From Start to Finish

Lemon Butter Roasted Chicken

This roasted chicken is stuffed with lemon, garlic and aromatics and covered in a lemon and garlic butter. It is then roasted on a bed of your favorite root vegetables.

SERVES: 6

PREP TIME: 30 minutes | COOK TIME: 1 1/2 hours | REST TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 2 hrs. 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

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It’s 2006, I’m sitting in the living room of my new apartment, with a toddler on my lap and a newborn sleeping in the other room. I’m a new mom, newly wed, and I just got cable TV. We were over the moon to have cable TV, you know being newly weds and new parents, we didn’t have a whole lot of extras. It was quite the treat and now we could watch all the “good stuff”.

Natty, my 1 1/2 year old at the time, was my little buddy, my best friend. We’d sit there together while Hailey napped and watch The Food Network as long as we were permitted to and uninterrupted. I remember getting all my cleaning done, running my errands, Dr.’s appointments, laundry etc. as early as possible so when the baby went down for a nap that was my time to sit in front of the TV with my note pad and pen and go to culinary school.

It was my passion and I wasn’t giving it up for anything, I made it work. I’d watch all my favorites, the greats, my mentors. I looked forward to it everyday and so did Nat, she’d pop up on my lap with her sippy cup in tow and pillow and snuggle up on the chair and watch it all with me.

Very attentive and completely entertained, she’d bring out her play pots and pans and plastic food and pretend to cook whatever they were cooking, it was adorable.

The line up of shows was amazing.

Everyday Italian with Giada de Laurentiis, 30 minute meals with Rachel Ray, Semi Homemade with Sandra Lee, BBQ with Bobby Flay and last but certainly not least, the Queen, Ina Garten The Barefoot Contessa. She was everything I wanted to be in the kitchen, she was relaxed, confident, creative and the best host to all of her friends. She sure knew how to throw a diner party, complete with appetizers, cocktails, dinner and dessert! Her table capes were simple, effortless yet so elegant.

She was the host of all hosts! I could only dream of it at the time. Never the less, I knew one day I’d get there, that I would someday be able to entertain like Ina and I’ve been working on it ever since. Looking back on those years brings tears to my eyes. I’ve got a knot in my throat as I type this.

It warms my heart and soul to remember the countless hours I spent taking notes and wishing I had the grocery budget to make some of those dishes at home. It’s truly humbling, nostalgic and beautiful. To this day, I have so much respect and admiration for Ina. I love everything about her approach to cooking and food in general. I love her story, on how she got her start and the ownership of the Barefoot Contessa Specialty Food Store.

The dream, the passion, the LOVE! It’s love, love for good ingredients, for the craft, the art of cooking and most of all brining people together for a good and delicious time.

One of the Recipes That I Always Wanted to Try

One of the recipes that I always wanted to try, but made me so nervous, was her roast chicken on a bed of roasted vegetables. I’m telling you she made it look so easy and she really had a way of making you feel like you could do anything- but I hesitated.

I was Scared

A whole chicken, oh I was scared. This could be a recipe for disaster. Will it be undercooked? Will it be too dry? It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started making this chicken and since then I’ve made it many times and it’s perfect every time. And I dare say that I even put my own twist on it.

I know it’s a pretty bold move. But I changed it a bit, I took the fundamentals of her recipe, and added few little tweaks of my own.

It’s one of those meals that my girls will ask for as soon as September rolls around. It’s a bit early in the season to start cranking up the oven, but as soon as the temperature drops about 15 degrees here, we Californias start cooking like it’s fall and winter. So why not get a head start on things.

A One Pan Masterpiece

This recipe is a one pan masterpiece because it’s simple, comforting and delicious. It’s perfectly browned skin makes for a beautiful presentation, great for entertaining or a wholesome and nutrition meal that you will feel good about serving to your family.

This juicy and flavorful chicken roasts on a bed of your favorite veggies and releases all of the flavors from the lemon and garlic butter onto those veggies as it cooks. It’s mouthwatering! It will fill your home with the most amazing aromas and give you all the warm and cozy feelings that we look forward to as the seasons change.

