the art of roasting

I used to think that roasting was difficult. Maybe because of too many meals that featured wayyyy over-cooked dry turkeys, chickens, and pork loins? Needless to say, I haven’t done much roasting in my day. But that day is over. I decided to try my hand a roasting a whole chicken. I’d read a million recipes and blogs and watched several Food Network episodes on roasting and came up with my own recipe. Mind you, this was my first try, but a great one at that!

Roasted Chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• Fresh oregano
• Fresh thyme
• Lemon
• 1 head of garlic and 3 cloves
• S & P
• Olive oil
• Pearl onions (or any small onion), blanched and peeled
• Red potatoes, quartered
• Carrots (big, not baby carrots), cut into 1 ½ pieces

Clean the chicken and remove gizzards, neck, etc. from the cavity. Loosen skin from the meat and spoon garlic herb mixture in between. Make sure it is evenly distributed on the breast meat and legs. Rub the outside of the chicken with olive oil and season heavily with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Season the inside of the cavity with olive oil, salt and pepper, juice of ½ a lemon. Place ½ a head of garlic and ½  of a juiced lemon in the cavity. In the bottom of the roasting pan add the onions, carrots and potatoes- season with olive oil, S & P. Add 12 sprigs of fresh thyme and a Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano. Add ½-1 cup of chicken broth to keep everything moist. Roast on 350 degrees for 2 hours or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees (you’ll need an instant read thermometer for this). Remove from oven and tent chicken with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, strain the extra juices from the bottom of the pan and make a pan sauce by adding ½ cup of chicken broth and reducing.
Serve the chicken and vegetables with a fresh salad and homemade (or store bought) bread. This meal is both delicious, comforting and good for you!