When you cook a whole chicken every week like we do, you are always searching for new recipe inspiration. We literally sit around talking about our favorite flavor pairings. “Rosemary & Cracked Black Pepper” leaped out of my mouth with a level of certainty that was not to be questioned.

There are three primary reasons why we roast a chicken every week (there are so many more than three but we narrowed it down).

We like chicken. A whole chicken is a blank canvas that allows us to paint dinner according to moods and cravings.
We like leftover chicken. The flavors are enhanced overnight AND when faced with leftovers a creative energy sneaks out. Some of our best dishes have come from our Eat Out of the Fridge/Pantry Weeks.
We like the broth we make from the chicken carcass. There are weeks when I think the sole purpose of our cooking a whole chicken is for the broth. This super rich broth then lends it’s personality to dishes in the future.

Our go-to method for roasting a whole chicken is combining herbs & aromatics with butter, then tucking the mixture up under the skin. As the chicken roasts, those glorious flavors baste the bird, infusing the meat and insuring the juiciest of chicken.

We begin our birds at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once the skin is a nice golden brown, we loosely tent the chicken with foil for the duration of the cooking time. We also put a couple of cups of chicken broth in the roasting pan and baste with this several times throughout the cooking period.

Rosemary & Cracked Black Pepper Roast Chicken was a winner. Will definitely be adding this to our rotation.

Rosemary & Cracked Black Pepper Roast Chicken

Libby with Lemony Thyme

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 40

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 5-6 lb. whole roasting chicken
4 Tbl. butter softened
2 Tbl. fresh minced rosemary
1 Tbl. freshly cracked pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Rinse and thoroughly dry chicken. Reserve gizzard pack for making broth later.
Combine butter, rosemary, pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Gently loosen skin above breasts and spread butter mixture under skin. Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Tie legs together with butcher’s twine. Add 2 cups of chicken broth to the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Baste chicken with broth from pan. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and tent chicken with foil. Continue baking for an additional hour or until chicken is done (juices run clear and thermometer inserted into the inner thigh registers 165 degrees). If your chicken comes with a pop-up timer trust it. Baste midway through cooking time.
Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing, 30 minutes is preferable. