Eat Well, Live Happy: Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Salt

A few months ago I found a recipe online for a whole roasted chicken and wanted to try it out. I read the comments and noticed that many people used a vertical roasting pan. I looked them up online and read a lot of reviews, but the one that caught my eye was the Weber 6408 Style Poultry Roaster. It had great reviews and I like that I can use it both in the oven and on the grill. It also has a liquid tray to hold wine, beer, juice, etc. and a cone-shaped infuser which holds the chicken. And to top it off (literally), there is a plug for the top of the chicken that keeps the steam inside, making the chicken moist and juicy instead of dried out.

I found the original recipe on The Food Network but made a few adjustments. First, my grocery store didn't have rosemary, but they had a "poultry blend" of rosemary, sage and thyme. I decided to give it a try, and I think the extra herbs gave it a great flavor. I also used a 6-pound Perdue Oven Stuffer Roaster, which has a thermometer that pops up when it's done. I had never made a whole chicken before, so this was helpful. I added 1/2 cup white wine to the liquid tray in my vertical roasting pan. Once the chicken was done, I set aside the remaining juices and used them as a "sauce" on my chicken when eating it. The chicken was moist enough that it did not need this, but I always like to add it.

This was a great recipe and my new roasting pan made it a breeze. I highly recommend both to anyone who enjoys roasting whole chickens!

Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Salt

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

Chicken:

2 whole chickens (2 to 3 pounds each) or 1 whole chicken (5-6 pounds)

3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 or 2 fresh rosemary sprigs

1½ lemons, cut into chunks

seasoned salt:

2 Tablespoons very finely minced lemon zest

2 Tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

2 Tablespoons sea salt, preferably gray salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375˚.

Rinse the chicken(s) inside and out and dry well with a paper towel.

Make the salt: in a bowl, combine the lemon zest, rosemary, salt and pepper, mixing well. Rub the chicken all over with the olive oil, and then rub with 3 tablespoons of the seasoned salt (reserve the remaining salt for another use). Tuck the rosemary sprigs and lemon chunks into the chicken cavity. You don’t need to truss the chicken.

Place the bird on a rack in a roasting pan or on a vertical roasting pan and roast for about an hour and 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a skewer. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Makes 4 servings.