Perfect Roast Chicken

The other day I could tell that my family was getting close to revolt again after a flurry of magazine-inspired meals that were new and exciting, but not much in the way of comfortable. So, it was time to pull back, put the magazines down and make a family favorite again.

Doing so made me think of the proverb, "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his boots," which I'm sure many have heard before in some form or another. I think that same concept applies for the times that we take people for granted. As I was getting this roast chicken ready for dinner yesterday, I thought about my mother and how she had a good hot meal on the table for us every single night of the week, with the exception of Sunday night when we'd have soup and sandwiches on tv trays while watching Family Classics and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (I know it's just Wild Kingdom, but as a kid I thought the first part was just one work and had no idea what a Mutualofomaha was).

Now that I have my own family and have to juggle budgets, shopping trips, cooking meals, leftovers and keeping three people happy, I don't know how she did it with six. Kudos, Mom.

Those are the kinds of things I think about when I'm doing the prep work for a dish like our family's favorite roast chicken. It's also why I like being in the kitchen by myself. This is a simple chicken to make but infuses the chicken with so much flavor on the inside and out that every bite is wonderful. It's a good bet that my husband would say it's his favorite dish.

As you'll notice, the herbs are on the inside of the bird, not on top. That's because there's too much chance of them charring if left on top in a hot oven, which will make them bitter and affect the taste of the bird. I've tried it both ways and this is best. The reason that onions are put in the bottom of the pan is that as they cook they will turn the juices that collect a beautiful dark brown, which gives the base for the perfect gravy.

Perfect Roast Chicken

1 3-4 pound chicken, giblets and neck removed
1 large onion, cut in 8 pieces
1 lemon, quartered
8 garlic cloves, lightly crushed with skins removed
2 sprigs rosemary
Olive oil or olive oil cooking spray
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Put in a 13x9 baking pan.

Stuff the chicken with 4 onion pieces, 2 lemon quarters, five garlic cloves and the two sprigs of rosemary.

Coat the chicken with the olive oil or olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder all over the chicken. Lay the remaining onion, lemon and garlic in the pan.

Bake the chicken, uncovered, for approximately 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the thigh reads 170. Remove from heat, tent loosely with foil and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!