We love chicken at our house. Roasted chicken that is perfectly seasoned, perfectly moist, perfectly crispy and perfectly delicious. Most of all...it is perfectly easy to prepare.
Perfect Roast Chicken
1- 4 to 5 pound roasting chicken, trussed
1 head of garlic, top sliced off
1 lemon, halved
3 Tablespoons of softened butter
Salt and Pepper
Preheat your impeccably clean oven to 425 degrees F. (You want a clean oven. Any particles in your oven will smoke at this high temperature).
Wash the chicken and remove and discard any giblets or necks from the cavities. Dry the chicken well with a paper towel.
Salt and Pepper the cavities and and stuff the lemon halves and the garlic head into the largest cavity.
Rub the outside of the chicken with the softened butter. Salt and pepper the outside well. Much of the seasoning will run off when the butter melts so you want to use the seasoning quite liberally.
Place the chicken in a roasting pan. You could put a layer of onions, carrots, and celery down in the pan under the chicken to provide a bed for it. You will not want to eat the vegetables after. (I do not put a bed down as I don't think it adds all that much flavor).
Roast the chicken for about 1 1/2 hours, baste frequently with the pan juices. Check the thigh temperature with a thermometer. Poultry should be cooked to about 170 degrees F. for safety. Remove the chicken from the oven and tent it loosely with foil while it rests and redistributes the interior juices into the meat before slicing.
Let it rest for 10-15 minutes. It will continue to cook a bit as it rests so don't overcook it in the oven.
Slice and serve.
This is great left-over and it's a quick week night dinner.
