Herb Roasted Chicken
This roasted chicken was by far the best chicken I've made to date. The meat was juicy and tender and the skin was perfectly crisp. By standing the bird upright, it was allowed to cook evenly and came out absolutely delicious! The Roasted Parsley Potatoes were the perfect side dish.
A lot of recipes use butter for this, but I have always used olive oil or bacon fat when I have it. Of course the olive oil is better, health wise, but you can't beat the taste you get from bacon fat! The combination of fresh herbs, spices and olive oil stuffed under the skin, will flavor the chicken the entire time its roasting.
Rosemary and thyme are classic flavors paired with roasted chicken and compliment the roasted meat nicely. Finely chop the herbs and toss them in with some olive oil.
Spices add flavor to every dish, here I'm using House Blend and Rainbow Lemon Pepper. This is what is going under the skin of the chicken. Mix in about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of each into the herb/oil mixture and set aside while you prepare the chicken.
This is my least favorite part. Separate the skin from the breast and leg area by using your fingers, being careful not to rip the skin.
It was hard getting a picture of this! Take the herb/spice mixture and spread it up under the skin. Try to get it up and all over the breast and leg areas.
Check out my new kitchen gadget, OK, it's really my husbands new BBQ gadget, so I'm borrowing it :) Since my master BBQ'er is still at work, I have to fend for myself and have decided to use the oven for this roasted chicken. If you don't have something like this, you can also use a can (if you've ever heard of beer can chicken, this is sort of like that).
Onto the stand our little bird goes. Can you see all the herbs under the skin?
Brush the outside with the remaining olive oil/herb mix.
SplenDishes Rosemary Lemon Salt is the perfect salt blend for the skin on this roasted chicken. Can you see the lemon zest and fresh rosemary in there? It smells divine too! Sprinkle this over the entire chicken. You'll need to put some in your hand and then use your other hand to sort of cake it on, so it gets all over the chicken.
And a little more Rainbow Lemon Pepper for the outside too. By caking these spices on the skin, it will create a crispy crust, which will be very hard to resist pulling off as soon as you pull this chicken out!
OK, the prep is done and our little friend is ready for roasting.
Roast in a 400 degree(f) oven for about an hour and 15-30 minutes or until juices run clear. This was about a 5'ish pound bird and it took just under an hour and a half. Internal temperature should read 180 degrees when inserted in between the leg and thigh.
45 minutes prior to finish, I put some chopped red potatoes in with the chicken. Tossed with a little butter and fresh parsley, these Roasted Parsley Potatoes were crispy and golden on the outside and tender and buttery on the inside. Delish! Once the chicken is done, remove from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes so the juices can settle back into the meat, then carve away!
The skin was deliciously crisp and the meat was juicy and tender. This roasted chicken was amazing!
RECIPE
HERB ROASTED CHICKEN
| Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Cook Time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes | Difficulty: Medium | Servings: 4 |
Ingredients:
- 4-5 pound whole chicken
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- SplenDishes House Blend
- SplenDishes Rainbow Lemon Pepper
- SplenDishes Rosemary Lemon Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees(f).
Combine olive oil, fresh herbs and about 1/2 teaspoon each of House Blend and Rainbow Lemon Pepper.
To prep chicken, separate skin from breast and leg. Spread herb mixture up under the skin covering the breast and legs.
Set chicken on roasting stand. Brush with olive oil and season whole bird with Rosemary Lemon Salt and Rainbow Lemon Pepper.
Roast bird for an hour and 15-30 minutes or until juices run clear. If you're roasting potatoes with this, then add to pan after the first 45 minutes of roasting and continuing roasting until potatoes are fork tender.
Let chicken rest for about 10 minutes, then carve and serve with Roasted Parsley Potatoes.
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