Lemon garlic Roasted chicken
Ingredients-
2 lemons
1 head of garlic
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
3½–4 lb. whole chicken
Fresh rosemary
William Sonoma turkey base (optional)
Celtic salt and ground black pepper
Directions-
Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
Cut 2 lemons in quarters and remove any visible seeds.
Cut 1 head of garlic in half.
Melt ½ stick butter in a small saucepan or microwave in a small bowl. Set aside.
Place 1 whole chicken (mine was 4lbs) on a cutting board (it is best to use a plastic one you can sterilize). Pat the chicken dry with paper towels to ensure it browns when cooking.
With chicken breast facing up and legs pointing toward you, use a sharp knife to slice through loose area of skin connecting the leg and breast, making about a 3"-long incision. Continue cutting downward until you hit the joint that connects the thigh to the body, then stop (once you get through the skin. This helps to determine if your chicken is done after cooking.
Rub 2 tbs of turkey base (sub for olive oil and some spices if you don’t have this) then season every surface of chicken, including skin along backbone, inside cavity, under wings, with lots of salt and pepper.
Stuff chicken with 1/2 slice of lemon, salt, pepper, and a few sprigs of rosemary.
Transfer chicken breast side up to a large oven-safe skillet. Arrange lemon and garlic cut sides down in skillet around chicken. Drizzle chicken all over with melted butter and transfer to oven on the middle rack.
Roast until chicken is nicely browned and cooked through, this will vary based on the size of chicken, mine took about an hour and a half. If juices run clear, the chicken is done. If you see a rosy pink color, it needs more time. Continue to roast, checking every 5 minutes, until juices run clear. (If you’re not sure, you can also use the knife to lightly shred some of the meat along the thigh bone.
Let chicken rest in skillet for about 15 minutes before carving, this will help the juices in the meat to settle, and will also get it down to a temperature that is cool enough to handle with your bare hands while carving.
Enjoy with mashed potatoes or your choice of a side dish! I made this in place of a turkey this Friendsgiving and everyone loved it!