Makes:
4 servings
Total Time:
2 hr 30 min
Submitted by:
Category:
Dinner Entrees
Sub Category: Chicken & Turkey Entrees
what you need
- 1 whole free range chicken (4-5 pound)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary or 3 Tbsp. dried (fresh preferred), divided
- 3 sprigs thyme or 2 1 1/2 Tbsp. dried, divided
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 stalk celery with leaves
- 4 Tbsp. unsweetened butter, divided
- Olive oil
- 1 to 2 cups chicken stock or water
- 1/2 onion, 1 clove garlic (for bottom of pan to make gravy later)
make it
Clean chicken well. It is easier to clean if salt is rubbed on chicken as an abrasive then rinsed well inside and out with cool water. Reserve innards for gravy. Dry well then season liberally with salt and pepper the cavity.
Place peeled onion and garlic into cavity of chicken. Add rosemary and thyme (2 sprigs rosemary and 2 thyme). Add lemon and stalk celery (mainly leaves if chicken's cavity is too small for whole stalk). Add 1 Tbsp. butter in cavity. Drizzle olive oil over whole chicken and season liberally with salt, pepper and chopped remaining rosemary and thyme. You may add more herbs if so desired. Loosen skin by breast and smear remaining butter without tearing skin. Make sure chicken is well oiled before tying wings and legs with twine. Tie chicken wings under and legs together, so that the inside ingredients will stay in chicken cavity. Place chicken in a roasting pan with rack preferably. Add chicken stock or water (but stock will make for a better tasting gravy). Add onion (half it).
Loosely cover chicken breast side up with tin foil and place in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes. Then baste. Uncover chicken and roast for approximately another 45 minutes. Let chicken rest for about 15 minutes untie twine and serve along with my sausage apple stuffing and herbed giblet gravy.
Notes
Goes well with orange zested green beans, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and creamed pearl onions.
