Easy Roast Chicken

One of my favorite meals to make is a simple roast chicken. Even though it’s simple it is also versatile. You can really play around with all different kinds of seasonings and rubs. This chicken is rubbed with a mustard and garlic mixture, stuffed with aromatic rosemary, carrot, celery, onion and lemon and then roasted in a cast iron skillet for even cooking. Surrounding the chicken are buttery Yukon gold potatoes that bake and turn golden in the juices of the roasting chicken. A great one-pan meal that makes clean up nice and easy.

Why a roast chicken is so great

• Whole fryer chickens are a relatively affordable way to feed your family. One while fryer chicken can feed a family of 4.
• Throw some root vegetables in the pan with the roasting chicken and you have a simple, hearty one-pan meal for your family.
• Roast chicken is versatile. You can use any seasonings or rubs you would like.
• You can use the leftover bones to make homemade chicken broth or bone broth. (For bone broth I will save the bones in a large ziploc bag in the freezer until I have about five pounds of chicken bones.)
• It’s delicious!

Tools you will need:

• Large cast iron skillet or roasting pan
• Meat thermometer

Ingredients for easy roast chicken:

• 1 whole fryer chicken (about 4–5 pounds)
• 4 pats of salted butter
• 2 tablespoon yellow mustard, or any mustard of choice
• 1 tbls avocado oil
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig, plus 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 lemon, cut in half
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 small onion, halved
• 4-5 small Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

• 1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• 2.) While the oven is preheating prepare the chicken by rinsing and patting dry with paper towels. Remove any giblets that might still be in the cavity. These can be saved for making broth if desired. Place the chicken in the skillet with the breast side up. Tuck the tips of the wings under the chicken to prevent burning.
• 3.) To put the pats of butter under the skin of the chicken slide your finger under the skin under one breast, breaking the membrane. Put on pat of butter under the skin on one breast. Repeat on the other breast. You will do the same thing on each leg of the chicken. Slide a finger under the skin at the top of the drumstick, breaking the membrane. Slide a pat of butter under the skin on each leg.
• 4.) In a small bowl mix together the mustard, avocado oil, minced garlic and finely chopped fresh rosemary. Stir until combined.
• 5.) Using your hands rub the chicken down with the mustard mixture even rubbing some inside the cavity of the chicken.
• 6.) Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the entire chicken.
• 7.) Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the onion, carrot, celery, fresh rosemary sprig and squeezed lemon pieces.
• 8.) If using the potatoes place the chopped potatoes evenly around the chicken.
• 9.) Put the pan in oven and roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees. The time will vary depending on the size of the chicken. A 5 pound chicken will take about 45-50 minutes.
• 10.) About halfway through use a wooden spoon to toss the potatoes a little bit to coat in the juices and for even cooking.
• 11.) Once the chicken comes to temp, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Make sure to rinse under cold water and pat your chicken dry before applying the mustard mixture. This will help the mustard mixture stick and help the skin to crisp up when roasting.
• Putting the butter under the skin is optional but I recommend it. It keep the meat moist, especially the breast meat that has a tendency to dry out, and it also helps the skin to crisp up.
• Make sure to let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving. This gives the juices time to reincorporate back into the meat keeping it moist and flavorful.
• Make sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is fully cooked to 165 degrees. The thickest part of the breast needs to come to 165 degrees.

Leftover ideas:

If you have any leftover meat you can use it the next day to make soup or sandwiches. If using to make soup you can also use the bones to make a delicious chicken broth. You even use the leftover meat to make a casserole. You can adapt the recipe for my leftover turkey casserole and swap out the turkey and use your leftover chicken.

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