Favorite roasted chicken

It has been so long since I have posted any recipes! I love keeping this little blog as a way to share recipes I like with my friends, and also because I often find myself referencing it at dinner time to look up a recipe I'm making, so it's a great way to keep record of them. I have several recipes I've been meaning to post, so hopefully they will all make their way onto here soon.

I made this roasted chicken recipe several weeks back, and absolutely loved it. I have made other chicken recipes that have been good, but I'm always wishing they had a little more flavor. So far, this is my favorite roasted chicken recipe because I love the amount of flavor in it. I have also started using sweet potatoes in addition to or even instead of regular potatoes, and they might be my favorite part of the entire dish. I love the sweet flavor of the potato combined with the savory flavors from the chicken and seasonings. I am so happy with this chicken that it will definitely be my go-to recipe from now on, so I wanted to share it. Roasted chicken is nice in that it is so adaptable to personal taste and doesn't require exact amounts of things. I tend to use a lot of seasoning so that it has flavor and I also try to get as much seasoning underneath the skin as I can.  My measurements are not exact, just approximate amounts. I made it again last night and had to share it, so here is the recipe!

Roasted chicken

I N G R E D I E N T S :

1 3 lb pound whole chicken, giblets removed

5 cloves garlic, 4 whole and one minced

Juice of one lemon plus 1 other whole lemon, cut in half

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3 pieces each (you can add more if you have room)

2-3 sweet potatoes and one regular potato if you wish, peeled and sliced into half-inch slices

Salt

Pepper

Thyme (I use powder)

Parsley (I used dried)

Paprika

White wine (or white cooking wine-what I used)

D I R E C T I O N S :

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut onion into several large chunks and place on the bottom of a 9x12 pan.

Melt butter and combine with olive oil and the juice of one lemon.

Remove any giblets and stuff cavity with 4 cloves of garlic and 1-2 halves of the other lemon, plus a small amount of the butter/oil/lemon combination.

Place the whole chicken on top of the onion. If you wish, tie legs with kitchen twine and tuck wings underneath the body of the chicken.

Make a spice rub with the salt, pepper, minced garlic, thyme, and parsley. I do not use exact amounts but if I had to guess, I would say I used around 1/2 Tbsp. each salt and pepper and then generously sprinkled in the thyme, parsley and minced garlic. Add a small amount of oil or butter to the rub to make a paste, and rub generously over entire chicken. I try to lift up as much skin as I can to rub it underneath so that the actual meat has flavor and not just the skin.

Place carrot and potato slices around chicken.

Drizzle oil/butter/lemon mixture and a little bit of cooking wine over chicken and vegetables.

Lightly season entire dish with a little more salt, pepper, parsley and some paprika before placing in the oven.

Cook on 375 for 1 1/2-2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure the skin isn't getting too brown.

If it is, tent it with foil. You might also want to turn the potatoes or spoon some of the liquid over them mid-way during the cooking so they don't get dried out on one side.

Cook until juices run clear and making sure the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F.