After I had a baby, my nicest friends brought my family the most fabulous feast. They walked in with roasted chicken on a platter surrounded by shiny steaming vegetables along with a fresh salad and dessert. I was astounded. I gushed about the wonderful food and all the effort. One of them told me in a hushed voice out of the side of her mouth that it really is the easiest meal to make but looks so much more impressive than the effort it takes. I had to know more. I got the scoop on how to roast chicken and am here to share it with you. It should be called “impressive-yet-so-easy roasted chicken”.
1 whole chicken
6 T butter
1 sweet onion
poultry seasoning
1 c chicken broth
Remove giblets from chicken. Place chicken in large roasting pan, breast side down*. Rub chicken with butter. Place rest of butter in bottom of pan. Peel and place onion inside chicken cavity. Generously salt and pepper chicken (I use kosher salt and freshly ground pepper). Sprinkle poultry seasoning on chicken as well. Pour chicken broth in bottom of roasting pan. Roast chicken on lower oven rack at 375°F for 2-2½ hours (until chicken reaches internal temperature of 180°F). I like to test for doneness by wiggling chicken leg. If leg is loose and meat feels fall-apart tender, chicken is ready to eat. Remove chicken from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Carve chicken by removing skin and pulling or cutting off meat. Refrigerate leftover meat.
*I have found the breast meat to turn out more moist if you place the chicken breast side down.
I know, my chicken is upside down. That’s on purpose. See asterisk above.
