By Megan 

I think I have mentioned before in my other posts that the price of meat has gone up.  I feel as though this is a great opportunity to get creative in the kitchen with ingredients you might not be the most comfortable with but that are more affordable than others.  A whole chicken, for instance.  A whole bird tends to intimidate people, but I promise you this recipe will be one of the easiest meals you have ever put together and it will look like you are a skilled culinary chef.  That’s a success in my book!

Start by allowing your chicken to come close to room temperature; 30-40 minutes before preparation should do the trick.  Be sure to clean out the insides of the bird before seasoning.  Don’t worry, most of the time the chicken is already cleaned out.  Once your chicken is cleaned, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the bird and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt and pepper.  Now for the fun part; time to brown your bird.  Heat some oil in a skillet and place your bird in the hot skillet.  In 5 minutes or so flip the bird to the other side. Place the chicken in a baking dish breast-side down and surround with sprigs of fresh Rosemary and Thyme. Stuff more rosemary and Thyme inside the chicken.  So much flavor!

Doesn’t it look pretty already!?  Now, all there is left to do is cut the veggies and disperse around the chicken.  Be sure to add the chicken broth to the baking dish before putting the chicken in the oven so everything stays juicy and delicious.  The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the chicken to get done!

Rosemary Roasted Chicken:

1 whole chicken

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbs. Olive Oil (1 Tbs. drizzled over bird, 2 Tbs. for the skillet)

3 carrots

2-3 Red Potatoes

1 Fennel Bulb

6 Cloves of Garlic

1 bunch of Thyme

4 sprigs of Rosemary

1/2 cup Chicken broth

1 Shallot

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and begin preparing your bird with seasoning.  Brown your bird in a heated skillet and set aside in a baking dish. Pour chicken broth into hot skillet to deglaze the pan.

2. Surround the bird in the baking dish with Thyme and rosemary sprigs; stuff more inside the bird.  Pour the chicken broth over the bird from the skillet.

3. Cut up all vegetables including the shallot and garlic and surround the bird with the vegetables. Place baking dish in the oven and allow to bake for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.