Roasted Chicken for Dummies

Having been a pescartarian for eight years, I must admit I was terrified when my Chef instructor threw a raw chicken at me and told me to do the eight way (chicken broken down to the breast, wing, leg, etc.) I hardly knew the butt from the head let alone how to cut it up. I have since become a little better but I must admit my eye twitches ever so slightly when raw chicken is mentioned, I learned how to make simple and non intimidating recipes, even to the most novice of cooks. While a whole chicken can be intimidating, I find it's a lot easier to break down once cooked (plus, it looks impressive). This is one of those recipes where you just cut up everything and throw it into a pot, let it bake and that's when the magic happens!

Roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
salt and pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves
1 lemon, cut in half
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
4 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, quartered
5 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
Olive oil

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.Remove the chicken giblets (some have them and some do not, usually they come in a bag). Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with both halves of lemon and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt, pepper, thyme, and then add bay leaves. Place the onions, carrots in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

3.Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh or until a thermometer inserted into the breast reads 165 degrees F. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

How to properly slice a chicken