Roasted Chicken

I think that most people that enjoy cooking have a threshold of where their comfort zone begins and ends in the kitchen. Maybe it is triggered by uncommon ingredients, multi- step processes or fear of just going through the steps and getting it all wrong. I am very familiar with that feeling and still encounter it on a regular basis, but I have learned that the challenge always brings me back and at some point those daunting recipes become small but important feats in my culinary adventures. Believe it or not, roasted chicken was one of those dishes for me up until a couple of years ago. Even with a meat thermometer, I could not envision myself pulling a perfectly moist, yet golden brown bird out of the oven. I am so thankful that I tackled this one, because I am telling you, this is the easiest dinner to pull together for company or family. It can be prepared in advance (*see note below), it fills your house with the most inviting and comforting smell, and it presents beautifully on a platter. Fall is fast approaching; there is no better time to try it!


Perfect Roasted Chicken
Serves 3-4
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

· 1 4 1/2 lb roasting chicken
· Kosher salt
· Freshly ground black pepper
· 1 large bunch fresh thyme- divided
· 1 lemon, quartered
· 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
· 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the most of the thyme, lemon quarters, and all the garlic. Rub the outside of the chicken with the oil and sprinkle again with salt and pepper- be generous. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions and carrots in the roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, and the left over sprigs of thyme, Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 55 minutes-65 minutes depending on the weight of the chicken, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

*To prepare in advance: clean, stuff, tie, and season the chicken. Place it in the roasting dish over the vegetables and cover with plastic wrap. Keep in in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you are ready to roast it, pull it out for 30 minutes so that it can sit at room temperature prior to going into the preheated oven.