Sweetheart dinner - roast chicken

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. My husband and I are not very good at remembering/celebrating these types of days. I would like to say it is because we believe in showing our love 365 days of the year...but I think it is more a case of we are busy and we forget. Is that your reality? I mean I KNOW it is Valentine's Day tomorrow, we have made 500 Valentine's Day craft projects - what is stopping me from making one more for my sweetheart? Well, this classic oven roasted chicken recipe is surefire way to show my love and a deliciously easy chicken recipe too!

 

When I was thinking about what dinner to make (as a way to show the love) I immediately thought of the legendary Barefoot Contessa. If you aren't familiar (I'm sure you are) with this remarkable cooking lady (that's what my kids called all the women on Food Network) then let me introduce her to you. Barefoot's real name is Ina Garten and she is a genius in the kitchen. She's not afraid of using a lot of butter in her recipes...which I love. She lives in the Hamptons with her husband Jeffery, who we see from time to time. It is her interaction with her husband that came to my mind when I was thinking of what to make for Valentine's dinner. According to Ina, every Friday night she makes a beautifully simple roast chicken for her husband, it is his very favourite dish. Ah, so sweet. I decided to take inspiration from Ina and Jeffery and make a delicious roast chicken for Valentine's Day dinner.

 

1 (5-6 pound) roasting chicken

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large bunch of fresh thyme (I substituted marjoram)

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

2 tablespoon butter, melted

1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

4 carrots cut into 2 inch chunks

1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, cut into wedges

olive oil

 

1. Preheat the oven to 425F

2. Rinse the chicken inside and out, remove the giblets.

3. Pat the chicken dry, liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.

4. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the thyme (I used marjoram because I didn't have any thyme and marjoram is a similar flavour) both halves of the lemon and all of the garlic.

5. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

6. Coat the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

7. Place onions, fennel, carrots and 20 sprigs of thyme (marjoram) in a shallow roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper and olive oil.

8. Spread the vegetables evenly in the roasting pan and place the chicken on top of the veggies.

9. Roast the chicken for 1 ½ hours, or until the juices run clean when you cut between the leg and thigh.

10. Remove the chicken from the pan, place on a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil...let rest for 20 minutes.

11. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish.

12. Carve the chicken and serve.

 

This chicken was perfect, I mean perfect. Ina always stresses the importance of buying fresh and good quality food. So, splurge on an organic chicken (it really doesn't cost that much and makes a HUGE difference) and pick up the vegetables on the day you are making the dinner so they are fresh. We served our roasted veggies and chicken with mashed potatoes and a light salad. A dinner that is filled with love and patience...deliciously perfect for Valentine's day. Now the question is, what will you be serving?