Easy Roast Chicken Recipe

I have been using variations of Glamour Magazine’s infamous “Engagement Chicken” recipe for a while now, with consistently good results.

In full disclosure, I was engaged before I ever starting making the chicken, so I don’t know how well the recipe works on the romantic front, but for a relatively no-fuss, juicy, tender chicken, the recipe is easy and great for experimentation.  Where the original recipe calls for lemons and lemon juice, I have substituted oranges, apples, and their juices, for an equally tasty chicken.  My quick preparation synopsis:

• Preheat over to 450 F.  Place roasting pan in oven to heat.
• Clean the giblets out of a whole chicken, rinse the bird inside and out with cold water, let drain in a colander for a few minutes, then pat dry (inside and out.)
• Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper inside the bird’s cavity, then add a couple sprigs fresh rosemary and thyme, chopped onion, garlic, and enough fruit (apples, oranges, lemons, or limes, for example) to fill the cavity.  Close the cavity of possible (kitchen twine, toothpicks…if not, just be careful not to let everything spill out when placing the bird in the roasting pan.)
• OPTION 1 (faster method): Rub olive oil all over the outside of the bird, liberally salt and pepper.

–OR–

• OPTION 2 (fancier method): Carefully use a knife to create some space between the chicken skin and flesh. Rub garlic butter between the skin and flesh, then gingerly place a few sprigs of fresh herbs under the skin. Pat gently, coat the outside of the bird with olive oil, and add a generous amount of salt and pepper.
• Remove the roasting pan from the oven, splash a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom, then carefully place the chicken breast side down in the pan.
• Place in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the skin begins to slightly brown.
• Remove from oven, flip bird over so that breast side is up, then fill remaining space in pan with fruit, onions and garlic.  Be sure to squeeze the fruit juice over the bird (if possible).  Also, drizzle about a cup of juice over the bird.  Cover with foil, return to the oven, and cook at 350 for about 45 minutes.
• Remove the bird from the oven, take temperature with meat thermometer, spoon juice over the bird, and return to oven as needed (the juices should run clear.)  Remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to brown the bird.  Remove from oven when done, and let sit for a few minutes before carving.

Since it was a chilly evening here, and I was feeling particularly decadent, I served the chicken with Cheddar-Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes and Carrots with Ginger and Maple Syrup.  Comfort food!

 

The original recipe: Glamour Magazine: How to Make “Engagement Chicken”