There is nothing easier than roasting a chicken. There are just about as many roasted chicken recipes as there are bloggers. Mine combines Savory Herb butter, Roasted Root vegetables, rubbed with Olive Oil, but roasted with the herb butter and chicken fat dripping into the pan making them extra rich and delicious. I also "Steam" my bird with a modified "Beer Butt" Chicken system.I also use a remote probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the bird. Stuck in the thickest part of the chicken and readable outside the oven, no need to open and close (losing heat). 160 degrees... PERIOD. This guarantees a moist tender juicy bird. And when the bird is done, the vegetables are also! While I do use a thermometer, the time is usually around an hour and a half (depending on the size of the bird).
Keep scrolling down for this easy to follow recipe.
I make so many roasted chickens that I own a fancy "Beer Butt" chicken ceramic dish. In reality, you can easily simply use a normal large casserole dish, line the bottom with the vegetables and wedge a can in the middle. Still works the same.
And speaking of beer, while the alliteration of Beer Butt sounds special, in reality there is no real difference in the taste of the bird no matter what type of liquid you use. I like to fill the cavity in my dish (or you can use a regular can) with Orange Juice, then stuff two halves of a lemon in the cavity so the bird is "steamed" in citrus juices from the inside.
And finally, I stuff as much of the herb butter between the skin and the meat of the breast. It melts and oozes into the meat as it roasts, as well as falling into the root vegetables to help season them.
So, take a look at the photos above, but Here's what I did...
Ingredients:
1 stick Butter, Softened to Room Temperature
1/4 cup "Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence" (or any commercial savory spice mix)
1 Lemon sliced in half
4 medium Russet Potatoes, quartered
4 medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut same size as the Russet
4 Carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Medium Onions, quartered
Green Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Radishes, Turnips... Add about anything that roasts.
1/2 cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to season Root Vegetables
1/2 a can of liquid (if you use a real can, be sure and remove the top).
- Slice all of the vegetables, rub them down with the olive oil and Salt and Pepper them. Line a baking dish with the potatoes
- Mix the Butter and the "Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence", rub the Chicken and push as much of the butter between the skin and the meat of the breast.
- Cut a lemon in half, stuff into the chicken cavity. Balance the bird on the can of liquid so the steam goes into the "butt" of the bird. It will look like he is sitting on the vegetables, but as the liquid heats and starts to boil, the steam will heat the lemon and steam from the inside.
- Insert the remote probe thermometer in the thickest part of the meat.
- Roast in 400 degree oven until the temperature reads 160 degree.
- Keep an eye on the bird. If it starts to get too dark, you may need to cover with foil during the last 30 minutes.
- Allow the bird to rest for 30 minutes before cutting.
- Save the bones to make stock!
That last shot is my bag of bones waiting to be put in my freezer to become chicken stock later in the week!
And of course, a roasted chicken with roasted root vegetables is one of my "Top Five" Main Dishes!
For the time being...
Click the image to the left for a printable copy of this recipe. When the large image appears, right click the image and select "Copy Image". Then open a word document file, click paste and print. Prints on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper.
Soon, it will become a PDF file that you simply have to click and print.
Plus, here's the printable recipes for "Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence", Click to enlarge...
