Roast Chicken

A family staple. One of the most iconic (and easiest) home cooked main dishes. Don’t be intimidated, you can do it!

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken (4-5 lbs is a good size)

Fresh thyme (also works well with rosemary)

1 lemon

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Step 1:

Take your chicken out of the fridge around 30mins before cooking to take the chill out of it. Set your oven to 450f and let it come up to temp. Place your chicken in a thick bottom roasting tray or oven safe pan (cast iron works great as a chicken roasting pan). Make sure you check the inside of your chicken for a bag of giblets, some also have plastic ties or other packaging for that needs to be removed before cooking. Place the chicken in your roasting tray and pat it dry with paper towels (this will ensure the skin gets crisp and doesn’t steam from excess moisture).

Step 2:

I like to tie the legs together to ensure everything stays upright and cooks evenly. You’ll notice the bird tends to sit a bit more upright when tied, the breast and legs cook more evenly when you tie the legs together. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just get it tied, no extra points for fancy knots.

Step 3:

Once the bird is all tied up, set it breast side up in the roasting pan. Lather with about 2 tablespoons of olive and sprinkle salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning from a height to coat evenly. If you really want it to come out tasty, massage the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning all around the bird to make sure the flavor completely coats the chicken. Wash your hands when you’re done.

Step 4:

Cut the lemon in half and add to the pan along with a few sprigs of thyme (rosemary works well here too). Put your pan into the 450f oven and set a timer for 50mins. Remove when the skin is nice and golden brown and the thighs temp to 165f with a thermometer.

Step 5:

Remove and let rest for 25mins. Then carve and service with rice, potatoes and/or your favorite veggies and salad.

Enjoy!