Simple Lemon Chicken

Roasting a chicken is such a simple and delicious dinner, that I can be helping with homework, playing with our dog, making the side dishes, or just hanging out while it's cooking.  It's not an exact science, it comes out different every time, depending on what's around the kitchen... don't worry it's easy... oh, but one thing for sure... you do need a LEMON... and buy a good quality chicken most of all!

olive oil,  herbs, garlic (not shown), kosher salt, pepper, lemon zest, and whole lemon

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees (the skin gets crispy and the chicken stays juicy). Then chop your fresh herbs, in this case I had flat leaf parsley, but I only had dried oregano, so use less and crush it in your hands before adding it to the oil.  You can also use thyme, rosemary (not too much it's strong), basil, etc.  Add a clove of garlic with a press, zest of one lemon, grate it both course and fine ( this lemon will also go in the cavity of the chicken), and salt and pepper to taste.  Coat the chicken with the mixture,  then place the lemon all the way inside the chicken (photo shows it halfway).  A 3 to 4 pounder will take about an hour to cook, a 5 to 6 pounder will take about an hour and a half.  Of course make sure the juices run clear  before eating, but you can usually tell by the color of the chicken, and when the legs move without any resistance.

chicken on my roasting pan, prepped for cooking

When you're finished cooking let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes before carving... make sure it's on a carving board with a ridge around it... since those fragrant juices will likely run out of the chicken on to the counter and down to the floor if you're not careful!

You can serve it with rice, couscous, and some veggies that you roasted separately in the oven along with the chicken... that's makes it easy!

I love the leftovers, if there are any, (although usually not in our house)... because you can really taste the flavors even more the next day!