Crispy Parmesan Roast Chicken With Lemon Recipe (2024)

I plan to cut out the backbone and remove the keel bone from the breast. The bird will lie flat (aka spatchco*ck) so less cheese falls/drips off and carving up after will be super easy.

My method for a perfectly crisp-skinned whole roast chicken ( or parts) is a thin coating of mayonnaise. Don’t laugh.

I had a spatchco*cked lemon chicken from Trader Joes that I left as seasoned, removed the lemon slices, dried off a bit and cooked according to the recipe, adding the parmesan halfway through. It turned out crispy and wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe!

Made this according to the recipe but only a short time for the rub (~30 min). The crust did not disappoint, but the parmesan brings a lot of saltiness. Would definitely cut back on the salt in the rub if not letting sit overnight.Made in a cast iron skillet and cooked asparagus in the pan drippings at 425°F while the chicken rested. Easy peasy.

Good Morning: A 5-star recipe. Strongly recommended. Added a teaspoon of smoked paprika to the spice blend, which succeeded.

I used a cut up whole chicken and tripled the rub ingredients to coat everything. Did cooks here really find the recipe’s amounts to be enough? Did I overthink it? I should add that I did not triple the salt. I love all of Melissa’s recipes, but she does love her some salt. So, as a rule, I always use a fraction of what she calls for, especially if there’s Parmesan in the mix. Turned out terrific.

I'm confused. Does the Parmesan actually cause the skin to get crispy-crunchy or does it just serve as a substitute crunch? Thanks.

I didn't have a chicken so I used a lb of calf liver. Also no lemon so I used grapefruit. It was terrible.

This might possibly be the best roasted chicken ever. It was crunchy, juicy, tender, delicious; we ate it standing at the counter, couldn't wait to dig in.I added a little Cajun seasoning to the Parmesan. Didn't have fresh rosemary, so added a little dried. Used white wine to deglaze the pan. Otherwise followed the recipe. And will many more times again.

just made it, unbelievably crispy skin and beautifully tender and moist chicken. I agree with one of the other commenters - next time I would reduce the salt in the rub as with the Parmesan coat it is a wee bit salty.

Interesting. And then use the pan drippings as the sauce over the primo pasta, probably something small like capellini or linguini. I'm going to have to give this a try!

I'm going to try this with bone-in thighs on a sheet pan. I usually let them rest on a rack, uncovered, in the fridge for a few hours to get crispier skin, but this might work as well when I don't have time for that. I'm also going to try the mayo!

Sorry but this simply was a fail. Normally I swear by anything Melissa Clark posts but the parm did nothing to crisp the skin. It got clumpy and provided no benefit. Roast chicken with crisp skin needs almost nothing - dry the bird out and heavily salt and pepper.

Perfect comfort food for sheltering in place during coronavirus distancing. Here are my tweaks:Roast on a bed of onions, surrounded by quartered red potatoes and sliced carrots -- make it easy and use peeled baby carrots Cook til internal temp is 165-170 While chicken rests, put pan with veggies back in oven to roastBe sure to squeeze lemon juice on pan juices and veggies.

If you've always had trouble with rosemary, don't you already have something that you use as a substitute? If so, use that.

Totally loved it just the way it is instructed. But the last time I cooked it, I spatchco*cked it because the thighs are my favorite and that made it easier to keep some parm on them. It was really good that way too.

Absolutely love this recipe!! I’ve lost count how many times I’ve prepared roast chicken this way. To note, spatchco*ck the chicken first, then prepare a bit more of the seasoning (lemon zest, salt, pepper, rosemary, red pepper flakes) than called for, you’ll end up using more when you flip the bird upside down to season it. Place the rosemary sprigs under the breast and thigh/legs while lying flat in the roasting pan. I roast at 400 for 30 minutes, then add the parm, etc., until cooked thru.

After having read all the comments, I used 1 tsp of salt (actually even less than that) for the rub, and added 1 spoon of smoked paprika powder plus some smokey chili powder and the red pepper flakes and a LOT of lemon zest, more than just 1 tsp, but actually all the zest from one lemon. Followed the recipe for the rest.and added all the lemon juice from the lemon to the juices...and it was delicious and a hit!

This made the moistest roast chicken ever! Followed the recipe to a T - left overnight in the salt mixture. Drizzled with oil and cooked for 45 mins at just over 200 deg. celcius, took out and covered with parm and cooked for another 35 mins (or so!) till juices ran clear. Cooked on a bed of potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic. A winner!!

Such a hit with my guests; I spatchco*cked it and It came out beautifully - crispy and perfect. Will definitely make again.

Just wanted @MelissaClark to know that my husband like this better than the Jacques Pepin recipe for roasted chicken with a mustard crust.

So easy & good you should make 2 for leftovers

Flavor is delicious. Easy dinner with big rewards.

It was easy and flavorful. I cut up potatoes and some extra rosemary and let them cook under the chicken. Squeezed the lemon over after for a tasty side dish!

The skin was crispy and the meat tender, but the Parmesan turned black and flaked off the skin without adhering. I’d skip the cheese next time.

Did anyone here put under the broiler afterwards for a bit of browning? Thanks!

I can’t figure out where Melissa is getting these low fat chickens that you can just add lemon juice to the pan drippings and make a sauce. Mine always exude a large amount of fat; after cooking potatoes with the chicken, I had to put them in a bowl in the oven so that the excess grease would drip down to the bottom, making them edible. And forget a sauce—I would have had to degrease the drippings, deglaze the pan and add chopped rosemary.

OMG this was good!!! Loved it! Dog didn't as I had to turn the fan on, which I never do, so he hid in the closet. Didn't help when the smoke detectors went off, and we had to open all the windows in the brrrrr winter. But the end result --- wow!!! Followed as instructed. BUT super long cooking time --- must have had a big bird and a paranoid bf who loves overcooked chicken --- despite this -- so moist!!!

I followed the recipe but the chicken was not done. It took an extra 20 min for us. The skin was a great treat.

I almost always take the back bone out of a chicken and either grill the halves over indirect heat or, as in this case, roast them in a pan with the rub and cheese described. (The first time I cut the back bone out of a chicken it was more than a little daunting, but with a sharp heavy knife and a rugged cutting board it’s not hard at all.) We recently were given an organic chicken raised by a neighbor and I don’t know if it was the chicken or the recipe, but the result was wonderful.