Perfect Roast Chicken

Show: Barefoot ContessaEpisode: The Homecoming

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (229)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(229)

Cook Time:
1 hr 30 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Total:: 2 hr 10 min

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Ingredients

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Perfect Roast Chicken
Alisa Haddon Heights, NJ 11-16-2009
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HELP!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This chicken turned out absolutely delicious. My only problem was that my veggies burned and stuck to the bottom of the pan.... I followed the recipe exactly and cannot figure out what when wrong. Maybe I didn't use enough oil to toss them in, Was I supposed to add broth or water to the pan? Any suggestions would be great since I would love to make this again. Thanks!!Read more
recipe Perfect Roast Chicken
AMANDA CAROL STREAM, IL 11-12-2009
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so easy
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I'm a new cook and this was so easy for me to make! my fiance LOVES chicken just like Jeffery and I was so scared that it... wouldn't turn out. It's so good! Read more
recipe Perfect Roast Chicken
Greg Centennial, CO 11-08-2009
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I'll be making chicken more often now!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I was the opposite of Ina; I was accustomed to making dished like Chicken Piccata and Chicken Marsala are never roasted a... whole chicken. I made this recipe last night for my boyfriend and we both loved it. The flavor with the thyme, lemon, and garlic is just wonderful.Read more
recipe Perfect Roast Chicken
null null, null 10-24-2009
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Great Chicken, but I think I've discovered a (more) PERFECT ROAST.
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I just graduated, so while bumming arnd looking for a job, I decided to start learning to cook. I used Ina's recipe for the... most part. But I also added components of Emeril's. I used an Herb compound butter under the skin plus 1 tsp of BAM and 1 tsp of BAM on the veggies as well. I also brushed the chicken with black pepper BBQ sauce. The BAM does wonders for the pan gravy. And let me tell you, I made this for the FIRST time and my ENTIRE family has been requesting this every week, even my dad who is super picky and prefers Indian food. Oh and try using the stick from the rosemary to suture or tie up the chicken, you can taste the difference. ( We grow rosemary in the garden, so i'm very generous in using it)Read more
recipe Perfect Roast Chicken
Jamie Colonial Heights, VA 10-19-2009
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So Simple!! Don't Be Afraid!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was my first time EVER roasting a chicken and I was afraid it would be complicated, but it turned out delicious! I got... so many compliments and it gave me the confidence to roast chicken more often. I read a lot of the reviews before following the recipe, but in the end I just followed the recipe as written with the 3 small exceptions listed below.... 1. I love fennel, but couldn't find any at the store the day I was there so I omitted it and added extra carrots and onions instead. 2. I only had enough fresh thyme to put inside the chicken so I used some thyme from my spice cabinet for the veggies. 3. I didn't have any string to tie the legs together so I just let them fall as they wanted. The only change I will make next time is to double or even triple the veggies. They were so good, I could have eaten them all by myself. I didn't have any problems with the onions charring like other reviews mentioned. Just make sure you drizzle the veggies with enough olive oil before baking like the recipe says. I will definitely try adding potatoes and other root vegetables sometime as well.Read more
recipe Perfect Roast Chicken
Beth Apopka, FL 10-12-2009
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A Staple in our Home
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Much like Ina's -- or should I say, Jeffrey's -- Friday night chicken, roast chicken has become a staple in our home. Okay,... maybe we don't eat chicken every single Friday night, but it's pretty darn often. I mix it up by adding carrots (and sometimes small Yukon gold potatoes) every once in a while, but the basic recipe is all Ina. It's so wonderfully delicious and so wonderfully easy. Thanks so much, Ina!Read more