tuned for the step-by-step and the recipe card (coming in hot like this chicken). 🐣✨
Easter Lemon Butter Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken around 4 lbs, giblets removed
- Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and divided
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 lemons – juiced halved, and divided
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- 2 carrots chopped into chunks
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 whole head of garlic halved crosswise
Instructions
- Preheat oven & prep pan: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a few celery halves in a cast iron skillet, as a makshift wrack for the chicken to rest on.
- Clean and dry chicken: Make sure the cavity is empty and remove giblets/neck. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels, removing any excess skin or feathers.
- Season the chicken: Place chicken breast-side up on the rack. Season generously with salt and pepper all over — including the underside and inside the cavity.
- Make garlic butter rub: In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup melted butter, 1 tablespoon avocado oil, minced garlic, juice of 1 lemon, and rosemary. Rub the mixture all over the chicken, including under the skin.
- Stuff the cavity: Fill the inside of the chicken with halved lemon, onion quarters, carrots, and halved garlic head. Arrange any extras around the chicken. Tie the legs with kitchen twine (Optional).
- Roast the chicken: Place the chicken in the oven uncovered and roast at 425°F for 30 minutes.
- Lower temp and baste: Reduce heat to 350°F, baste with the remaining ¼ cup melted butter, and continue roasting for 1 hour or until internal temp reaches 165°F. I usually cover the chicken towards the end to keep it from browning too much.
- Rest and serve: Baste again with pan juices and let rest 15–20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with pan juices and your favorite sides.
