Herb Roasted Chicken

I had never made a whole chicken (or turkey, for that matter) before. It scared me to death. But I found this recipe on Pioneer Woman and was determined. It was SO easy. And it was delicious.

* 3-4lb Whole Chicken
* Something to stuff inside the chicken (Apple, Onion, Lemon, Garlic, Carrot, etc..)
* 2-3 Tbls Canola Oil
* 1 Tbls Salt

* 1 Tbls Pepper
* 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh, chopped herbs (I used sage, rosemary, and thyme)

You can stuff various items into the chicken for roasting and this will provide additional moisture and aromatics that will help to flavor the chicken from the inside. I used a lemon, some garlic cloves, and an onion.

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees while you pick the herbs from their stems.

2. Chop your herbs

3. Toss your herbs into a bowl and add your salt & pepper

4. Add oil & stir it up

5. Fill the cavity of the bird with your aromatics. (Lemon, garlic cloves, & onion) You won't be eating these items, so just give them a rough chop.

6. It’s important that your whole chicken be patted dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. This will help to insure a nice crust on your chicken once it’s finished. Begin rubbing the chicken down with your canola-herb-salt-pepper mix.

7. I tied my bird's legs to the body with floss. I don't know if it's necessary, but they were flopping open, and I didn't want them to burn.

(No, those are not my tattoo-covered arms)

8. Slide your herb coated chicken into that 450 degree oven for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes until it is golden brown and has developed a delicious crust.

9. Once the chicken has roasted, it’s good to let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This will allow all of the juiciness of the bird to redistribute to the right places. If you tore into it right away…all its goodness would run out and you’d be left with a dry chicken.

Viola!