There truly is nothing that impresses dinner guests more than an absolutely tender, perfectly browned, juicy and moist roast chicken. The funny thing is that it is one of those things that is so incredibly easy to make, and requires minimal effort yet makes your guests believe that you spent hours toiling away in the kitchen to serve them this bird. I also feel that it is something people are hesitant to tackle, whether because taking on a whole chicken is a daunting task, or because it takes time, or simply because most are unaware of the straightforward process of cooking one of these things. This is where I come in – demystifying the process and providing clear, easy-to-follow steps to recreate Emmy’s perfect roast chicken for your future dinner parties!
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
One whole medium sized bird
One head of garlic
One lemon
One pack of fresh thyme
Three tablespoons of unsalted butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
STEP ONE: remove the packaging from your chicken. Remove and dispose of any insides of the chicken (sometimes there are, sometimes there aren’t). This sounds gross but I promise you its not that bad.
STEP TWO: rinse the chicken under water then pat dry with paper towels. Put it in a roasting dish.
STEP THREE: chop up both the lemon and head of garlic into quarters.
STEP FOUR: melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter in the microwave. You want it to be a fully pourable liquid.
STEP FIVE: assemble the chicken – stuff the insides of the chicken with the lemon, garlic, and fresh thyme leaves. You want it to be fully stuffed. Close up the chicken tightly (sometimes possible, sometimes not). Pour the butter all over the raw chicken (do not miss any spots as this is what allows the chicken to perfectly brown). Salt and pepper the entire chicken generously.
STEP SIX: roast that baby. Stick the chicken in the oven (uncovered) for exactly 1 hour 15 minutes (this is a sure-fire time that I have tried and tested – unless your chicken is obscenely large or excessively small, this timing will do the trick and you have no need for a meat thermometer or to hack up the beautiful skin with a knife in an attempt to check readiness).
THEN: VOILA! Remove the chicken from the oven, set it in front of your guests, and enjoy! The chicken does not need to rest – feel free to carve immediately.
SERVING SUGGESTION: I suggest serving your chicken with Emmy’s pistachio pesto – trust me – one bite of chicken with this pesto is the most perfect pairing of creaminess and crunchiness. I truly believe they were made for each other!
