Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs
from Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook

Seasoning: 5 hours
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 45-55 minutes
Resting: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 roasting chicken, about 3 lb (1.5 kg)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
4 small sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 scrubbed lemon

If possible, season the chicken 3-5 hours or a day before you roast if for more tender, succulent results. Remove any organs from the cavity. Rub the salt and pepper over the entire surface of the chicken, including inside the cavity and on the back, sings, and inner and outer thighs. Using your index finger, separate the skin fromt he breast meat without tearing it. Cut 1 garlic clove in half and place the halves and 1 rosemary sprig under the skin. Place the other 2 cloves and remaining 3 rosemary sprigs inside the cavity. Cover and refrigerate until about 1 hour before you are ready to cook the chicken, then take the chicken out of the fridge. Allowing the bird to temper, or come closer to room temperature, will help the meat cook more evenly.

Preheart the oven to 450 degrees faranheit. Just before roasting, squeeze the juices form the lemon half over the chicken and place the squeezed lemon half inside the cavity to perfume the meat. (If you have any extra lemon and rosemary, you can add them to the pan). Put the chicken in a cast-iron frying pan or small roasting pan.

Place the chicken in the oven for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees faranheit and continue to roast, turning the pan around once halfway through to ensure even cooking, until the skin is crispy and golden brown and an instead-read thermometer inserted in the thigh away fromt he bone registers 175 degrees; start checking the temperature after about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let hte chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. The temperature of the bird will continue to rise outside of the oven, and the resting time allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the bird for more succulent meat.

Notes from the cookbook: The trick to making a great roast chicken is to purchase a chicken that isn’t too large. A 3-lb bird is just about right for four, or for two with leftovers, and it roasts evenly: the center cooks through before the outer parts are overdone and dry, as is sometimes the problem with larger birds. Serve with crisp rosemary roasted potatoes and a tossed green salad.

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