Best Roasted Chicken
- Isabel S.
- Feb 1, 2018
- 3 min read
Roasted chicken reminds me of home. And fall. And cozy evenings playing cards. Basically it's one of my favorite comfort foods. This recipe is perfect for meal prep because you have meals for the week and bones to make chicken stock for soup. Bone broth is that "chicken soup" that your grandmother would say cures all the things. See my bone broth post for the recipe. I see people drinking bone broth these days like a mug of tea which I don't do. The only time you'll see me with a mug of broth is if I'm feeling under the weather but I grew up eating soup made with bone broth so store bought broth always leaves something to be desired! I will say though, if you're feeling sick, a bowl of homemade bone broth will chase the sick away!
This chicken is tender, flavorful and super easy! Don't let the wierd parts of sticking your hand in a chicken gross you out. It truly used to freak me out but I got over it and I'm glad I did! The little steps of getting seasoning under the skin really make a difference. Another thing you can do to kick it up a notch is add thinly sliced pats of butter under the skin instead of olive oil. Butter doesn't scare me, but I really like using olive oil for this particular dish. Also, you'll notice I don't put measurements in this recipe. I use my eye for this recipe because depending on the size of the chicken and your tastebuds it's going to change. I have found through trial and error to add more sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder then I think I need. I tend to like less seasoning then most people but with roasted chicken it's not like you can mix it to get every part seasoned. The seasoning is all on the top and outside so don't be afraid to "over season" it a little.
Ingredients
1 organic, free range whole chicken
Fresh rosemary and thyme
Two or three large garlic cloves
Lemon
1/2 white onion (optional)
Pink sea salt
Lemon pepper
Garlic powder
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 450F
Pat chicken dry with a paper towel so the skin will get nice a crispy-steam=soggy skin.
Separate the skin from the top of the chicken by gently moving hands under the skin (I know this is gross but it makes a huge difference!). Once the skin is separated rub olive oil, a mix of all the spices, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and a TBSP of chopped herbs under the skin onto the breasts. Gently pull the skin back in place.
Rub the outside with olive oil and season the bottom with salt and pepper. Place some cut vegetables like potatoes and carrots in the bottom of an oven-safe pot (I use a Lodge cast iron dutch oven) and place chicken on top of veggies, breast side up. Squeeze half of a lemon evenly to the top of the chicken and place rind inside chicken cavity. Season the top liberally with sea salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder then add cayenne pepper and paprika to taste. Add some thyme/rosemarry and remaining minced garlic on and around chicken.
Stuff the cavity with half of a small onion and sprigs of thyme and rosemary (and lemon if not already added).
Truss the legs of the chicken tightly by tying the legs together. This keeps the legs close to the body which keeps the meat moist.
Bake at 450 for 15 minutes then tent with tin foil, reduce heat to 350F and bake for 20 mins per LB. Tip- To tent, take a large piece of tin foil and fold it in half. Place the opened piece of tin foil over the chicken to where it's shielded from direct heat but not closed in- the ends should be open to allow for steam to escape.
Once internal temp has reached 165F, remove the tent and turn on the broiler for about 30 seconds-1 minute. Watch very closely because the skin will burn quickly. If it already looks nice and brown/ crisp skip this step!
Let rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Drizzle the juice in the bottom of the pan on top of the sliced chicken and some white rice/quinoa and save the chicken bones to make stock!
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