After going to the market the last few days I have been seeing a lot of whole chickens in the meat cases and not too many cut-up chickens, so I thought it was time to repost this recipe. Cooking a whole chicken is quite easy, it takes time and you need a meat thermometer.
Ingredients
1 3 to 5lb whole chicken, cleaned and prepped
2 medium onions, quartered
2 Lemons, quartered
4 cups rough chopped red potatoes
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 shallots, diced
4 tablespoons of fresh Thyme, removed from stem
2 tablespoons of fresh Italian Parsley, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Direction
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place the butter in a bowl along with the garlic and 2 tablespoons of thyme and mash to combine.
Place the chicken on a cutting board and run your fingers under the skin to loosen it from the meat. Next, place the onions, and 1 of the lemons and about four tablespoons of the compounded butter that was just created in the cavity of the chicken. Now stuff the remaining butter under the skin of the bird. Prep the bird by placing the remaining lemon quarters between the breast and the legs and wings, tie up the bird, and place on a rack in a deep baking pan.
Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
During these 15 minutes, place potatoes, shallots, and remaining herbs in a large bowl drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, toss to coat, and set aside.
After the 15 minutes, reduce heat, and roast for about an additional 90 minutes or until the temp of the bird reaches 165 degrees. At about the one-hour mark of baking, arrange potatoes around the bird. Then about halfway through the remaining baking time, toss potatoes so that they roast evenly.
Once the bird reaches 165 degrees, remove from oven, place the bird on a cutting board and tent with foil and let rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.
If potatoes are not done, return the pan to the oven and roast until soft. Before returning to the oven, I do pour off some of the drippings from the pan. When the potatoes are done, remove potatoes with a slotted spoon from pan and arrange on a platter.
While the bird is resting, the drippings you removed from the pan can be made into a gravy, strain and pour the drippings from the pan into a saucepan. Skim off some of the fat that rises to the top. Add some white wine, about a cup to a cup and a half to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. You want to reduce by a third. Remove a half cup of the sauce, whisk in about 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth and return to saucepan, whisk to combine and simmer until thick. Remove from heat and place in a gravy boat.
Now cup up chicken, place on a platter with potatoes, pour a bit of the gravy over and serve.
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