Delectable Roast Chicken
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 5-6 lb Chicken
- 1 Lemon, cut in half
- 1 Large sprig Thyme
- 1-2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1+ Tablespoons Kosher salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- If at all possible, prep your chicken the night before to give the salt time to work its’ way into the meat and create that ultimate juicy and tender roast chicken. (Alternatively, you can prep in the morning and if you forget, no worries, you can still cook your chicken. You’ll simply have a juicier end result if your chicken is salted several hours in advance.)
- Clean chicken by running it under some cool water and be sure to remove all of the giblets that may be in the cavity. (These can either be discarded or cooked for gravy.) Pat the chicken dry and place in cast iron skillet or other oven proof dish that is just slightly larger than your chicken.
- Salt (with about a 1 teaspoon of salt) and pepper the cavity. Follow up by squeezing in the lemon juice and placing the lemon halves and the herbs inside.
- Rub the entire chicken with the EVOO and then liberally salt the entire exterior of the bird. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper.
- Tuck the wings underneath. Cross the “ankles” of the chicken and using kitchen string/twine (you’ll need about 8-10 inches) tie these together.
- If you are prepping in advance, place chicken in the refrigerator until ready to roast. If time allows, let rest on the counter for about an hour before placing in oven.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Roast chicken for about 1 ½ hours, (time will vary depending on size of bird and how cold it was when placed in the oven) until internal temperature reaches 165°F. After removing from oven, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest about 15 minutes before carving.