Editorial: Kockums JernverkPublished: 2026-11-06

Roast chicken with lemon, red onion and potatoes

Name: Roast chicken with lemon, red onion and potatoes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, about 1.5 kg; 50 g soft butter; 2 tsp salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 6 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 lemons; 1 whole garlic bulb; 800 g waxy potatoes; 2 red onions; 2 tbsp olive oil; 200 ml chicken stock; 1 tsp cornflour; 1 tbsp cold water

Serves 4 · 1 hour 50 minutes · Baking tin

Sunday lunch in one tin: the chicken roasts on top of potatoes, red onion and lemon, which soak up all the buttery juices. Enamel copes with the lemon and cleans easily.

A whole roast chicken stays juicy and gets crisp skin if you dry it well, rub it with butter, salt and thyme and roast it at 200 °C until the thickest part of the thigh reads 82 °C. The potatoes and onions underneath cook in the juices, and what is left in the tin makes a quick gravy.

Whole roast chicken with golden skin on potatoes, red onion and lemon wedges in a black enamelled baking tin on dark wood

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 whole chicken, about 1.5 kg
50 g soft butter
2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 lemons
1 whole garlic bulb
800 g waxy potatoes
2 red onions
2 tbsp olive oil

Gravy

200 ml chicken stock
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp cold water

Method

Take the chicken out of the fridge a little ahead and heat the oven to 200 °C. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Cut the red onions and one lemon into wedges. Toss everything in the baking tin with the oil, 1 tsp salt, pepper and half the thyme.
Pat the chicken completely dry with kitchen paper. Mash the butter with 1 tsp salt, pepper and the remaining thyme leaves. Loosen the skin over the breast with your fingers and spread half the butter underneath and the rest over the outside.
Halve the second lemon and the garlic bulb across. Push the lemon halves and one garlic half into the cavity and tuck the other garlic half among the potatoes. Tie the legs together with kitchen string.
Sit the chicken breast-side up on the vegetables. Roast low in the oven for 1 hour 15–20 minutes, basting the bird and turning the potatoes halfway through.
The chicken is done when a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 82 °C and the juices run clear. Tip the bird so the juices from the cavity run into the tin, lift it onto a board and rest it under foil for 10 minutes.
Transfer the potatoes and onions to a dish and keep warm in the switched-off oven. Pour the juices from the tin into a small saucepan and spoon off most of the fat. Add the stock and squeeze in a roasted lemon wedge. Bring to the boil, thicken with the cornflour mixed with the water and season to taste.
Carve the chicken and serve with the potatoes, red onion, lemon wedges and gravy.

Why it works

The straight, not-too-high sides let the oven heat reach the whole bird so the skin crisps, while the potatoes underneath roast in the juices. Enamel is unbothered by the lemon's acidity. For more potatoes, use the larger 40x35 cm tin.

FAQ

What internal temperature should roast chicken reach?

82 °C in the thickest part of the thigh, with the probe close to but not touching the bone. The breast will then be juicy and the leg cooked through.

How do you get crispy skin on roast chicken?

Dry the bird thoroughly, rub it with butter and salt, and roast it uncovered. If the skin needs more colour, turn the oven up to 225 °C for the last 10 minutes.