Roasted Chicken

This was my first time roasting a whole chicken so I was grateful my husband was around to help a little since he's done this before. His dad was a butcher so he knows all about meat and how to cook them. This recipe had good flavor and was pretty easy to make.

From HHM: Whole Chicken, Farmers Choice Salad Mix, Arugula, Fresh Pea Tendrils, and Feta. The vegetables all came in my CSA bag.

Roasted Chicken

Prep: 20 minutes plus overnight chilling

Cook: 50-60 minutes

Cool: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature

Finely grated zest of 1 lime (reserve the lime)

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

One 3-pound whole chicken

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 garlic heads, halved crosswise

Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. The night before roasting, in a small bowl, mix together the butter, lime zest, basil, and pepper

2. Place the chicken breast side up in a CorningWare dish. Gently loosen the skin and separate it from the meat. Make sure not to puncture or tear the skin. Tuck the butter mixture under the skin, press the skin back in place, and rub to spread the butter evenly over the meat.

3. Cut the reserved zest lime in half and tuck it inside the cavity. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the top and sides of the chicken. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

5. Roast the chicken in a CorningWare dish. When you put the chicken in the oven, make sure the breast faces the back of the oven and the legs will face forward.

6. Rub garlic halves all over with olive oil and arrange them cut side down around the chicken.

7. Roast for 45 minutes, then brush or spoon the pan juices over the chicken. Continue roasting until meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F.

8. If the skin on top is golden brown, move chicken to top rack and broil on high. Be sure to watch the chicken closely.

9. Let the chicken rest for at least 8 minutes before carving. You can serve the garlic heads alongside the chicken. Be sure to squeeze the garlic on top of chicken.

Recipe adapted from Magnolia Table