I haven’t made a roast chicken in what feels like forever. Probably because I love to indulge in carb filled Sunday dinners during the winter. But every so often, I get such a stronger hankering for roast chicken. And there are so many ways to make a delicious and juicy roast chicken! Last fall, I made a delicious butterflied roast chicken that was AMAZING!
Although I was tempted to just make an easy roast chicken, I had a craving for lemons. And even though I’ve made a number of different lemon-chicken based dishes (for example, see my chicken francese and one pot lemon pepper chicken & risotto), I just had an itching to make a roast chicken with lemons. Although I made a similar under-the-skin rub as the butterflied roast chicken, I also stuffed it with lemon slices to soak into the breast meat as it cooked.
I poured chicken broth into the roast pan so the drippings wouldn’t dry up… has that happened to you? You want to make a gravy out of the drippings but the drippings dry up and then burn? I find the trick is to add a cup or two of broth into the drip pan. That way you capture all of the drippings without burning them off… and I generally add additional chicken broth to the gravy anyway, so now you’re naturally flavoring it! It seems criminal to let all that deliciousness go to waste!
As y’all know, I’m on an almond milk kick. I don’t think that kick will ever going away. The cost of a container of almond milk is comparable to a container of heavy cream, but there are 45 calories in only a TABLESPOON of heavy cream versus 30 in a CUP of unsweetened almond milk… that translates to 720 calories in a cup of heavy cream. What. A. Difference.
And I got it, heavy cream is… well, creamy! But creamy doesn’t equal thick. So even when you add that to things like a pasta sauce or a gravy, you still want to thicken it up a bit… in comes a roux. What’s a roux? It’s when you melt butter, or other fat, and whisk flour into it. I also let the roux cook until lightly golden before adding in a liquid. The key to a roux is to add liquid in slowly (the colder the liquid, the slower you should add it ~ HINT: you can always nuke the liquid just enough to take the chill out of it). The other key is to whisk, whisk, whisk.
So, what’s the point of a roux? It thickens your sauces, gravies, etc. Yeah, you can use cornstarch. Although, like flour, you can’t add cornstarch straight to a hot liquid. The other thing about cornstarch is that unless you have a strong flavored sauce (think Asian based umami sauces), you often can taste the cornstarch. It may be subtle, but it’s there. Adversely, making a roux doesn’t taint you sauces/gravies with unwanted flavors!
So what’s the point of all this roux talk? Well, making chicken gravy of course! A roux contains just over 300 calories (obviously you aren’t eating all of the roux so deep breath, your portion of gravy will not be that packed in calories!). The point is that making a roux contains a significant amount LESS calories than heavy cream… so….??? So, make a roux and add unsweetened almond milk to it (slowly ~ whisk, whisk, whisk), and you have a perfectly delicious cream base for a creamy gravy!
Now, add in all of those delicious pan drippings plus another cup of chicken stock, and you have a delicious, thick, creamy gravy that is much healthier for you. In this recipe, add in some lemon juice for a subtle but delicious lemon gravy!
How easy is that?? I steamed some broccoli and, of course, made some mashed potatoes… it’s a Sunday roast! Have to have my mash! And, I had a well-rounded, nutritious dinner without an exorbitant amount of calories! Easy peasy 😉.
Enjoy!
Lemon Roast Chicken with Creamy Lemon Gravy
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Sunday Dinner, American
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Roast Chicken
6 – 7 lb whole roast chicken, gizzards removed
½ TB olive oil
salt & pepper
1 lemon, sliced
2 TBs butter, room temperture
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 TB sherry vinegar
1 TB fresh thyme leaves
2 TBs fresh rosemary, minced
zest of 1 lemon
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken stock
3 lemons, halved
Gravy
2 TBs butter
¼ cup flour
½ lemon, juiced
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (can substitute with 1 cup regular milk, half and half, or heavy cream if desired)
pan drippings
salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 500°F
Pat the inside and outside of the chicken dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, thyme leaves, rosemary, lemon zest, and garlic cloves. Carefully separate the skin from the chicken breast. Rub the butter mix between the skin and chicken breast on both sides. Place the lemon slices under the skin over each chicken breast. Place two lemon halves in the cavity of the chicken and fold the skin back into place.
Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and rub in salt and pepper over the top. Place the chicken on a rack inside a roasting pan. Pour a cup of chicken stock into the bottom of the roast pan. Place the remaining lemon halves on top of the rack next to the chicken.
Place the chicken in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350°F. Cook for about 1 hour 45 minutes, or until an internal temperature at the meatiest part reads 160°F. Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a cutting board. Let rest for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature raises to 165°F.
While the chicken is resting, make the gravy. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and let roast for about 1 minute, stirring almost constantly. Slowly add in the almond milk, whisking constantly. Once fully incorporated with the flour, carefully scrape in the pan drippings and add an additional cup of chicken stock. Add in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a light simmer and then reduce the heat to low until thickened.
Carve the chicken and plate. Serve with desired sides and gravy. Enjoy!
Keywords: Sunday dinner, roast chicken, lemon roast chicken, lemon gravy, lemon chicken gravy, chicken gravy, creamy chicken gravy, creamy lemon chicken gravy, creamy lemon gravy
