Yield: 1 3- or 4-pound roasted chicken feeds 4
This recipe is super simple. If you’ve never roasted a chicken, you must try it. Leftovers are great for soup, salads, or again for dinner! Lemon and thyme is also a nice combination for seasoning.
Ingredients/equipment:
- 1 3 to 4-pound chicken
- 1 sprig of rosemary (or thyme)
- 1 orange (or lemon), quartered
- salt and pepper
- kitchen twine
- The chicken takes 80-90 minutes to roast. About 30 minutes before you are ready to put it in the oven, let it sit at room temperature while the oven heats to 425 degrees.
- Remove the giblets from the cavity (if this applies). Rinse the chicken, inside and out, with cold water and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Stuff the cavity with the rosemary sprig and 2-3 quarters of the orange (whatever will fit). Sprinkle the chicken all over, generously, with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray, or oil it.
- Tie the legs together with the kitchen twine and place the chicken on the roasting pan, tucking the wings underneath the chicken.
- Roast the bird in the oven for 80-90 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. To confirm that the bird is cooked, stick a knife between the leg and the thigh – the juices should run clear.
Adapted from Ina Garten
