This recipe made my entire house smell like a field of thyme and rosemary.  It was absolutely wonderful.  I threw some thickly cut pieces of carrot and sweet potato on the sides of the chicken about 30 minutes into cooking the chicken.  The vegetables came out caramelized and had a slightly crunchy exterior, and most importantly, they were rolling around in the drippings of the chicken.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (4 lbs approximately)

1 tablespoon of thyme, minced

2 tablespoons of parsley, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lemon

1 teaspoon of pepper and some extra to sprinkle inside the chicken

Any good roasting vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, fennel, and/or onions

Olive oil (the amount is not exact – keep reading below)

Assembly:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

First prepare an herb paste to coat the chicken.  Take your minced thyme, parsley, and garlic, and add enough olive oil to make a paste, which should be about 1/4 of a cup of oil.  Add 1 teaspoon of pepper to your paste.  I do not add salt, but you are certainly welcome to add some (would recommend 1 teaspoon if you’re going to go this route).

Give the chicken a bath and clean out the interior.  Pat dry and season the cavity with a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Slice the lemon and stuff it inside the cavity.

Next, get your fingers under the skin on the breast side and back side of the chicken, getting it ready to be able to schmear your paste under the skin.  Then, go for it, schmear it under the skin and all over the exterior.

Set the chicken, post-schmear, into a well-oiled baking dish (at least 9 inches x 13 inches) and then pop it in the oven.  I generally cover the bird at first with foil.

While your chicken is baking, get your veggies ready.  Peel and cut them into thick chunks.  Remember, they’re going to be in the oven alongside your tasty chicken for at least 30 minutes, so don’t make the chunks too small.

After 30 minutes of the chicken baking, throw the veggies into the same dish as the chicken to let them roast.  Then 10 minutes later, take off the foil to let the chicken brown beautifully.  The total baking time should be approximately 1 hour and 10 to 15 minutes.  If you have a thermometer, stick it in the thick part of the thigh and wait until the temperature reads 165 degrees.

Once it’s come to the right temperature, take it out and cover for about 10 minutes.  Then, feast.

But wait!  Don’t throw away that lovely carcass once you’re done!  Make some chicken broth!