Perfect Roast Chicken

I love to cook but often life is busy and end-of-the-day, rushing-home-from-work cooking is never any fun.So on the weekends, I try to make up for it by cooking more elaborate meals as well as getting us prepared for the week ahead. I do get a lot of compliments on my cooking but everything I make is quite easy and I believe within the capabilities of any basic cook. I have taken a lot of my cooking inspiration from Nigella Lawson, Michael Smith, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, Sandi Richard, and Caprial Pence. I try to cook healthy, well-balanced meals and lately have been looking to more whole food cooking with less reliance on processed food.

This roast chicken is a perfect weekend meal and often I cook two at once -- one for dinner and the other for meat for sandwiches, salads, etc. throughout the week. I will use the carcass for soup stock. Our local Costco sells 3 whole chickens for quite a reasonable price so it's a very affordable dinner. Also, a basket of roast chicken, fresh bread, a mixed green salad, and chocolate cake, is what I bring to new moms or families in need. It's a healthy versatile dinner and in times of need food can be a welcome gift.

I've been making this roast chicken for so long that I can't recall where I got the original recipe from so my apologies for not giving where and if credit is due. And unfortunately, it's a recipe where I don't measure but I will try to give some measurements for those who want to try it at home.

Perfect Roast Chicken
Serves approximately 4.

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken
• Olive oil (approx. 2 Tablespoons)
• Whole lemon (you can also use an orange)
• Fresh thyme (4-5 stems)
• Fresh rosemary (2 long stalks)
• Salt (approximately 2 teaspoons but really to taste)
• Pepper (approximately 2 teaspoons but again to taste)
• Garlic - fresh chopped (5-6 cloves) (I cheat and use prepared chopped garlic and then I use 2 big Tablespoons)
• Water

Rinse your chicken and check the cavity for any giblets. Place it into the roasting pan. 

Rinse the lemon and pierce in several places with a knife. Spoon about a teaspoon of garlic into the cavity of the chicken and then place the lemon into the cavity.

Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken. If you have a flavoured olive oil -- definitely use that but you don't need to. It's a great place to experiment with flavours.

Spread the garlic over the outside of the chicken -- hands are best for this. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Note about the fresh herbs - for both thyme and rosemary, take the stalks from the top and slide your hand down the stalk pulling the needles/leaves off as you go. I usually lightly chop both to help release their flavours. These herbs are quite sturdy and can be stored in a sealed bag in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. 

Sprinkle both the thyme and rosemary over the chicken.

You will want to add a tiny bit of water to the roasting pan. Be careful not to pour over your beautifully dressed chicken washing off all your work. Just enough water to barely cover the bottom of the pan.   

Cook for about an hour and 15 minutes at 350F. The internal temperature should be 165F on the meat thermometer for food safe. 

I start my chicken covered to increase its juiciness and then uncover about halfway through the cooking time to cook the skin.

And voila!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner. :)