Roasted Chicken

this week (july 2020) in our gathered baskets we hope to enhance your cooking skills. roasted chicken is a staple for every cook’s repertoire. if you ordered a basket, this week’s video instructions will guide you through every step, including your own pan gravy! we know roasted chicken can be intimidating for all, so we wanted to share our recipe with our blog readers too! this month with the help of those who ordered baskets, we are donating meals to the learning collaborative. 

roasted chicken

1 roasting chicken (3-4 lbs)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon, halved
2 stalks celery (optional)
2 sprigs each of thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage
salt and pepper
kitchen twine

pan gravy

3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons retained fat
1.5 c chicken stock
lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 tablespoons butter (optional)

preheat oven to 350° (convection roast if possible). spray roasting pan with cooking spray and place celery stalks in the pan (or use a roasting rack, but that’s just one more thing to wash).

place bird, breast side up in the pan (and remove giblet pack if there), drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and squeeze half of the lemon over the bird and place the lemon in the cavity along with herb sprigs.

twist the wing tips around and under the breast, use a piece of twine to tie the legs together and push the thighs toward the breasts. this gives the bird a nice shape and the legs will to protect the thinner pieces of the breast.

add about ½ cup of water into the pan and place the bird into the oven. roast about 1 hour to 1.5 hours to an internal temp of 165° in the thickest part of the breast and thigh. remove from the oven and place the bird on a plate to rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

while the bird is resting, prepare the gravy. first pour off any excess fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons. place pan on the stove and turn the burner onto medium heat. add the flour and stir with a whisk to combine with remaining drippings, using the whisk to scrape the browned bits from the pan. once the flour starts to thicken add the chicken stock a little at a time, whisking to combine. strain the sauce into a small pan, bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. adjust thickness by adding more broth or cooking longer to thicken. optional: (although more butter, more better) whisk 1 tablespoon of butter in at end.

be sure to follow us on instagram to stay up to date on the upcoming baskets so you can cook along too!