Summer is over friends. WAHHHHHHH?!?!?!
I don’t know why it feels like summer is over in flash when you are an adult. Like wasn’t it just May? I am fairly certain there was some weird time/space leap that made it September…
When I was a kid I remember thinking anything was possible during summer. You could fall in love, go on an epic adventure, or solve a mystery…wait maybe that was just in some pre-teen coming of age movie. Anyhow, now that we are all adults summer has a different meaning. Most obviously, we work during the summer, blagh! I would at the very least exchange my ability to stay out past 10:00PM for the chance to have the summer’s off. I envy all of those teachers out there.
Ok, don’t be fooled, I am only slightly sad about the ending of summer. I am a HUGE fan of Fall. Did you already know that? I bet you did. I probably plan out my fall the way a pre-teen plans out their summer. I am always excited to do all of the things and eat all of the fall goodies and drink all the pumpkin spice latte’s. I am the most basic b***h and I am absolutely ok with it.
Fall is the perfect time of year to do a roasted chicken. One reason being that most people don’t want to run their ovens in the dead of summer. I think another reason they are great for fall cooking is that if you don’t eat it all in one night then you can use the leftover chicken for other meals throughout the week. This reason is the reason I love making a roasted chicken on a Sunday night. It’s like getting a two (or three) for one Since I am usually cooking for two I know that we will not eat an entire chicken in one night so I plan a few meals throughout the week that will use chicken (I like to make enchiladas!).
I like this recipe because it is so basic and you aren’t doing too much to the chicken. If you go too crazy on the seasonings it will make it hard to use the chicken meat for other things throughout the week so I usually do a simple preparation on my roasted chickens. You can always dress up the chicken with a gravy or sauce after you cut it up. I ended up making a simple chicken gravy for this one when I made it, I even used the pan drippings!
If you have hesitated to make a roasted chicken in the past because of cookware I can tell you now that I have made a chicken in so many different cooking dishes. I have used pyrex pans and roasting dishes. In this case I use a deep cookie sheet with a wire rack. If you have any of that in the house then you should be just fine. So, get to it, you’ll thank me later!
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1 4lb. Chicken
- 2 Tbsp. Salt
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary Minced
- 1 Whole Lemon
- Cooking String
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Combine salt and rosemary in a small bowl.
- Using your fingers, create an opening between the skin and flesh of the chicken (careful not to remove the skin completely).
- Gently rub the salt and rosemary mixture under the skin and let sit for an hour or longer.
- Before baking prick the lemon all over with a fork and place in the cavity of the chicken.
- Tie the chicken legs together and place in roasting pan.
- Roast chicken for 45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 175.
- Skin should be golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oven and cover for an additional 15-20 minutes before carving (remove lemon before carving).
Nutrition Facts
Rosemary-Lemon Roasted Chicken
Serves: 4
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 980.54 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 68.4 g | 104.6% | |
| Saturated Fat 19.58 g | 95% | |
| Trans Fat 0.44 g | ||
| Cholesterol 340.19 mg | 113.3% | |
| Sodium 1090.52 mg | 45.4% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 1.53 g | 0.3% | |
| Dietary Fiber 0.53 g | 0% | |
| Sugars 0.36 g | ||
| Protein 84.56 g | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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