Herb Roasted Chicken
Despite the fact that I love to cook, sometimes there are weeks where I struggle to find creativity in my cooking. It's not for lack of inspiration around me - my shelves are packed with cookbooks and magazines exploding with good recipes. It's the simple fact that sometimes I just don't feel like making anything special. I stick to my easy go-to meals... tacos, pasta, enchiladas. These are certainly tasty, but they don't really scream "culinary wonder!".
Then there are weeks when I'm itching to make something out-of-the-ordinary-spectacular... when roasting a chicken is exactly what I want to do. And so, without further ado, here is the recipe for a roast chicken that will make your mouth water.
Herb Roasted Chicken
1 4-pound chicken
Salt and pepper
1 T. butter, at room temperature
1 lemon
Several sprigs of parsley
Several sprigs of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take the neck and any other "innerds" out of the cavity of the chicken. (I suppose you can keep these for some other use, but I tossed mine.) Thoroughly rinse the inside and outside of the chicken and pat it dry.
2. Rub the entire chicken with the butter, salt, and pepper (inside and outside).
3. Cut the lemon in half. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon halves, garlic, parsley springs, and the rosemary.
4. Place the chicken on a roasting pan and cook for a little over an hour, until the bird is a good golden color and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Use the leftover meat to make roast chicken salad sandwiches. I combined mine with some mayo, diced onion, diced pickles, and parsley - slap it on a piece of bread (or eat it with a fork, like I did) and you'll be wishing you had made this sooner.
Last, but not least, don't be intimidated by roasting meats. It's not as difficult or scary as it might seem. I have also roasted a 15 lb. turkey this way for Thanksgiving (just add more lemons as well as a quartered onion). It's super easy and tastes amazing!!
Then there are weeks when I'm itching to make something out-of-the-ordinary-spectacular... when roasting a chicken is exactly what I want to do. And so, without further ado, here is the recipe for a roast chicken that will make your mouth water.
Herb Roasted Chicken
1 4-pound chicken
Salt and pepper
1 T. butter, at room temperature
1 lemon
Several sprigs of parsley
Several sprigs of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take the neck and any other "innerds" out of the cavity of the chicken. (I suppose you can keep these for some other use, but I tossed mine.) Thoroughly rinse the inside and outside of the chicken and pat it dry.
2. Rub the entire chicken with the butter, salt, and pepper (inside and outside).
3. Cut the lemon in half. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon halves, garlic, parsley springs, and the rosemary.
4. Place the chicken on a roasting pan and cook for a little over an hour, until the bird is a good golden color and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Use the leftover meat to make roast chicken salad sandwiches. I combined mine with some mayo, diced onion, diced pickles, and parsley - slap it on a piece of bread (or eat it with a fork, like I did) and you'll be wishing you had made this sooner.
Last, but not least, don't be intimidated by roasting meats. It's not as difficult or scary as it might seem. I have also roasted a 15 lb. turkey this way for Thanksgiving (just add more lemons as well as a quartered onion). It's super easy and tastes amazing!!
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