I’ve got my big girl pants on …

To me, the ultimate grown up meal to make is roasted chicken. I first starting making this meal over a year ago and every time I take that bird out of the oven I can’t help but beam with pride. The golden crust and moist interior is such an accomplishment to me.

I like to serve my roast chicken with roasted potatoes and onions and steamed carrots. Why roast some vegetables and steam others? I roast the potatoes and onions because the caramelization that occurs when doing so cannot be beat. I steam my carrots for a couple of reasons; 1. steaming is a great way to cook your veggies and retain all of the nutrients inherent to them, thus all of the wonderful antioxidants that carrots poses you will still benefit from. 2. I can’t lie, I really like the color of carrots and steaming them enhances the color perfectly. 🙂 In addition, I never bake vegetables that I plan on eating with my meats, call me paranoid but I feel like it’s safer (no cross contamination going on) and healthier (the fats from the meat don’t spill onto the vegetables.) Also, I overload on the citrus when I roast my chicken, I love having it bake inside the chicken and love to squeeze fresh pieces on top of each serving for that extra something.

Roasted Chicken with Roasted New Potatoes & Steamed Carrots

Yields: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 5 pound Free Range Roasting Chicken (make sure giblets are removed and all pin feathers)
• 4 Tb Melted Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tb Salt
• 2 Tb Pepper
• 2 Oranges (cut into eighths)
• 4 Lemons (Cute into fourths)
• 1 head of garlic (cut in half crosswise)
• 6 sprigs Marjoram
• 6 sprigs Rosemary
• 8-10 sprigs Thyme
• 1 pound New Potatoes (cut in half)
• 2 Sweet Onions (Cut into fourths)
• 6-8 Organic Carrots (peeled and cut into 2-3 inch pieces)
• 1 Ft. Kitchen String (ask your butcher for it)
• 1 Tb. Olive Oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Set up roasting pan with rack and prepare 9 x 9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Pour 1 Tb of salt and 1 Tb of pepper inside the cavity of the chicken
4. Stuff the cavity with all the thyme, marjoram, 4 sprigs of rosemary, 1 orange, garlic, and 2 lemons.
5. Pour the melted butter on the outside of the chicken brushing the skin to make sure the entire chicken is coated, then sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper on the outside of the chicken.
6. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wings under the body of the chicken (is this a critical step? No, but it makes it look pretty)
7. Roast chicken at 425 degrees for 45 minutes then drop oven down to 375, continue to cook until meat thermometer inserted into breast reads 165 degrees.
8. While chicken is cooking place cut new potatoes and onions in a baking dish and toss with  olive oil, 2 sprigs of rosemary, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 45 minutes with chicken or until potatoes can be pierced with a fork easily.
9. While everything is roasting in the oven prepare a medium-sized pot with a steamer basket (if you don’t have one it’s not the end of the world to let your carrots touch the water) and boiling water. Steam carrots until they are bright in color and pierced easily with a fork.
10. Once all items are done place chicken on a large serving dish and surround it with the onions, potatoes, carrots, and additional lemon and orange wedges to squeeze on top each chicken serving. FYI: I always discard the interior veggies and fruit that I used inside of the chicken.