Roasted Chicken

Step 1

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 425°F. Remove the chicken from its packaging.

Step 2

Remove the innards.

Step 3

Dry the chicken thoroughly inside and out with paper towels.

Step 4

Dry brine the chicken by rubbing salt on it, inside and out. Use 1 teaspoon of kosher salt or coarse sea salt per pound of meat. Or 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt or iodized salt per pound of meat. Let it rest uncovered in your fridge for at least an hour but preferably overnight.

Step 5

Chop the vegetables. Quarter an onion, slice the carrots, and quarter the potatoes. Add them to a roasting pan.

Step 6

Add the dried rosemary to the softened butter and mix thoroughly.

Step 7

Place the chicken on a rack over the vegetables and pat it dry again. Cover the chicken inside and out with butter. Work your way under the skin on the breast and add butter there too.

Step 8

Quarter a lemon and slice through the top of a bulb of garlic.

Step 9

Add the garlic and the lemon into the cavity of the chicken.

Step 10

Roast your chicken at 425°F for about 20 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the breast reads 160°F and inserted into the thigh it reads 170°F. Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a serving platter. Let it rest for at least ten minutes before carving it.

Step 11

Stir the vegetables in the bottom of the pan to cover them with the chicken jus. Serve with slices of roasted chicken.

Step 12

Pull any leftover meat off the bones and store it in an air-tight container. Reserve the bones for chicken stock. Simply add them to a freezer-safe container and freeze them until you are ready to use them. Use the pulled chicken for other recipes.