“That is some darn good chicken—just delicious!”
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 6 (serving size: about 6 oz. chicken )
Ingredients
- 1 lemon, quartered, plus lemon slices for garnish
- 1 (4 to 4 1/2 pound) whole chicken , patted dry
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Steps
- Gather all ingredients.
- Prepare the Marinated Chicken: Place lemon quarters inside chicken cavity; put chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Stir together lemon juice, lemon zest, soy sauce, hot sauce, ketchup, onion powder, thyme, salt, and liquid smoke in a medium bowl until combined.
- Pour lemon juice mixture over chicken in the bag. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 16 hours. Remove from refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before roasting, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Remove chicken from marinade, and discard marinade. Pat chicken dry, and evenly brush Dijon mustard on chicken.
- Prepare the Dry Rub: Stir together onion powder, salt, smoked paprika, black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, cloves, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Sprinkle dry rub evenly over chicken, firmly pressing to adhere. Tuck wing tips behind shoulders. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Place chicken, breast side up, on a wire rack set inside a large-rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 20 minutes, uncovered, then loosely cover with foil. Continue baking until chicken is cooked through and a thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken breast 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, rotating chicken front to back halfway through.
- Remove from oven and place chicken on a cutting board; let chicken rest for 15 minutes.
- Carve chicken and garnish with lemon slices and fresh thyme leaves.
