Roast Chicken?!

"What is this?"
"Nothin'. Just a bit of seasoning. I thought maybe if we was havin' a roast chicken one night or something..."
"Roast Chicken?!"
"You never know..."

A little Lord Of The Rings for you on this lovely Tuesday afternoon! And some Roast Chicken! Wait, is it still considered roast chicken if it is cooked on a grill? Or is it Grilled chicken instead?

Either way...on Monday, Pastor Ryan did a guest post on PW's website for herb roasted whole chicken. This got me thinking (mostly about chicken), and when I went to the grocery store after work and saw that whole roasting chickens were on sale (3 for $9.99!!!), well I just figured that was fate. So I bought them, threw 2 in the freezer, and made one for dinner Monday night! My recipe is pretty close to the recipe that Pastor Ryan posted, but with a few exceptions. See below:


Grilled or Roasted Chicken 
1 whole chicken (I get the little roasters without giblets or neck...I think they are 3 - 4 lbs)
4 tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary...whatever your little heart desires!)
butter, olive oil or canola oil
1/2 - 1 fresh lemon
1/2 an onion, cut into large pieces
3 - 4 garlic cloves
salt, pepper

Chop up your herbs (I used thyme and oregano because that was all I had...I may or may not have added a little Pizza and Pasta Magic as well), add salt and pepper (I think I used about 1 - 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and about 1/2 teaspoon of pepper), mix with 3 - 4 tablespoons softened butter or oil until well blended.

Using your (clean) fingers, gently lift the chicken skin off of the meat all over the breast and thighs. Then use your hands to stuff the herb mixture evenly between the skin and the meat. If you have any left, you can rub it on the outside of the skin...but usually I peel the skin off to save on calories, and by putting the seasoning right on the meat it absorbs it much better. Then stuff the cavity with a half of a fresh lemon (whole if you can fit it, but my chicken had a small cavity), onion, and the garlic cloves. You can even put some more fresh herbs in there if you want (no need to chop them up).

If you are going to be roasting the chicken in the oven, throw it on a baking sheet and put it in a 415 degree oven for about an hour...check it with a meat thermometer and take it out when the temp is 180 degrees (you may need to cook it for longer). Let it rest for 15 minutes, carve and enjoy!

If you are cooking it on the grill, ask Steve. He is the grill master. I think he got the charcoal super hot, then moved them off to the side (indirect), put the chicken right on the (clean) grate and cooked it at about 415 degrees. Grill temps are a little harder to control (plus - for whatever reason, grilling usually involves drinking...this sometimes results in your attention wavering, so it is always good to grill with a partner. That way one of you might remember to check on the chicken periodically), so you may have to stick the chicken with the meat thermometer a couple of times to check the temp. I think it took around 2 hours for our chicken to be done on the grill. It was delicious. Let it rest for 15 minutes before carving it, please! And please grill (and drink) responsibly.

Printable Recipe