It’s nostalgic and heartwarming and a feel good meal, that you and your family will love.

Ina is Still the GOAT!

Fast forward 17 years, Ina is still the GOAT! She always will be my mentor, my inspiration, my teacher and my friend. As a young mom, I spent a lot of time alone at home, in those early years when I was still trying to figure it all out and she was my friend for those 30 minutes everyday.

Thank you Ina, for being there everyday and giving me the confidence to try new things, even if it seemed scary. In her wise words, “If it’s not scary, everyone else would do it.” — Ina Garten

So let’s do it! Let’s get in the kitchen, no matter what you’re cooking, make it with love.

How easy is that?

Double up on this recipe for the ultimate leftover makeover.

A good roasted chicken is one of the the very best left overs to have in your fridge. It’s a great base to so many recipes, it helps bring time consuming and labor-some meals together quickly and still taste like you’ve spent the whole day in the kitchen.

Repurpose Leftover Chicken

One of my favorite ways to repurpose leftover chicken is by taking the meat off the bones and chopping it up along with the left over veggies. I sauté both together along with freshly chopped celery, onions and carrots as the base for the filling of my chicken pot pie.

Another one of my must try recipes for the fall and winter months, (I’ll be sharing the recipe with you soon) it saves time and also has that rich and slow roasted flavor without spending hours in the kitchen. With a little extra prep and planning the next time you make a roasted chicken, it’s going to make your time in the kitchen so much easier. You’ll thank yourself later!

Busy Working Moms

I like to roast two chickens at the same time, in the same pan to not over complicate things, I usually serve one and save the other. Depending on what I plan to use it for, I let it cool and break it down and store it in the refrigerator or freezer. If I’ve got cooked chicken in the fridge, I can pull off a great meal in 30 minutes on most weeknights. And for a busy working mom that is exactly the kind of meals we need to be making. Delicious and fast!

Don’t Throw Anything Out

I use it all, I don’t throw anything out. I use the bones and scraps to make a hearty and rich homemade chicken stock that I also freeze in containers that I can conveniently pull it out of the freezer whenever I need it. I’m all about working smarter and not harder these days. Can’t we all use a little break?

I hope these tips help you make some great meals for your family, that are quick, easy, and delicious.

Happy eating, from my little kitchen, to yours!

Lemon Butter Roasted Chicken

BY ERICA GAMBOA

Beautifully brown and crispy chicken on the outside and juicy, tender and flavorful on the inside. This roasted chicken is stuffed with lemon, garlic and aromatics and covered in a lemon and garlic butter. It is then roasted on a bed of your favorite root vegetables. This dish is comforting and delicious. It’s the perfect one pan meal. Whether you’re having a casual dinner at home or entertaining, you can’t go wrong with this recipe for any occasion.

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SERVES: 6 | Difficulty: Easy

PREP TIME: 30 minutes | COOK TIME: 1 1/2 hours | REST TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 2 hrs. 20 minutes

Kitchen Tools:

Medium to large roasting pan Aluminum foil

Kitchen twine or Butchers twine

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, clean, pat dry and remove the giblets and discard.
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature.
2 whole lemons, washed and dried and zested.
1 bunch of fresh thyme
1 whole garlic
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 large white or yellow onions
4 large carrots, washed, peeled and cut into large pieces
4 red potatoes, washed and cut into quarters
4 celery stalks, washed and cut into large pieces
8 fresh Brussel sprouts, washed and cut in half
2 sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into large pieces.
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup of water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Chop one onion, all the carrots, potatoes, celery, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes into medium to large pieces, trying to keep everything the same size for even cooking.
Put them into the roasting pan, spread them evenly, creating a nice bed for the chicken to roast on.
Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and a light drizzle of olive oil is optional. *Remember the butter you will be making to spread on the chicken will have salt added. So start with a little, be mindful that you can always add but not take away.
Take a few sprigs of thyme and add those to the vegetables along with the bay leaves and set aside while you work on the lemon butter.

