Week two of healthy eating! This one is really going to knock your socks off! It would have knocked mine off if I was wearing socks. Roasted Garlic, Lemon and Thyme Whole Chicken! So good, so good for you and so garlicky and juicy in the best possible way!
I don’t know about you, but I love a good whole roasted chicken. I would pick one up from Whole Foods and use for dinner or use in other recipes. But the results weren’t always consistent. Sometimes too dry and not much flavor. Well, I certainly fixed that with this winner, winner, whole roasted chicken dinner. Not to toot my own horn, but oh well, toot, toot. This is one of the best roasted chickens I have ever had. That’s right ever had!
This the first time I have made this at home, and it is really easy and so simple! Just a little prep involved but that too is so easy. Just like you brine a turkey you brine a whole chicken. Makes for an unbelievably juicy and moist bird! Now don’t get spooked by the brine. It’s a dry brine and is the only brine I use. Just salt and baking powder. The addition of the baking powder helps to brown and crisp your skin, so good! For this recipe, I used lemon zest and fresh thyme leaves as well. The only thing is you have to plan ahead because you are going to want to let it salt brine sit at least overnight. I let mine sit in the fridge for two nights. Can go up to three. It really is essential to let the salt do its magic to that meat! Also, no messing with a big ole’ tub of water brine taking up and making a mess in your fridge.
Again, this is really easy, and anyone can do this at home. I didn’t even roast the garlic I used for the rub. I found this great product by Gourmet Garden that is a squeeze tube of roasted garlic, does the work for you and brings all the flavor. This is my little secret weapon that makes this bird so flavorful and garlicky delicious. If you don’t like garlic, well are you even human? Any who, this goes in-between the meat and the skin. It’s a dirty job but hey, somebody’s gotta do it. No, it’s not that bad. Just get your hands a little dirty, but hey, that is what soap and water is for. It is essential in this recipe. You will thank me later. Then you liberally add the salt brine to the skin. Then pop that baby in the fridge sitting in the roasting pan uncovered or lightly covered with cheese cloth and let it do its work.
Then before going into the oven you schmear the garlic, thyme and lemon zest compound butter all over that skin. So, even more flavor seeping in and helping to brown that skin. Last, shove that bird with halved lemon, garlic and more thyme. Pop in the oven and bake. In about an hour and half you will have the best roasted chicken you have ever eaten!
Perfectly browned crispy skin!
Talk about nice breasts…chicken breasts that is! 😉 So juicy!
The weather outside is frightful, rain, sleet and snow. But, throw on your galoshes, hat, scarf and gloves and go pick up that whole raw chicken and you will have a flavorful, juicy, comforting Sunday Supper so you don’t have to leave the house again this weekend! Make sure you pick up that bottle of wine, or two while you’re out! Put on your sweatpants and snuggy and be prepared to have your socks knocked off…or snuggy!
Happy Weekending and Whole Roasting It!
Diane
- Meat thermometer
- Kitchen twine
- 1 whole fresh Chicken 3.50 to 4lb
- 2 tbsp. Gourmet Garden roasted garlic paste
- 2 lemons halved
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- 2 heads of garlic tops cut off
- Bunch of fresh thyme
- 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
- For the Dry Brine:
- 3 tbsp. kosher fine salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- For the Compound Butter:
- 4 tbsp. unsalted grass-fed butter room temp
- 1 garlic clove grated or minced
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- Dry Brine the Chicken:
- Gently loosen the skin from the meat trying not tear. Using your hands rub the garlic paste between the skin and the meat all over the chicken.
- Mix the dry brine ingredients together in a small bowl. Place the chicken in the roasting pan on rack. Tie the legs together with the twine. Generously rub the salt brine all over the chicken. Place in the fridge uncovered or loosely covered with cheese cloth for at least overnight up to three nights.
- Roast the Chicken:
- Removed brined chicken from the fridge and let sit at room temp for half hour. Place the oven rack at the bottom third of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Make the compound butter by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Rub generously all over entire chicken.
- Stuff half a lemon, a quarter onion, garlic head with top cut off and some fresh thyme into the cavity of the chicken. Place the rest of the onions, garlic and lemons around the chicken. Pour the two cups of water around the chicken in the roasting pan. If you have a meat thermometer that can go in the oven, stick the chicken in the thickest part of the breast. Set your thermometer timer to 160 degrees.
- Bake the chicken at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees. Continue to bake the chicken for another hour to hour and 15 depending on the size. Start checking at 50 minutes if you don't have timer on your thermometer. If the skin is getting too dark, you can loosely tent with foil.
- Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook to bring the temp up to 165 degrees.
- Slice and serve
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Enjoy!
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