Perfect Roast Chicken- It's What's for Lunch

Roast Chicken is one of the easiest things to make and I believe that knowing how to roast a chicken is essential. I'm lucky enough to be involved in my community to access fresh chicken from local family farms, like McDowell Family Farms. I am very particular about the meat I bring into my house, and in my book, McDowell is hitting it out of the park. I hope you'll try this recipe the next time you want to treat the ones you love, I SWEAR IT'S EASY! (that's for my girl Kim) Enjoy!

 Isn't this a pretty little chicken.

 The aroma in our house when this chicken came out of the oven was incredible.

I roasted this chicken to make salads with for our lunches, but we had to make a quick sandwich and enjoy some of this delectable little bird. Volker's Cottage Cheese Dill Bread, mayo and mustard, fresh greens from the market and Perfect Roast Chicken.

-Perfect Roast Chicken-

3 1/2lb fresh organic, locally raised chicken

carrots (I had 3 hanging out in the fridge)

celery (about 8 stalks cut in half)

1/2 onion, cut into 4 pieces

3 garlic cloves

half a lemon, cut in half

salt and pepper

olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (Make sure that your chicken has had some time outside the fridge and is about room temp before putting in the oven).

2. I rinsed and dried (with paper towel) the chicken. In a roasting pan place the carrots and celery on the bottom of the pan, also 2 pieces of the onion.

3. Place the chicken on the top of the vegetables. Place the other two pieces of the onion, garlic and lemon in the cavity of the bird. Pour about 3/4c. water into the bottom of the pan. (I think this helps the bird stay moist and not dry out)

4. Drizzle the outside of the little chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

5. Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 1 hour 25 minutes. I used a meat thermometer to make sure the meat reached 165 degrees. Let the chicken rest for about 20 minutes before starting to carve.

-This weeks salad for lunch- I made 8 servings

Perfect Roast Chicken

Fresh Salad Greens from the farmers market

Wyomatoes Cucumbers

Avocado

Fresh Asparagus from the farmers market

House Dressing from Tony Caputo's
Volker's Cottage Cheese Dill Bread , cubed for crouton's