Don’t get me wrong – I love roasted chicken but most of the time I buy it from the store. Buying a whole chicken and doing it myself was never really high on the “must try” list. Why should I go through the effort when I can go to the local supermarket and buy a rotisserie chicken and call it a day. I used rotisserie chickens in many recipes, including my favorite Southwestern Chicken Torilla Soup.
However, after moving to Philly, I found that when I would buy the store rotisserie chickens, I would get sick – seriously sick. And I had to wonder what was it about these chickens that were making me get all apprehensive about buying the convenience chicken. One bout of this sickness too many, I vowed in my best Scarlett O’Hara impression to never buy rotisserie chicken again!
Barefoot Contessa said that roasting a chicken was - well – how hard could THAT be? And when Ina Garten speaks, people learn to pay attention. This woman knows her stuff. So, I made a vow to roast my own “Perfect Chicken” in my new fancy roasting pan (yes, I bought it with coupons! I’m not that crazy). I have to say, the Barefoot Contessa’s Perfect Roast Chicken is the best way I have ever prepared a chicken to date.
This recipe was far from hard – as a matter of fact I think I can live up to my vow to never buy convenience chicken again. Why should I when the one I make is 100x better (and I don’t get violently ill for a couple days after buying one from the grocery store).
Ingredients
- 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
- 1 large red onion, thickly sliced
- 4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
- Olive oil
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken giblets and discard.
- Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and pat the outside dry.
- Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
- Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic.
- Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.
- Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
- Place the onions, carrots, and potatoes in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil.
- Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
- Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
- Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes.
- Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.
Notes
Recipe Adapted From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten
Note: I did not use the fennel as the recipe originally states. Instead, I substituted potatoes and it worked out well. I also omitted the carrots and substituted red onion as I tend to prefer red onions (don't ask me why - I just like them I guess)
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Yeah Aly, great stuff! Roasting your own is only a slate; you can do so much with it by altering most any component. Nicely done here.
.-= Donald´s last blog ..The Cowboy Steak with Grilled Corn and Poblano Butter =-.
I must agree with you on this. I have prepared chicken according to her recipe many times now, and it has never failed to make a good impression. So juicy and flavorful! And adaptable…I vary the things I stuff into the cavity. So far, there doesn’t seem to be a wrong combination.