Cooking 101: Featuring Knock-Your-Socks-Off Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken #cookingbasics #healthyprotein #roastedchicken

Let’s be honest. Roasted chicken can be a thing of beauty…or it can be a dry, tasteless mess. Today, I’m sharing my technique for ensuring your roasted chicken comes out of the oven with crispy golden skin and juicy, flavorful meat. Once you have a few simple tricks up your culinary sleeve, you’ll be ready to make the perfect roasted chicken every single time! My Knock-Your-Socks-Off Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken is flavorful and juicy – even the breast meat! All you need is 5-10 minutes to prep your bird...then your oven does the rest of the work for you! After several years of trial and error, here are my tips for roasting a perfect chicken:

1. Start with the best chicken you can get your hands on -- free range, organic, or locally farm raised are best.
2. Flavor and season your chicken on the outside AND the inside. I rub my chicken down with herbs, salt, and pepper. Then, I stuff it with flavorful aromatics.
3. Roast your chicken in a Dutch oven. I start out cooking it covered, then remove the lid for the final 10-15 minutes to ensure the skin is crispy and golden brown.
4. The key to juicy meat -- even breast meat? Let your chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. This crucial step allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat -- which results in the juiciest meat possible!

Wait until you see how easy this citrusy-herbal roasted chicken recipe is...it's sure to become a staple in your dinner rotation too!

Knock-Your-Socks-Off 

Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken

a Weekend Gourmet original

Ingredients (makes four servings):

• 2-to-3 lb. whole chicken
• 1 lemon, cut in four wedges
• 1 small shallot, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
• 1 TBS + 1 tsp. olive 

For the spice rub:

• 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 TBS chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. chopped cilantro
• 1 TBS chopped basil
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme 

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375℉. Thoroughly rinse the inside of the chicken with cold water and drain well. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with 1/2 tsp. of kosher salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Stuff the chicken with the lemon, shallot, garlic, thyme, and rosemary.

Step 2: Combine the spice rub ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the outside of the chicken, making sure to get some underneath the skin. Add the olive oil to the bottom of a 5-quart Dutch oven. Carefully place the chicken in the Dutch oven -- breast side down. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove the Dutch oven lid, and flip the bird over so the bottom side can brown. Bake 10-15 minutes longer, until the skin is golden and the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork.

 Step 4: Carefully remove the chicken from the Dutch oven to a serving platter. Remember to let the cooked chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve the chicken with your favorite sides. These days, I like to serve with a simple garden or roasted seasonal veggies. 

That’s it…so simple, but so very flavorful! The aromatics stuffed inside the bird give the meat a gentle flavor, and the spice blend gives the skin and meat a punch of flavor too. This chicken comes out perfectly moist and flavorful -- even the finicky breast meat. If you have any chicken left over, it makes excellent chicken salad the next night. I hope you’ll give this flavorful roasted chicken recipe a try soon!