Let lemon, thyme, fresh pepper and fennel fill the kitchen! A good roast chicken is one of those heartwarming meals that gathers the room by its aroma alone. And when it comes to roasting a chicken, we turn to Ina Garten for the simplicity and flavor her meals bring to the table. Home cooking is second nature to Ina, and this is her Perfect Roast Chicken recipe.
Make this savory roast a staple in your autumn days. Refrigerate or freeze the bones to make a delicious chicken stock later.
Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Chicken
Time: 2h 10 mins
Ingredients
- 1 roasting chicken, 5 to 6 pounds
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
- 2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter, melted
- 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
- 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
- Olive oil
Directions:
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Step 2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry.
Step 3. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with a bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic.
Step 4. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.
Step 5. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
Step 6. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
Step 7. Roast the chicken for 1½ hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
Step 8. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve with the vegetables.
Follow along with Ina to make this recipe from scratch—watch the full video from the Food Network here!
