Sundays back home typically involve a large family meal. Growing up my grandmother would come over and later in my life after my brother had moved out, he’d be back home for Sunday supper. There was usually a roast of some type but the ritual, more than anything, was our family coming together over a shared meal before the week began again. Since living in Toronto I’ve tried to keep this ritual alive. Sundays are typically a slower day for me, so even if it’s just roasting a chicken for myself, it feels nice to keep up the tradition. This is my go-to roast chicken recipe because it doesn’t require a ton of ingredients and the flavour is easily malleable for leftovers. Throughout the week I cut it up for salads, heat it up with chilli powder and lime for tacos, and glaze the drumsticks with honey and sriracha for weekday dinners with rice and steamed broccoli.
Another Sunday tradition of mine is going to my local farmer's markets. I can’t recommend enough buying your chicken from the market or a local butcher. Although it will be more expensive than the grocery store, the quality of the meat is so much higher. Plus a roast chicken will give you so many servings (not to mention the soup potential!) that on a per-serving basis, it’s quite economical.
Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken
Time: 2 hours
NOTES:
The key to this recipe is to put most of the flavour UNDER the skin of the chicken. Don’t be afraid to get your hands a little messy! You can buy food-safe plastic gloves if you are uncomfortable touching raw meat.
You may also feel like this is a lot of salt. It is actually a modest suggestion for how much salt should really go on a bone-in whole chicken. The salt will ensure a moist, flavourful chicken with crispy skin.
Ingredients:
4-5lb whole chicken, ideally locally/organic
Rub:
Zest of 1 lemon
1 - 1.5 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp dried oregano
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh cracked black pepper
Other:
1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters
Zested lemon cut in half
Method:
Preheat oven to 375F and ensure the rack is in the centre of the oven.
In a small bowl combine the lemon zest, kosher salt, dried oregano, garlic, olive oil and pepper - stirring to create a coarse paste.
Prepare a roasting pan or 9x13 pan - add onion quarters to the corners.
Pat your chicken dry and place into the pan breast up. Using your pointer finger and your middle finger, lift the skin on each chicken breast away from the breast meat.
Take ⅓ of your paste and push under the skin on one chicken breast, trying to spread evenly under the skin. Repeat for the other breast.
Rub the remaining ⅓ of your paste over the skin of the chicken, being sure to get the wings and drumsticks.
Place one ½ the lemon inside the chicken, ensure it isn’t fully blocking the air from entering the chicken. Place the other ½ lemon in the pan.
Cook for 20 mins per pound, between 1 hour and 20 mins and 1 hour and 40 mins depending on the size of the chicken. I recommend rotating the chicken halfway through as the back of your oven is hotter than the front.
Chicken is done when a meat thermometer reads 165F in the thickest part of the thigh meat.
Let your chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving.
The juice at the bottom of the pan makes a delicious serving sauce. Put it into a mason jar in the fridge to separate the fat, skim off, and heat as a jus.