Roast Chicken

I sometimes forget how easy and delicious some meals are to make.  The flavor of this chicken and the ease of roasting it all in one pan, will make you think twice before you grab that pre-made rotisserie chicken at the store.  

This recipe is for 2 chickens.
2 teaspoons of thyme, dried*
2 teaspoons of rosemary, dried
2 teaspoons of fennel, ground
2/3 cup of olive oil
4 lemons, sliced
6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 large yellow onion, cut into large chunks
 3-5 lb. of small white, yellow or red potatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 cup of dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon

* I usually use regular dried thyme but I ran out so I used Za'atar . Zaatar is generally made with ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram and toasted sesame seeds. You can usually find it in the Middle Eastern section of the grocery store.  

First thing you will want to do is find an ovenproof pan big enough to fit everything in.  I used a cast iron pan but you can use a roasting pan.  

Pre heat your oven to 450 degrees.

Pour olive oil in a measuring cup and mix in the dried herbs.  
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Now you want to spatchcock your chicken.  Sometimes this is called butterflying or removing the backbone of the chicken.  If you are buying your chicken from a butcher they can do it for you or you can google "how to spatchcock a chicken" and you will find many step-by-step guides.  Its a good skill to have and as long as you have a sharp knife or kitchen sheers you can easily do this on you own. The reason I do this is because the chicken will cook quicker and more evenly this way.   Next you want to take paper towels and dry off the chicken inside and out.  By doing this you will get a crispy skin.  When I have the time, I brine my chicken for 24 hours (brine recipe to follow).  Once brined, I dry my chicken off with paper towels and let it sit in a pan, uncovered for a few hours in my refrigerator.  The brining will make the meat juicy and the refrigerated drying will keep the skin crisp.  If you don't want to brine or don't have the time, just dry with the paper towels and continue.

Add the sliced lemons, onions, garlic and potatoes to the bottom of your cast iron pan or roasting pan.  You can season with more dried herbs and salt and pepper as I have done below.  I like to season each layer of my dish.

Start by brushing 1/2 of the herb and olive oil mixture on the inside of the bird.  Place the chicken herb side down on top of the lemon, onion and potatoes.  Brush the top side (breast side up) of the chicken with the rest of the herb/oil mixture.  

Roast the chicken for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, pour the wine into the pan while it is in the oven.  Do not pour it over the chicken.  You want to keep the chicken nice and crispy.  Roast for another 15 minutes and then check the temperature, with a meat thermometer, in the chicken breast area and the thigh area.  You are looking for 160 to 165 degrees.  

Remove from the oven, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the entire pan and cover with aluminum foil.  Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.  Cut the chicken up as you like sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and serve with the potatoes, onion and lemon.  

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Brine recipe:
1 gallon of warm water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon peppercorns (optional)
1 tablespoon fennel seeds (optional)

Pour the warm water into a container that is twice the volume of the water. Pour in the salt, sugar, soy sauce, olive oil, peppercorns and fennel seeds. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then allow the brine to cool to room temperature.

To use, place chicken in the brine, cover, and refrigerate two hours for skinless breasts, 4 hours for bone-in pieces, and 4 hours to overnight for whole chickens. Drain and pat the chicken dry before cooking. One gallon of brine is enough for 6 pounds of whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces, and up to 10 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts.