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a Platter with Lemon Chicken Roast in it and a spoon resting in some broth
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Stove top Lemon Chicken Roast

a light lovely roast with bright clean flavours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Canadian, Pakistani
Author Sarah Mir

Ingredients

  • 1 3-3.5 lb whole chicken, skin removed

Marinade

  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 2.5-3 teaspoons salt start with 2.5, add extra with veggies if needed
  • 1 tablespoon mustard powder (not liquid mustard)
  • ¾ teaspoon black pepper

Veggies

  • 2 cups mixed frozen veggies like carrots, peas, green beans
  • 2-3 potatoes cut into 1.5 cm thick rounds or semi circles
  • Oil for cooking

Instructions

Marinade

  • Whisk all the marinade ingredients together, mix well and taste. It should be tart, salty, with the assertive warmth of the mustard and a little sharpness from black pepper. If you can't taste any of the elements then adjust the seasoning
  • Take a fork and pierce holes into the chicken all over, these holes will allow flavour in but disappear once the chicken is cooked.
  • Place the chicken in a bowl and pour the marinade over, using your hands (gloves or not, upto you) to make sure the marinade works its way in. Leave it in the fridge covered and breast side down for a few hours
  • After a few hours flip it over and rub the marinade in once more till ready to cook. I suggest marinating for at least 6 hours, but prefer overnight.

Cooking

  • Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before cooking - it will cook more evenly when it is not cold
  • Heat a generous lug of oil (about ¼ cup) in a pot large enough to hold your chicken and veggies on medium high heat
  • When the oil starts to shimmer carefully put the chicken in on it's back for 2-3 minutes, it will splutter so be careful!
  • When the back takes on a lovely gold brown then move the chicken on to one side (leg) to get that lovely colour on each side and then finally the breasts. If your oil is hot it takes about 3 minutes to get colour. If the chicken sticks then that means it is not cooked enough yet.
  • You can do this with your hands or with a tong, it is up to you, but building a little colour at this stage is absolutely key for flavour!
  • When the chicken breasts are beautifully browned then add your veggies to the pot along with a pinch of salt, and half a cup of water. Let them fall to the side of the chicken.
  • Bring to a boil then simmer tightly covered for 25-30 minutes.
  • The chicken should look well cooked through and the potatoes done. Test a potato for doneness and seasoning. If it tastes bland your chicken may too so in that case turn the chicken over, add a little sprinkle of salt and let it steam for another few minutes.
  • Serve hot with crusty bread.

Notes

On Salt: start at the base and work your way up please! a 3.5 pound chicken will also require less salt (and other spices) than a 5 lb bird so please adjust for size!
Mustard Powder: Mustard Powder has a very different taste from what you get in the condiment section and sadly here they are not interchangeable.