The Perfect Roast Chicken

ITS MY 200TH POST!!!!! Holy cow, I cant even believe it. I have been trying to decide which recipe should take the honor of being #200, and since this recipe was a major achievement, I figured it was fitting.

Have you ever seen the Movie, It's Complicated?

Its an amusing enough movie and in it, the most amazing caterer's most amazing meal is a roast chicken....HUH? How can that be? She can make homemade chocolate croissants, but her Roast Chicken is her claim to fame. I was intrigued, yeah I know I need a life.

But I set a challenge for myself to learn how to make a good roast chicken. This was attempt #4.....It's COMPLICATED...... and I have to say its just about as perfect as it gets.

Perfect Roast Chicken

borrowed from Ina Garten

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--* next time I am adding even more

1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges (blech, I omitted)

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, and fennel 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.

FOR NEXT TIME--I am going to do a 1/2 hour roasting the regular way and then flip it. The juice was juicy but it still needs a little more moisture. Its either that or brining and I never remember to do that ahead of time. I will also add more yummy carrots and maybe some potatoes in place of the yucky fennel.