Roasted Lemon-Garlic Chicken

Cooking a whole chicken can be a lot of fun. A chicken is pretty much a blank canvas to experiment with because it can taste great with so many other ingredients. I remember making a pineapple stuffed chicken with my older brother; needless to say he pretty much ate it all. LOVE YOU BDAY! I didn't have a roasting pan, so I actually used the stoneware insert of a Crock Pot. If you choose to do this too, be sure to use foil to cover or to remove the plastic handle from the lid before putting it in the oven.

Tips:

Flavor isn't skin deep - Take the chance to flavor the meat even more by gently sliding your hand between the meat and the skin over the breast and back of the chicken. Now you have the chance to flavor the meat by placing crushed garlic cloves, lemon slices or other spices to get direct contact with the meat of the chicken. This also helps if you choose to remove the skin after cooking.

No chicken-cicles! - It is imperative that your chicken is thawed and cooked to the correct temperature so that food poisoning does not occur. Thaw a frozen chicken in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. A whole chicken should also be cooked until a meat thermometer, inserted in the breast meat, reads 180 degrees.

Roasty-tasty - I didn't specify what roasting vegetables to use for this recipe because you can use what you'd like. I suggest potatoes, rutabagas, baby carrots, and onion.

Oven Temperature: 375 degrees

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Bake Time: 85-90 minutes

 Servings: 1, 3-4 pound chicken

5 cups vegetables

1, 3-4 pound chicken, thawed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1 Tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 lemon
5-6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion 
1 1/2 cups white wine
6 cups roasting vegetables, cleaned and cubed 


Directions:

1) Move the oven racks so that your pan will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2) In a small bowl, combine oil, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper. Zest 1 teaspoon of the lemon into the bowl as well. Cut the lemon in two and juice one of the halves into the bowl. Whisk ingredients together and set aside.

3) Prepare the chicken by folding the wings of chicken across the back with tips touching. Tie or skewer drumsticks to tail. Place chicken, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan or a large glass baking dish. 

4) Rub the chicken skin or under the skin with the crushed garlic cloves then place them into the cavity of the chicken. Also place the other half of lemon and the small onion into the chicken cavity (cut these into pieces to make it fit easier).

5) Brush the oil mixture over the chicken. Pour the white white into the bottom of the dish. Cover the roasting pan or glass dish (foil works well with glass) and bake the chicken covered for 45 minutes. 

6) Remove the lid after 45 minutes and add the prepared vegetables to the pan. Bake uncovered for another 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and a meat thermometer reads the meat temperature at 180 degrees. 

7) Remove the dish from the oven and cover the dish. Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes so that it is easier to slice.

8) Serve vegetables and chicken and drizzle with the pan drippings for added flavor and moisture.