Roasting a Chicken

I've had a few questions about how I roast my chicken, so I thought I would make a post. This is SOOO easy and amazingly economical. You can get chicken for about $1/lb and make 3-4 meals from it- I LOVE that! You have to be comfortable working with raw poultry and shoving your hands in places you might not necessarily want to- but it's well worth the small prep time.


You will need:
1 whole chicken, 4-5lbs at least to have a good amount for leftovers
olive oil
1 lemon
Cooking twine to tress your chicken

Those are the basic ingredients. I season ours, typically, in two different ways. One is with Rosemary & thyme, the second is lemon basil, so you will need fresh spices and possibly an additional lemon.

1. Remove chicken from packaging, drain juices and rinse in cold water. Pat dry.
2. With a sharp knife, cut several (5-10) slits into the lemon. Shove the lemon as far as it will go inside the cavity of the chicken. This is the secret to keeping your chicken super moist while it cooks.
3. Rub olive oil over the entire body of the chicken- on top of the skin. Place your seasonings (fresh spices, lemon slices, etc.) UNDER the skin of the chicken. You will have to use your hands or a knife to loosen the skin enough to put them in. You can place addition sprigs in the cavity of the chicken with the lemon.
4. Cut your butcher twine three times the length of the chicken. Face the chicken breast up towards you. You will put the twine under the chicken 1-inch in front of the tail. Pull the twine up around the legs and make a cross. Then pull tight and cross back under legs. Pull tight along the upper thighs and pull up the body and pull across the wings. Make sure it is tight and secure. Tie and secure the twine just above the neck.
5.Place the chicken in a roasting pan and bake for 20min per pound in a 350 degree oven. (So a 4 pound chicken will cook for 80min.)