Amazing Roast Chicken

On days when I have little to no energy (or have simply run out of time before dinner), I have been known to pick up one of those roast chickens from the grocery store. They are not the tastiest dinners by themselves, but they sure do make tacos or pot pie or a hearty soup in a hurry. Of course, when I do have the time and energy, I would much prefer to roast my own chicken for a meal – and they always turn out juicy, savory, and oh so delicious. Here are the simple “how to”s…

Roast Chicken

• 1     whole roasting chicken (organic/free range if you can muster)
• 1     lemon
• fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme) *you can often pick up a package of “poultry blend” herbs at the grocery
• salt, pepper
• olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the chicken in an ovenproof casserole dish and pat it dry. Gently separate the skin from the breast meat, making sure that it stays attached at the sides, but open at the end so that you can slip ingredients between the skin and the meat. Sprinkle salt and pepper into these pockets. Put sprigs of your fresh herbs into these pockets. Then, drizzle a little bit of olive oil into these pockets. Next, make 2-3 diagonal cuts into the thickest parts of the drumsticks. Drizzle a little bit more olive oil over the surface of the chicken and rub it all over the skin. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the skin. Finally, cut the lemon into halves or quarters and stuff them into the cavity of the bird. Bake with herb pockets on top for approximately 1 hour – until internal temperature of breast meat reaches 165 degrees F (the legs have been slashed so that they will be ready when the rest of the bird is done). Enjoy!