Whole Chickens

How many complete chickens do I buy a year? Maybe 10.

What about if you exclude those that are already cut up? Ok, maybe 8.

Now remove the ones already roasted from the grocery store. Really? Maybe 1.

Roasted Italian Chicken

For my 1 whole, raw, uncut whole chicken purchase of the year, this was a good recipe for it.

A few spices and the chicken.

You can see through the skin to the spice rub that I placed between the skin and the meat.

Roasted and beautiful.

Time to eat!

Roasted Italian Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins | Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 3- to 3-1/2-pound whole broiler-fryer chicken

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, oil, oregano, basil, lemon juice, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic. Set aside.

2. Rinse inside of chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Tie legs to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Slip your fingers between the skin and the breast and leg meat of the chicken, forming a pocket. Spoon herb mixture into pocket. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. If desired, insert an oven-going meat thermometer into center of an inside thigh muscle, making sure it doesn’t touch bone.

3. Roast in a 375 degree F oven for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until drumsticks move easily in their sockets and chicken is no longer pink (180 degree F). Remove chicken from oven. Cover with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Makes 6 servings.

Source: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/roasted-italian-chicken/