Skip to main content
Epicurious

Roasted Chicken With Lemon, Ramps, and Green Olives

By Leah Koenig

4.6

(6)

A plate of roasted chicken with lemon ramps and green olives.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, prop styling by Brian Heiser, food styling by Rhoda Boone

Ramps, with their wild, garlicky flavor, have become the seasonal poster child of spring, and for good reason. Here, they join tart lemon and briny green olives in a chicken dish that might become your new Passover favorite. Can't find ramps? Scallions work just as well.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 1/4 hours

  • Yield

    Serves 8

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds discarded
2 chickens (about 3 pounds each), quartered, or 4 bone-in, skin-on legs (drumsticks and thighs) and 4 bone-in, skin-on breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large bunch ramps or scallions, trimmed and halved lengthwise
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/3 cup pitted mild green olives (such as Castelvetrano), quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
Fresh parsley leaves (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Fry lemon slices until just beginning to brown, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reserve oil in pan.

    Step 2

    Season chicken with salt and pepper. Return pan to medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, cook chicken, without turning, until skin is nicely browned and crisped, 7-8 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken, skin-side up, to a large roasting pan; repeat with remaining chicken. Reserve skillet (do not wash).

    Step 3

    Arrange reserved lemon slices and ramps around chicken pieces. Transfer roasting pan to oven and cook until chicken is cooked through (it should reach an internal temperature of 165°F), 25-30 minutes. Transfer chicken, lemon slices, and ramps to a serving platter, reserving pan juices.

    Step 4

    Heat reserved skillet over medium; add garlic and shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add olives and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until reduced by about half, 2-3 minutes. Using a spoon, transfer chicken juices from roasting pan to skillet and cook until thickened, 3-5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce around chicken and garnish with fresh parsley.

TagsWhole ChickenChickenPoultryChicken LegChicken BreastRampsOnionRoot VegetableVegetableCastelvetrano OliveOliveMainDinnerGluten FreeNut FreeDairy FreeRoastSpringEpicurious

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Crispy Baked Wings With Berbere Honey Glaze and Fried Garlic
Berbere is a spicy chile blend that has floral and sweet notes from coriander and cardamom, and when it’s paired with a honey glaze, it sets these wings apart from anything else you’ve ever had.
Charred Vegetable Ragù
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
Chicken Croquettes
Rather than breaded and fried as you might expect croquettes to be, these are something more akin to a seared chicken salad patty.
Speedy Chicken Stroganoff
This easy, one-skillet chicken stroganoff features tender chicken breasts, savory mushrooms, and a creamy Dijon-crème fraîche sauce—perfect for weeknights.
Gigante Beans With Seaweed Salmoriglio
Salmoriglio is a Mediterranean sauce with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In this version, kelp is used as the base of the sauce.
Slow-Smoked Chicken
An espresso-and-cumin-spiked rub (or brine) gives this smoked chicken impressive flavor.
Chicken Breakfast Sausages
Give your favorite breakfast sausage a makeover with ground chicken. A blend of spices (fennel, smoked paprika) and some maple syrup makes these patties shine.
Mochiko Chicken
Hawai‘i's beloved fried chicken is crispy, sweet, and savory.