Today is another day that is full of good things. Some of those good things have us on the road a bit, so dinner must be prepped ahead of time so it can be put on the table shortly after we arrive home at 7:00 pm. I am willing to work ahead like this because it is so important to us to share healthy meals together around the table each night as much as possible. This Lemony Roast Chicken is a perfect make ahead component to our meal. Another nice thing about this chicken is that it will also be used in at least one more meal this week. Score!
Ingredients:
1 5-6 pound chicken (mine is organic)
1 lemon, in small pieces
1 onion, quartered
3 cups celery leaves
2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning (Penzey’s Spice Blend)
Instructions:
First, wash your chicken, pat it dry and set it aside in a baking dish.
Then, cut your onion and lemon and place your seasoning into a small bowl in order to keep your seasoning bottle and it’s contents free from raw chicken.
Next, place your celery leaves into the front of the pan so you can keep your containers free from raw chicken (do you sense a theme here…keep the raw chicken contained :)).
Now, squeeze your lemon over the chicken and it is time to stuff your chicken. You will want to stuff the front and back with the squeezed lemon wedges, onion and celery leaves. Whatever remains, place around the chicken for roasting.
My butcher, at our local Whole Food’s Market makes a little slit in the skin near the leg. This is great for tucking both legs into so they cook evenly. This would be easy to duplicate at home.
Now it is time to roast your chicken at 375 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of your chicken. I have also found that organic chickens cook a bit faster as well. I checked mine after one hour.
It looked great, but when I cut into the leg joint, it was still a little raw.
I placed it back into the oven with a foil tent over it. I wanted it covered so it didn’t brown any further, but I didn’t want it to steam and soften the skin.
Here it is a half an hour later. It is perfect! Here is a shot of the leg joint…all cooked!
And, the final product…
We are off to co-op classes for my daughter. Thankfully, this chicken will be waiting for us when we return home. It will be joined by butternut squash and smashed sweet potatoes. Another busy day conquered.
