I’m far from being a professional chef, but I’m a decent cook. And I’m a darned good baker. I think any decent cook should have a simple, but satisfying roast chicken recipe in their repertoire. It doesn’t have to be their own recipe. For years I used Ina Garten’s recipe. Well, I’ve been working on my own recipe for the past couple of months now and I think I finally have it down. A roast chicken that I can call my own and use again and again.
I start out with a dry chicken. No need to rinse the chicken, just dry it really well with paper towels. Then stuff that cavity!
I add a handful of fresh thyme sprigs, lemon wedges and a whole clove of garlic (which is optional, but sooo good). A generous seasoning of coarse salt and pepper finishes the recipe off. What results is the most perfectly juicy and flavorful bird with crispy skin. My husband and I devour it. This roasted chicken is marvelous.
Lemon & Thyme Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 3.5 - 4 lb. whole chicken
- 1 lemon, quartered lengthwise, divided
- 1 handful fresh thyme (about 12 sprigs)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove any giblets from the cavity of the chicken and discard (or use how you wish). Thoroughly dry the chicken with paper towels. Place chicken breast-side up in a large roasting pan.
- Place 3 lemon quarters and the thyme sprigs in the cavity. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
- Rub salt and pepper all over the outside of the chicken. Tuck wing tips up and under the neck part of the body (as illustrated here).
- Roast for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (inserting thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, not hitting any bone).
- Remove from oven and let chicken rest for about 15 minutes.
- Take the remaining lemon wedge and squeeze the juice all over the bird before carving. You can also sprinkle with some more fresh chopped thyme, if you like. Serve.
Loved this recipe, but added garlic cloves to interior aromatics and garlic powder to the exterior of the chicken. Baked at 400 degrees for the first 1/2 hour then lowered to 375, covered breast with foil until last 20 minutes. Squeezing lemon over top added a nice fragrance and flavor. Turned out perfectly!