LEMON AND HERB ROAST CHICKEN (Paleo)
1 (4lb.) pastured chicken
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
HERB RUB
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves or 3 fresh sprigs
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 3 fresh sprigs
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
Dash of sea salt and ground pepper
HERB JUS (optional)
1 cup organic chicken stock
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. chopped rosemary
1 cup white wine (it has to be drinkable... not vinegar!)
* Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place oven rack on lower third of the oven.
* Rinse chicken in cold water, pat dry with paper towels.
* Combine Herb Rub ingredients in a small bowl. Rub it all over the chicken.
* On a rack in a roasting pan, place the chicken breast side down. Add onion, lemon and 1 cup of water to the pan. Roast for 30 minutes.
* Flip the chicken over (breast side up) and continue roasting for 50 more minutes or until juices run clear and meat thermometer registers 175-180 degrees when inserted into thickest part of the thigh.
* Remove from the oven. Tip chicken slightly to allow juices to run out of the cavity into the pan and transfer chicken to a cutting board. Allow to cool 10 mins. before carving.
* Herb Jus: Pour off excess fat from pan and place over medium heat. Whisk in chicken stock, garlic, rosemary and wine. Scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan, bring to a boil. Simmer and reduce stock by half.
Serve Herb Jus with carved chicken, a salad of mixed greens
and roasted or stir-fried vegetables. Enjoy!
Tip: We make two chickens and after dinner I pull on a pair of latex gloves and use my hands to remove meat from the bones. (* It is easier to de-bone when the carcass is still warm!) Store leftovers in a covered glass container... in the refrigerator for the next day's lunches and snacks.
Photograph found on google images. Photo credit to foodandwine.com
Recipe Credit: A well-tweaked combination of recipes from my kitchen, my mother and Emeril Lagasse