Herb and Lemon Roasted Chicken

Ah! the beautiful, simple roast chicken. A glorious smell on a Sunday afternoon. I like it because it is so versatile. You can have a roast chicken dinner, then the next day you can have the perfect Club House Sandwich and still have loads left over for the perfect chicken soup! 1 bird so many meals.

You will need:

• 1 chicken - if you can get a free range/organic I assure you it is worth the money!
• 3 tbsp mixed chopped fresh herbs - I used rosemary, sage, thyme 
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp butter room temp
• 1 tbsp salt and pepper in a small bowl
• more herbs and another onion for the cavity of the chicken while roasting
• potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic cloves and carrots

Get a good free range or organic chicken, it is worth the extra cost. Wash and pat dry with paper towels. Let the chicken air dry uncovered in your fridge for a few hours.

Step 1: chop some fresh herbs. I have used sage, rosemary and thyme.

Step 2: add some lemon zest.

Step 3: add the herbs to some softened butter.

Step 4: add some salt and pepper to a small bowl so you don't contaminate the rest while you are sprinkling over the raw chicken.

Step 5: carefully run your fingers under the skin of the chicken to loosen. Add you herbed butter under the skin of the breast and legs. I like to add some full sage leaves and thin slices of lemon as well for more flavour.

Step 6: generously sprinkle inside with salt and pepper. Tie legs and tuck wings under the bird to prevent burning. Sprinkle outside generously with salt and pepper. It can handle lots and the salt is what makes a nice crispy skin. I also put 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the pan to avoid the fat from smoking when it drips on the pan.

Roast in a 400 degree F oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour I remove it from the oven and add a variety of root vegetables tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper. Then put back into the oven to continue to cook for another hour to hour and a half .

This is my lovely roast chicken dinner.

The next day I made a hearty chicken vegetable soup .

and there were even enough leftovers for great chicken salad sandwiches!