Making the Lemon Butter:

In a bowl, take the softened butter and give it a good stir to make sure it’s soft and spreadable.
Zest both lemons and add the zest to the butter. Reserve the lemons for later.
Take a few sprigs of thyme and remove the leaves and give them a rough chop, add them to the butter.
Do the same with the rosemary, take one sprig, remove the leaves and roughly chop. Add it to the butter.
Season the butter with 1 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt and 1 tsp of freshly ground pepper.
Mix until everything is incorporated well and the butter has a smooth and spreadable consistency.
Take the chicken and make sure it is dried well. You can use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry to make sure the skin is as dry as possible. This will make it easier for the butter to spread evenly onto the chicken and stick to it.
Take all of the butter and begin to massage the chicken. Get into all the crevices and also underneath the skin. Use all of the butter and cover the chicken as evenly as possible.
Take two fingers and gently apply pressure between the breast meat and skin, making a way for the butter to get in between the two layers. Be patient and gentle, do not break the skin. The goal is to keep the skin in tact so that it acts as a barrier, keeping all the juices in while it cooks.
Season the cavity of the chicken generously with salt and pepper, this important. As it cooks, it will release flavor into the meat of the chicken.

Stuffing the cavity with the aromatics:

Taking the two lemons you zested earlier, cut them in half and squeeze the juice into the cavity and place both lemons inside.
Take the remaining onion, cut it in half and place it inside the cavity.
Take the head of garlic and place it inside the cavity.
Take the remaining rosemary sprig and place that inside the cavity.
Now that the chicken is ready to roast, it’s time to truss the legs together.

Trussing the chicken:

Trussing the legs ensures they do not burn in the roasting process, bringing them close toward the body will ensure the chicken cooks evenly as well. This step is very important and not hard. Don’t be intimidated, you can do it. Truss is a fancy word for tie. If you can tie your shoes you can truss a chicken.
Use butcher or kitchen twine to tie the legs together at the drum stick. I highly recommend using a kitchen twine as other strings will not work, or they can burn or tear.
Last step, take the wings, fold and tuck them underneath the body so that the tips are not exposed and they will not burn.

Alternative for twine:

I also use foil, I make a long and thick ribbon of foil and wrap it around the legs tightly, in a number eight shape, in and out so I really secure them together. It works very well and is an item you probably already have in your kitchen.

Roasting the chicken:

Take the chicken and nestle it in the pan on top of the vegetables.
Pour a cup of water around the chicken onto the vegetables. Since the oven is set at a higher temperature this will give the vegetables a little head start in releasing their juices and ensure they do not burn or stick to the bottom.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours uncovered. The way to check if the chicken is done is if you take the leg and cut between the thigh and breast, if the juices run clear the chicken is done.
You can use a thermometer, the temperature of the chicken at the time you eat it should read a minimum of 165 degrees. This means that if you cook it past 165, you will most likely dry the chicken out. Taking the chicken out just under 165 will ensure you do not over cook it.
A cardinal rule to cooking any meat is to always let it rest. During the resting time, the temperature will continue to rise. Don’t be afraid to pull it out of the oven just under 165 degrees.

Resting the chicken:

Take the chicken out of the oven once you have checked for doneness and it is cooked through.
Place the chicken on a carving board and loosely tent the chicken with a piece of aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.
Carve after resting and serve with the roasted vegetables and accompanied with an additional side if you wish.

TIPS and Suggestions

It is my recommendation to take the chicken out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you prepare it so that it has time to acclimate to the rooms temperature.

Meal Accompaniment

I think a fresh green salad would be a great accompaniment for this, for a wholesome and satisfying meal.

Vegetables

While the chicken rests, put the veggies back in the oven, the vegetables get really golden brown and caramelized and they become even more delicious.

Nutrition Facts | Calories per serving – 1048

SERVINGS: 6