A Strong Foundation

Roasted Chicken

A good roasted chicken is the foundation for countless recipes, so it’s important to know how to do it well. Be sure to save EVERYTHING, as on Friday I’ll be using the bones, stuffing  components and leftover meat to make an awesome Roasted Chicken Soup, from scratch.

1 large whole chicken

1 yellow onion

4 cloves garlic

1 lemon, quartered

4 carrots, cut into large chunks

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

2 T. plus 1 tsp. olive oil

1 bay leaf

¼ C. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Remove the gizzards from the inside of the chicken. Season the inside and outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Cut half of the onion into large chunks and combine with 3 cloves of garlic (halved), the quartered lemon, a quarter of the carrots and bay leaf. Stuff the cavity with the mixture.

Finely chop another quarter of the onion. Mince remaining clove of garlic. Mix with 2 T. olive oil, 2 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tsp. ground pepper. Rub the mixture all over the outside of the bird and, if desired, between the skin and meat of the chicken as well (be careful to leave the skin in place so it still covers the flesh or the chicken could dry out).

Place the chicken on a rack inside a large baking dish or cookie sheet, so that the legs are sitting towards the bottom and the breast is facing up.

Cut the remaining quarter of the onion into bite-sized pieces and toss with remaining ¾ carrots, 1 tsp. olive oil and additional salt and pepper to taste. Scatter in the baking dish surrounding the chicken.

Bake for 1 to 1 and a half hours, depending on the size of the bird, basting with melted butter every 20 minutes. To test doneness, insert a knife between the body of the chicken and the leg: the juices should run clear. Serve the chicken with its pan juices for extra flavor.

Reserve the carcass, vegetables from the cavity of the chicken and any leftovers for Friday’s Roasted Chicken Soup.

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