I have to give Tony full credit for this meal! He really really wanted to make a whole roasted chicken- veggies, roasting pan and all. I think he originally got the idea in his head after we watched an episode of the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. Normally we don’t sit around watching the Food Network together (ok, sometimes) but we just got our new Flat Screen TV and wow! forget sports and movies, the Food Network looks amazing in HD! We were mesmerized (and then quite hungry)! So we decided to go for it last Sunday night. I helped prep the veggies, but the bird was all Tony! It was a really great dinner and supplied us with 2 nights of leftovers plus lunch! The actual recipe is so simple to prepare- it just takes a long time to roast in the oven. So just make sure you’re not starving when you start to prepare because you won’t be eating for another 2 hours or so! Our only critique was that the chicken itself seemed a little bland. Tony thinks next time we should periodically baste the chicken to make it more flavorful and juicy.
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 yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
4 red potatoes, cut into wedges
Olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers 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, fennel 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.
1 comment:
That's sounds great! There is nothing better on a cold winter day than a nice bird in the oven. The smell itself is worth it :)
If you want to decrease the time from prep to table, I learned a little trick that I'm stunned isn't more commonly used. Prepare the bird by cleaning, trussing tighly and rubbing it with a little olive oil salt and pepper. That's it. Then throw into a scorching hot, 450 degree oven and don't open the door for 50 minutes. When it comes out, the skin will be crispy, but the inside will be SO juicy and flavorful.
I don't know how it would work with the rest of those wonderful veggies, as the high heat might be a killer, but the chicken itself will be packed with flavor.
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