French roasted chicken is a simple yet elegant dinner. A whole chicken is stuffed with lemon, spices and herbs to give the chicken incredible flavor and moistness.
French roasted chicken is a little fancier, but hardly any more work than, Italian Lemon Chicken (Pollo al Limone). I’ve just amped up the herbs and added butter and garlic, to a very simple and delicious lemon chicken recipe.
I used the method that I learned in cooking school, which is to pierce a lemon all over, and stuff it inside the bird. This works, by the way, with chicken, turkey or duck. The result is absolutely the moistest meat ever. 
For this French roasted chicken, I’ve used Herbes de Provence to give this bird a decidedly country French accent. Ideally, I would leave the rub on the chicken, (or turkey) overnight, but even on a weeknight, this bird can be roasted in just about an hour, provided you prep it the night before.
Herbes de Provence is a blend that consists of the following dried herbs; savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano and sometimes, lavender. 
While you can make your own blend using dried herbs, the proportions of the blends can be tricky. Since rosemary is particularly strong, and therefore should be used more sparingly than savory or thyme, and since Herbes de Provence are readily available in most grocery stores, I prefer to buy a blend. Lift the skin of the bird and slip some of the herb butter under it, as well as between the breast and skin, if you can.
Use kosher salt, rather than table salt, which is so much saltier. Make sure you understand your oven’s idiosyncrsies, and are able to gauge temperatures. The temperatures and times, therefore, are a guideline, and you should always test doneness by using a thermometer.
I hope you enjoy this French roasted chicken recipe.
French Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 4 1/2-5 pound roasting chicken
- 1/4 cup herbes de Provence
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened slightly
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 whole organic lemon pierced all over with a knife or fork
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
- Remove giblets from chicken, pat dry. (This will enable the herb butter to stick to the bird better). Mix herbs, butter, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Slide your hand under the skin, between the breast meat to loosen, and rub herb butter all over, including some under the skin of the bird. Insert the whole lemon into the cavity of the chicken, and truss legs together with twine.
- Place chicken on a wire roasting rack set inside a pan.
- Roast chicken until skin turns brown, about 30-40 minutes. Baste with any herb butter in the roasting pan, and reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and continue to cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees F, about 30-35 minutes more.
- Let chicken rest on platter, covered loosely with foil for 15 minutes before serving.
Mimi says
Perfect! There’s nothing much better than a just roasted chicken. My first was a poulet roti from a French cookbook!
Marye says
Oh my goodnesss, this chicken looks so savory and tender! So good!
Michael Glaeser says
This is the best chicken I have ever made. Make sure to buy a quality bird. Serve with a white burgundy and crusty bread.
Cynthia says
Now that sounds fabulous! Simple and delicious meal with bread and wine. Thank you!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
A simple roast chicken recipe is an absolute must have. Love the herbs de provence!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
I’m majorly into Herbs de Provence so this is calling my name. I’ve never heard of the lemon trick before. Cool.
Allie says
What a beautiful dish Cynthia. I’ve never used Herbes de Provence before, I’m so looking forward to trying this delicious chicken with the lemon baked inside!
christina says
I am soooo hungry! Although it’s breakfast time, these photos make me want roast chicken right now! So simple and superb!
marcie says
There’s nothing better than a great roast chicken, and I love that you seasoned it with herbs de provence and lemon!
fabiola@notjustbaked says
This is so lovely, a French chicken just sounds and looks pretty. I will totally make this for my family!
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
I feel like I’ve been stalking this chicken all weekend; every time I see it I get so hungry for roast chicken!! This looks so juicy and delicious; I’ve never tried my chicken French style before, but I need to!
Lindsay says
Lemon and chicken – what a great combination! Thanks for sharing!
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
I am always looking for a good roasted chicken recipe and the love the flavor combination in this one! I definitely need to add this to my dinner menu soon.
Jami says
I’ve made this recipe a handful of times throughout the years and even have it bookmarked. I plan on making it again for dinner tomorrow. It’s easy with elevated taste, and perfect when having guests over… or not, because the leftovers are so good haha thank you so much for this recipe!
Cynthia says
Thank you Jami! I appreciate it. It is an elegant yet simple dish to serve company.
Joanne T Ferguson says
This is the most moist and juicy chicken recipe!
Frank and I really enjoyed for a romantic dinner.
We wanted to make this recipe because we were excited to find herbs de provence locally.
This is an excellent recipe. We made this with 6 drumsticks and 6 chicken chops (as they call them here – chicken thighs, skin on, bone in)
We were so happy we made this elegant and romantic dish and highly recommend you do.
Cynthia says
Thank you so much Joanne! It is a bit of a romantic dinner isn’t it!? I’m glad you like it.
Ilene Bernstein says
Had this just last night for a family gathering. Absolutely delicious! You can’t imagine how good the house smells while the bird is roasting. The meat is moist and full of flavor! A new favorite.
Cynthia says
We had the leftovers tonight! So good! Thanks!
Elizabeth Mulgrew says
O-M-G!!! Excellent with multiple exclamation points!!! This is one of the most DEElicious recipes I’ve tried in a long time! The drippings are to die for – I wish I had made a gravy out of them so will make sure to do so next time! So glad I found this recipe! If I could have given it 10 stars I would have!
Cynthia says
I’m so happy to hear! Thanks you!