Roasted Lemon & Rosemary Chicken

I don't think there is anything better than the smell of a chicken roasting in the oven.  Roasting a chicken is super simple, very delicious and you can get at least two meals out of it (depending on the size of your family).  I roast my chicken with some lemons and some fresh rosemary.  To accompany my Roasted Lemon & Rosemary Chicken I threw together some ingredients to make a wonderful pan gravy, some Roasted Rosemary & Olive Oil Potatoes and Fresh Green Beans with Shallots & Bacon.  This meal is so easy to make, but it takes like you slaved over it in the kitchen for hours!

*Photo Courtesy of Fine Cooking



ROASTED LEMON & ROSEMARY CHICKEN 

*Serves 4 to 6 people

• 1 6lb to 61/2 lb. chicken (cleaned)

• 2 tsp. coarse salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 TB. dried parsley
• 1/2 TB. fresh rosemary (you can use dried as well)
• 1 lemon - halved
• 6 garlic cloves - peeled
• 3 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cups chicken broth (might need a bit more depending on how thick gravy is)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

1. Place chicken on a rack in a large roasting pan breast side up.
2. Squeeze half of the lemon over the entire chicken. Place the squeezed lemon half inside the cavity of the chicken.
3. Drizzle 3 tsp. olive oil all over ch icken. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, parsley and rosemary.
4. Place the 6 peeled garlic cloves around chicken in the roasting pan.
5. Pour 3/4 cup chicken broth in the roasting pan.
6. Place chicken in a pre-heated 375 degree oven if convection - if regular oven pre-heat it to 400 degrees.
7. Place roaster in center rack of the oven.
8. Roast chicken for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Adding chicken broth by 1/4 cupfuls every so often so that there is always juice at bottom of pan.  Roast until instant read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees.
9. Take chicken out of roasting pan tilt into the roaster so that all the juices drain into the roasting pan.
10. Place chicken on a cutting board and cover with foil.  Let rest about 15 minutes.
11. In the meantime take the rack out of the roasting pan.  Place the pan over a medium high heat on your stove. 
12. Add the white wine and use a whisk to de-glaze (get all the nice brown bits)
13. Add juice of the other half of lemon and add more chicken broth if needed.  Whisk
14. Season with salt and pepper
15. Transfer to gravy boat.
16. Serve gravy over chicken and roasted potatoes

FRESH GREEN BEANS WITH SHALLOTS & BACON 

*Serves 4 to 6 people

• 3 cups fresh green beans (or frozen fresh green beans)
• 1 TB. olive oil
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 1 TB. crumbled bacon - already cooked
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in pan.
2. Add shallots and saute for about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add green beans and saute 5 more minutes.
4. Add bacon, salt & pepper - cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Serve immediatly.

ROASTED ROSEMARY & OLIVE OIL POTATOES 

*Serves 4 to 6 people
** You could also add some chopped garlic or garlic powder to the potatoes.  I chose not to in this recipe because the pan gravy from the chicken already has 6 cloves of garlic in it. 

• 4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes (any potatoe of your liking)
• 3 TB. olive oil
• 1 TB. fresh rosemary (can use dried as well)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Mix to coat potatoes.
2. Place potatoes in a single layer (get all the oil and herbs out too) on a flat baking sheet.
3. Roast potatoes in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for about 30 to 40 minutes.  Turn potatoes at least one time so that they are browned on all sides.
4. Serve potatoes immediatly