Perfect Roast Chicken

A roast chicken not only tastes amazing but it makes your house smell heavenly. I think I roast chickens mostly for the mouth-wateringly delicious odors that fill the kitchen actually. A friend made a roast chicken for me after the birth of my second and I’ve since made it for many of my friends. This recipe is from Ina Garten, who in my opinion can do no wrong. There is a reason it is called PERFECT Roast Chicken because rest assured, this recipe will NOT disappoint! Bonus? Leftovers for lunches and lots to repurpose for soups and salads – one of the many meal prep tips and tricks I share in my monthly challenge groups!

Ingredients:

1 (5-6lb) roasting chicken Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 10-15 sprigs 1 lemon, halved 1 head garlic, halved 1/4 stick butter, melted 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks 1 bulb fennel, tops removed, cut into wedges 1 sweet potato, cut into 1-inch chunks Olive oil

* Feel free to add any other vegetables you may have floating around your house to make this a one-pot meal. This one I made with the addition of halved brussels sprouts.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out 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 both halves of 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.
Place the onions, carrots, fennel and sweet potato in the roasting pan.
Toss with salt, pepper, several sprigs of thyme and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place chicken on top.
Roast 90 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with foil for about 20 minutes.
Serve and enjoy with the vegetables! A side of rice or a simple green salad would go nicely with this as well.