Roasted Whole Chicken

Wow! I had never cooked a whole chicken before. Do not shy away from cooking this chicken, it's huge I know, but it's EASY! A whole organic free-range chicken for just $10. It does not get any better than that...oh wait..it does! My friend, this chicken is the most moist delicious chicken I ever had, and I made it!  My boyfriend is requesting me to make this once a week, but I think it's way too much chicken for us. Next time, I will freeze the rest and you can use left over chicken to make tacos, soups, sandwiches, enchiladas, salads, fried rice, the ideas are endless . Please please try this. You will not be disappointed.

• 4 lb Organic free-range brine chicken (without giblets)
• 1/4 cup soften butter
• 1 lemon juice (1/4 cup) and zest (about 1-2 tsp lemon zest)
• 1/3 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup onion powder
• 3 TBSP pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 onion. chopped into 4 cubes

Preheat the oven at 220°C – 425°F.Have your ingredients ready. Soften the butter in the microwave and then add the lemon zest in the butter. Mix all the dry ingredients from garlic powder to the thyme.

 

 Place the chicken in a roasting pan and the chopped onions around the chicken.Take a butter knife and slide it underneath the skin from the chicken breast, we are loosely seperating the breast meat and the skin. Apply the butter generously underneath the skin (between the breast meat and skin), then apply it all around the chicken, and then apply the dry ingredients all over the chicken. Lastly, pour the lemon juice all over the chicken.

 

Roast in a preheated oven at 220°C – 425°F for the first 15 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 180°C – 350°F and roast for a further 12-15 minutes per 450 grams – 1 pound. Your chicken will be ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F – 84°C (or when the juices run clear when you pierce the chicken between the leg and thigh).

Let it rest for approximately 30 minutes covered loosely in foil before serving it.