One Juicy Bird

I have been working on my roast chicken now for awhile and have yet to really feel that I have mastered it. Roast chicken is one of those dishes to me that screams "home cooked." I know my mom made a delicious roast chicken, so I am sure that is where it comes from. There is just something about that crisp skin, juicy meat and beautiful pan sauce that I love. I think I am getting much closer to the perfect bird and this recipe really helped. I served this with a fall salad and dinner was complete.

Roast Chicken

Food & Wine: December 2009

serves 6

One 6 lb Roasting Chicken (I used a 3.5 and it was almost about the same cooking time, all other ingredients were the same)

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

6 rosemary sprigs

3 lemons, 2 quartered, 1 juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine, plus an additional 1/2 cup

1/4 cup of honey

salt and pepper

1 3/4 cups chicken stock, plus 1 additional cup

1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. Set the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and stuff the cavity with the garlic, rosemary and the 2 quartered lemons. Tie the legs together. Rub the oil over the chicken, pour the wine and lemon juice over the chicken, drizzle the honey all over the chicken and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

2. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, uncovered. Add 1 cup of broth to the pan, cover with foil and reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees. Roast for 40 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of stock to the roasting pan. Cover and roast for 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted in an inner thigh registers 165 degrees. (If using a smaller bird, it won't take the full 50 minutes)

3. Transfer chicken to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Place the empty roasting pan on stove with 1-2 burners on med-high. Once pan is hot, add the 1/2 cup of wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom. Add the 1 cup of stock and let reduce for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Strain sauce into hot serving bowl and ladle over chicken when serving.

I hope that you find success with this recipe as well. Here's to comfort food!

PS: You can use the rest of the chicken and bones to make a lovely stock as well. Nothing goes to waste!

xoxo

Erin