Sunday Dinner Roast Chicken

There are few things that are as satisfying to eat than a roast chicken. Sometimes the simplest foods make for the best meals. I don't roast chicken very often, and usually when we have a whole chicken we throw it on the grill with a beer can. But on a cold December Sunday, roasting was the way to go. The trick is to rub butter and rosemary under the skin, as well as on top, to give the skin a delicious crispy crunch and turn it that beautiful golden brown color. I love a good piece of salty, buttery, crispy skin, it pairs wonderfully with the meat of the bird. I served this alongside roasted vegetables and smashed potatoes with pan sauces.

 Roast Chicken
3-4 lb whole chicken
2 onions quartered
1 lemon, sliced into 1/4 pieces 
2 tbsp butter
3 stalks of celery, cut in half
6 carrots, cut in half
2 sprigs of rosemary, plus extra for chopping
Salt and pepper

The preparation for this dish is simple. First, preheat oven to 450 F
1) Wash the chicken and pat dry, making sure that the skin is very dry, as well as the inside of the bird. Then sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper.
2) Slice a lemon into 1/4 inch pieces, along with a quartered onion, and 2 sprigs of rosemary and place them inside the chicken. 
3) Then, with 1 tbsp of softened butter, rub the butter under the skin along with some chopped rosemary. Do the same with the 1 tbsp of butter to the top of the skin, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4) Make a platform with the vegetables and place chicken on top

5) Roast in oven until internal temperature (check thigh meat) has reached 165 F
6) Let chicken meat rest

7) Pour juices into a pan and add 1/2 cup of white wine or chicken stock and cook until reduced, then use
sauce to pour over carved bird, mashed potatoes and vegetables and enjoy!