Cooking whole chickens used to be really intimidate me. How big of a chicken do you get? Will it be enough to feed everyone? How long do you cook it for? What if I overcook it?
I have found the more I cook them, the more comfortable I have become and the better you know when it is ready or when it needs a bit more time (a meat thermometer is a great tool to use too).
This recipe is honestly awesome. The flavour that gets transferred to the chicken by tucking the herb/butter mixture under the skin not only makes the chicken incredibly tasty and juicy, but the skin is absolutely scrumptious! And I NEVER eat the skin, but this is too darn good to pass up, I promise. Then, the lemons. Stuffing this chicken with lemons, I could not believe how much you could taste it in the chicken.
Easy enough to make when you get home from work or for a family get together. I guarantee it will be a hit! You can always make the herb butter the night before so that prep time is minimal the day of.
Roasted French Countryside Whole Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 whole organic, free-range chicken (about 4 lbs.)
5 tablespoons grass fed butter at room temperature
½ tsp. Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt
¼ tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1-2 lemons
French Countryside Seasoning Blend (makes approx. 2 tbsp.)
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. fennel seeds
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for seasoning blend and mix well. Put aside.
Remove innards from the chicken and give it a rinse inside and out. Trim the tail off and any excess skin.
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel – really get it dry so that the skin crisps nicely.
Take your room temp butter and mix it well with the seasoning blend.
With a spoon, use the backside to help lift the skin from the outside, gently lifting up the edge creating a pocket. Grab some seasoned butter and let your spoon get the filling nice and far under the skin. Then with your hands, spread it around under the skin from the outside. Do this on both sides and save a bit for the legs. Any extra that you have spread on top. If you’re not digging the spoon, get dirty and use your hands!
Place the bird on a roasting rack or in a roasting pan.
Slice your lemon(s) in half and squeeze half of one directly on top of the chicken. Stuff the inside of the chicken with the 2 halves or more if you have room.
Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375°F and roast for an hour. The meat will be done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Once cooked, let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute in the meat.
Carve that baby up and serve!
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