Roasting a whole stuffed chicken may sound intimidating, but is actually quite simple to do. This herb roasted chicken is an impressive meal to serve to your dinner guests, or great as a regular weekday family meal. Leftovers generated from the weekday meals can be used in other recipes requiring precooked chicken. If you have never roasted a chicken before, you will find this recipe easy to follow and if you are a seasoned cook you will enjoy the versatility it allows. The real secret to keeping roasted chicken extremely moist and juicy is to stuff the inside of it with wedges of lemons. Not only do the lemon wedges keep the chicken from drying out, but they add a hint of lemony flavor to the meat. Any combination of herbs may be used to enhance the flavor of the chicken. Rosemary, sage, and thyme are the traditional recommended poultry herbs used in this recipe, but even just using one of those herbs will result in a flavorful meal.
For an easy side dish accompanying this chicken recipe, add any combination of carrots, turnips, red potatoes, or Yukon gold potatoes drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt & pepper to the roasting pan around the chicken. The vegetables will cook alongside the chicken and can be removed after 30 minutes in the pan to prevent them from becoming overcooked.
Herb Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 lbs)
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 lemons, sliced into wedges
- 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 4 sage leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
- Remove giblets (heart, liver, gizzards) from inside the cavity of the chicken and discard.
- Wash the chicken thoroughly and pat dry.
- Coat the entire bottom of a roasting pan, or large glass baking pan, with a few tablespoons of olive oil.
- Place the whole chicken in the pan, breast side up.
- Stuff the inside of the chicken with 4 cloves of peeled garlic, the lemon wedges, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, and sage leaves.
- Rub the remaining olive oil all over the exterior of the chicken.
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt & pepper, about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of each.
- Put the roasting pan in the oven, and roast for one hour or until chicken is golden and cooked through.
- Let the chicken cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Note: The herbs, lemon and garlic stuffed inside the chicken are only for the use of flavoring the chicken, and can be used as garnish, but are not to be eaten.
