So you want to roast a chicken….

Sounds easy, right? But consult the bazillion internet recipes, cooking shows, and cookbooks out there, and you are confronted with a bazillion “right” ways to do it. With all this conflicting information,when all you wanna do is roast a chicken, what’s a girl to do? Well, never fear, for My Husband Hates Veggies is here to help you, every step of the way.

Through the miracle of modern science, our crack team of chef’s and interweb wizards have sweated and slaved over thousands of roast chicken recipes and combined them in a glorious hodge podge that is the ultimate recipe for the juiciest, crispiest roast chicken ever. Ever!!!

Kitty’s Roasted Chicken & Potatoes 

1 3lb organic, free range roaster (look for one with dry, white skin)
1 large lemon
10 garlic cloves, skin still on (garlic is optional)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
plenty of kosher salt & fresh pepper
olive oil
 1.5 lbs baby yukon gold potatoes (sometimes called creamers)

Step 1: If you have time, prep your chicken a few hours ahead of time (or even over night) by patting it down with paper towels, and covering it liberally with kosher salt.  Really massage it in, inside the cavity as well.  This will act like a brine to the chicken, and will also pull moisture out, which will result in crispy skin.  (PS:  Make sure to remove all the giblets and neck pieces in the cavity before you do anything!)

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 425F.  Slice the potatoes in half if large, leave whole if small.  Add them all to a large pot and cover with cold water.  Add the lemon and the garlic cloves to the same pot, and set to boil.  Once boiling, add salt to the water.

Step 3: Get your chicken ready by wiping it off with paper towels.  Try to dry the skin as much as possible.  Leave it to wait for you in a roasting pan while you check the potatoes.  Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain everything.  Add the potatoes back to the hot pot you cooked them in to dry off.  Take the lemon (careful, it’s hot), and pierce it with the tip of a sharp kinfe 8 – 10 times.  Stuff the lemon inside the cavity of the bird, along with the hot garlic cloves, and the thyme. This step is going to result in the most juicy and flavorful roast chicken you can imagine.  Tuck the wings under the chicken.  You could tie the legs, but I prefer mine the way you see pictured.  Now drizzle the bird with olive oil, and rub it all over, even the bottom.  Then, rub kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper all over the bird. Cook breast side up.

Step 4: Pop the tray into the preheated oven.  After 30 minutes, remove the tray.  Take a note of how ridiculously good your kitchen already smells.  Lower the oven temp to 375F.

Step 5: Give the cooled potatoes a rough stir in their pot, and add them to the roasting pan.  Stir them around in the hot fat and juices that have accumulated, so none are dry.  Position the potatoes cut side down.  Return the tray to the oven.

Step 6: Allow to cook and fill your house with delicious aromas for another 45 minutes.  Until this time is up – DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN!  Seriously!  Don’t baste it, it’s not necessary.  That lemon is keeping the bird seriously juicified, and don’t you want crispy skin?

Step 7: The chicken is done when juices run clear, or a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 180F.  Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving, and be sure to remove everything from the cavity…carefully, of course, because it will be steaming hot.  You may want to give the potatoes a stir, cause they are probably still sizzling in the hot fat.  Speaking of the potatoes, take a gander here at how deliciously crispy they are.  Sprinkle them liberally with kosher salt while they are still hot.  If you cooked the garlic, squeeze it out of its skin onto the potatoes.

And that’s it!  We have just shown you the surefire way to make the yummiest roast chicken ever.  Ever!!

We here at My Husband Hates Veggies would like to thank so many people for their contributions to this project…Mr. Jamie Oliver, The lovely Barefoot Contessa, That Williams Sonoma guide that taught us how to make a Thanksgiving turkey, Murray’s chickens for making such a dependable product, Kitty’s Mom for cooking us those great cornish hens, and of course, Kitty’s husband, for happily gobbling up each chicken she put in front of him.