I have to say, I was pretty proud of this one. A roasted whole chicken with roasted carrots and onions. I generally feel intimidated by cooking whole chickens, but with the help of the New York Times Cooking: Salt & Pepper Roast Chicken recipe by Melissa Clark, I nailed it this time.
It is a super simple recipe. For those who don't have a subscription to New York Time Cooking (where go watch the beautiful video of the process), this is what you need to know.
Ingredients:
Whole Chicken (3.5 pounds)
Salt
Pepper
A bunch of herbs (ie. Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage)
Pat the chicken dry then salt and pepper it. Melissa's recipe calls for about 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper. I didn't measure, I just went to town and gave the whole bird a generous coat. Next you stuff the cavity with herbs and tie the legs together. I only had fresh rosemary in the fridge so that is what I used, plus some crushed garlic cloves.
Next cook in ovenproof skillet (my cast iron is the MVP of this recipe) cook the chicken at 450 in the oven for about 50 minutes. Baste it at the 50 minute mark. Then throw it back in a cook until the juices run clear. Let stand for around 10 minutes and then you are ready to feast.
The original recipe instructs you to cook the bird solo in the pan. I was feeling fancy so I decided to throw in some carrots and onions for company. They were delicious but a portion of the veggies were a bit over cooked. So I will cook them separate next time around.
