Roast Chicken

I always hesitate to roast a chicken and Steven always hesitates before a meek "sounds good".  But I have no idea why - its cheap, easy, and the oven version of a one pot meal. Although I have never made a bad one, I haven't made a great on either. Until now.

And yes, its a little 'icky' dealing with a whole raw chicken but getting a big batch of homemade chicken broth is worth it.

Roast Chicken
Adapted from Dinner: A Love Story

• 6 red potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks
• 3 carrots, cut into bite sized chunks
• 1 whole roasting chicken, 4 pounds, giblets removed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 lemon, pricked with a knife
• 1 small bunch of fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 425F. Spray a 9 by 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray.  Arrange the potatoes and carrots in the dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry. Brush the chicken with butter then sprinkles with lots of salt and pepper.  Stuff the chicken with thyme and the lemon. 

Take the vegetables out of the oven and place the chicken breast side up on top of the vegetables.  Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes until a temperature of 165F is reached.