Mama's Roast Chicken
- 1 (4 -5 lb) roasting chickens, at room temperature
- 1 lemon
- 3 -4 garlic cloves
- salt and pepper
- 8 -9 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 large potatoes, peeled if desired
- 1 large onion, peeled and ends cut off
- Remove all but one oven rack, and move remaining oven rack to the lowest level in the oven.
- Heat oven to 500F.
- Rinse and dry chicken, removing giblets and plucking any feather sheaths left in the skin.
- Place in a large roasting pan (do not use glass or ceramic unless oven safe to 500 F).
- Quarter lemon lengthwise and place wedges into chicken cavity.
- Add garlic cloves and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the inside.
- Loosen skin over breasts and near cavity opening to thighs.
- Tuck 1-2 sprigs rosemary on each side of the cavity and 1 sprig over each breast.
- Place remaining rosemary in cavity.
- Do not truss or tie legs.
- Place chicken into oven, legs towards the back of the oven.
- Roast 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut potatoes into quarters lengthwise, then halve crosswise.
- Cut onion into 4-6 wedges.
- Remove chicken from oven and wiggle around to prevent sticking.
- Add potatoes and onions.
- Toss around in any fat in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return to oven, legs to the back, and roast another 15 minutes.
- Remove and stir around, wiggling chicken and tossing potatoes and onions in any fat that accumulates.
- Return to oven, legs to back, for another 15 minutes.
- Repeat 1-2 more times, until chicken reaches 190 F internal temperature on a meat thermometer stuck into the thigh.
- Remove chicken from pan and place on a platter.
- Remove lemon, garlic and rosemary from cavity and allow chicken to rest 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss potatoes and onions around in juices in pan and return to oven.
- Turn oven off and allow the potatoes and onions to sit in warm oven while chicken rests.
- Carve chicken, removing rosemary sprigs from under the skin, and serve with potatoes and onions.
roasting chickens, lemon, garlic, salt, rosemary, potatoes, onion
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/mamas-roast-chicken-164587 (may not work)