Simple Roasted Chicken

I have never, until today roasted a chicken. Weird right?  I have done the big Christmas Turkey with all the trimmings but never just a simple roasted chicken.

I went to a butcher and got myself a cute little 4 pound organic free range chicken. 

I stuffed him with some lemon and herbs, rubbed him all over with butter and salt and pepper and roasted him up until he was golden brown and crispy.

Absolutely amazing! The meat was so tender and juicy. They herbs and lemon gave it a subtle boost of flavor.

It was so simple and now that I have done it, I will be doing it a lot more often.

What you need,

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1 4-5 pound roasting chicken

4 tbsp. butter, softened

Salt and Pepper

1 lemon cut in half

2 cloves garlic, peeled

A big handful of fresh herbs, I used parsley, thyme, sage, oregano

½ cup dry white wine or chicken stock

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Start by rinsing your chicken under cold water inside and out. Remove the bag from inside the chicken if there is one.

Carefully pat the whole chicken dry with paper towels.

Season the chicken inside and out liberally with salt and pepper, I probably used 1 teaspoon of each.

Stuff the lemon, garlic and herbs inside the chicken. I tied the legs together with a small piece of string.

Gently rub the whole chicken with the softened butter. I even pushed some butter under the skin on the breast. This helped to keep it moist and made the skin get brown and crispy.

Set the chicken breast side up in a baking dish, pour the wine or stock in the dish.

Bake for about 90 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees and the juices run clear.

Once the chicken is cooked move it to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Carve it and eat!

There you have it, a perfectly simple but totally delicious roasted chicken!

And if you are lucky enough to have left overs, it makes an amazing sandwich the next day!

Jen