Whole Roasted Chicken
INGREDIENTS
- 4-6LB Whole Chicken that is pasture-raised, non-GMO, No Soy, hormones, or antibiotics!
- Salt (Course sea salt preferred)
- Ground black pepper (freshly ground for added flavor)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (add 2 Tablespoons butter for richer flavor)
- 1/2 Lemon
- 1/2 small yellow onion, peeled
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Prepare your bird by totally defrosting in the fridge for over 24 hours. Remove from packaging and remove the gizzard if not already done, and also clean out the cavity. Because our chicken is not soaked in chlorine, you don't need to wash the meat. You can pat dry with a paper towel before proceeding.
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper inside the cavity, then rub the entire bird with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the underside of the chicken, then place it breast up in a roasting dish (or high sided pan). Stuff cavity with lemon and onion. Generously sprinkle the top with salt and pepper. If you're using butter, put one tablespoon underneath the skin of one breast, and the other tablespoon pat of butter under the other skin of the breast.
Roast the chicken for 1 and a half hours (90 minutes), basting every 30 minutes with the juices that accumulate in the bottom of the pan. Its done cooking when your meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
Let the chicken rest a bit before carving...
Optional: use the drippings from the pan to make a gravy - pour 1/4 cup of boiling water into the roasting dish and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour this into a small saucepan. Combine 1T of cornstarch with 1/4cup cold water. Add to the saucepan. Simmer on the stovetop until thickened. Add salt and pepper as needed.