Roast rosemary and lemon chicken
I had the same idea as Paul and Mike did this weekend, it seems. There was a free-range roasting chicken from Trader Joe’s in my freezer, sized just over two kilos, that I wanted to make. I didn’t want to take a lot of hassle with it, and the good news is that roast chicken is never much hassle. The worst part is having to wash your hands sixteen times in the process of rinsing, drying, seasoning, and rubbing the chicken with butter and herbs.
I squeezed fresh lemon juice all over mine, inserting the lemon wedges into the cavity, then seasoned it with with salt and pepper. Next came the butter rub, followed by a mixture of olive oil and rosemary. I was tempted to rub it with garlic as well, but knew it would burn at the high temperature at which I was about to roast it: 500°F/260°C. The bird went in for ten minutes per pound at this temperature, which gave it a nice, dark, crispy skin. I allowed it to rest for ten minutes before carving.
This was exactly what I was after, and will provide several meals over the next few days. So far I’ve had it simply, twice with Grey Poupon alongside and once sprinkled with tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) and Tabasco. I predict a bacon-y future for the rest…