Do you ever have those weeknights where you have no desire to cook? I love cooking, but there are just some days I’d rather put my feet up for an hour and sip a glass of merlot. On those nights, I opt for my no-fuss oven baked chicken. It graces our table almost every week. The leftovers are saved for lunches and the bones are used for broth. One chicken= three meals + no fuss. It makes me feel like superwoman.
I love this chicken because 1. you basically do nothing and 2. it’s juicy with a nice, crispy skin–the kind of skin that makes you want to sneak in the kitchen and pick at it until you’ve eaten it all. Not that I do that…
Oven Baked Whole Chicken with Herbs and Lemon
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, preferably pastured (remove giblets from cavity)
sea salt
black pepper
1 pat of butter
1 small lemon, sliced in small slices
Fresh herbs (I like a mixture of thyme, rosemary, oregano and parsley)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Pat the chicken dry.
Rub the pat of butter all over the chicken skin.
Rub sea salt and pepper all over the skin and inside the chicken cavity.
Stuff the chicken cavity with the lemon slices and herbs.
Place in a casserole dish breast-side up and put the dish on the middle rack of the oven.
Roast the chicken for 15 minutes at 425 F (this crisps the skin), then reduce the heat to 375 F and bake until a meat thermometer reads 165 F (thermometer should not touch bone). (This usually takes about 50 min to 1 hour-ish) Drink a glass of wine and put your feet up, you’ve earned it.
Once it’s finished, remove it from the oven and put the chicken on a cutting board. Let it rest at least 10 minutes, 20 minutes is better. This makes sure the juices remain in the meat.
Carve up the bird and enjoy!
Jó étvágyat! That’s Hungarian for Bon Appetit. xo, Allison
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