Family Favorite Roasted Chicken Recipes

THE BEST ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.
• Loosen skin on chicken breast; rub butter mixture between skin and breast meat. Press on the skin to distribute evenly. Rub oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper all over; place lemon halves inside cavity. Set in a baking pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven, basting after 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest before carving, about 15 minutes.

FAMILY FAVORITE ROASTED CHICKEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Use the tip of a sharp knife to separate the chicken skin from the meat in the chicken breast and tops of the legs. Sprinkle chicken both inside and out with the pepper and salt. Place in 13x9-inch baking dish.
• Grate the lemon; mix the peel with cream cheese and Italian seasoning. Use a small spoon or your fingers to carefully stuff the cream cheese mixture under the chicken skin, pushing the cream cheese mixture carefully toward the legs, being careful to not tear the skin.
• Cut the lemon in half; squeeze both halves into small bowl. Add dressing; beat with wire wire whisk until well blended. Drizzle evenly over chicken. Place the squeezed lemon halves inside the chicken cavity. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer into thickest part of 1 of the chicken's thighs.
• Bake 1 hour 30 min. or until chicken is no longer pink in center (165°F), basting occasionally with the pan juices.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken giblets. 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 the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
• Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Bring the chicken to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Pat the skin dry with paper towels. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.
• Heat the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Stir in the rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Brush the herb butter all over the chicken; season generously with salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips under the body and tie the drumsticks together using kitchen twine.
• Stir the onion and carrots into any remaining herb butter in the skillet; set the chicken on top, breast-side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the skin is golden and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165˚ F, 60 to 75 minutes. (Tent the chicken with foil if it is browning too quickly.)
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, pouring any juices from the cavity back into the skillet. Let rest 20 minutes, then carve. Serve the chicken with the vegetables and pan juices.

ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Use fingers or end of wooden spoon to separate skin from meat on both sides of chicken, being careful not to tear the skin.
• Brush bottom of chicken with 1/4 cup dressing. Tuck wings under chicken; place, breast-side up, on rack in roasting pan. Brush or pour 1/2 cup of the remaining dressing under the skin and on outside surface of chicken. Combine carrots, celery and remaining dressing; spoon into chicken cavity.
• Bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until chicken is done (165°F). Let stand 10 min. before serving. Meanwhile, remove and discard vegetables from chicken cavity.

KIDS' FAVORITE ROASTED CHICKEN WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix the butter, garlic, and thyme in a bowl with a spoon until soft.
• 2. Carefully, using your fingers, peel the skin away from the chicken breast and rub the butter mixture under the skin. Rub the outside of the skin with the canola oil and season with the salt and pepper.
• 3. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 1 hour. Remove, take the chicken out of the roasting pan, and let it rest on a plate while you make the gravy.
• 4. Put the roasting pan on a burner over low heat, sprinkle in the flour, and stir to incorporate any liquid in the pan.
• 5. Gradually add the chicken stock, stirring constantly. Transfer the gravy into a small pot, and simmer over low heat until it has the preferred consistency.
• 6. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and strain the gravy through a fine mesh sieve before pouring it onto the chicken (which will have released some juice onto the plate by now).