Roasted Rosemary, Lemon & Garlic Chicken

Roasted Rosemary Lemon Garlic Chicken
A spin on an earlier roasted chicken dish

Prep time: 5 minutes
Roasting time: 90 minutes or so

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken, cleaned
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & smashed
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 lemon, cut in half (first half, cut in two for cavity, other half sliced)
Juice of ½ lemon
4 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 extra sprig of rosemary, leaves only, but left whole
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper (to season the cavity)
1 tbsp olive oil
½ large red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C

2. To prepare a chicken for roasting, I do some additional cleaning of the bird, removing any pin feathers left and taking out that huge lump of fat.

3. Season the cavity with salt and pepper and put ½ the rosemary, smashed garlic cloves and lemon quarters in the cavity. Tie the legs together and pin the wings under the bird.

4. Line a small roasting pan with foil (you don’t have to, but clean up is so much easier) and place the lemon & onion slices plus the rosemary leaves down as a bed for the chicken.

5. In a small bowl, combine the chopped rosemary, salt & pepper, minced garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.

6. Lay the chicken, breast side up on the bed of rosemary and onion & lemon slices. Gently separate the skin over the breast from the meat and put about 1 tbsp or so of the rosemary garlic mixture under the skin. Rub with outside of the chicken breasts and legs with ther rest of the mixture and sprinkle a little more salt and pepper.

7. Roast for about 1 hour or until the skin is quite brown, but not burnt. Turn the bird over onto the breast and continue to roast for 20 minutes.

8.Test the chicken with a meat thermometer for an accurate read. It’s ready at 190°F/87°C.

9. Place the chicken on a platter and cover with aluminum foil for 15 minutes or so. It keeps the chicken juicy.

This time I served it with a simple salad of sliced tomatoes, chunks of English cucumber and a half of an avocado with some Sherry Vinaigrette I had left over from yesterday's green salad.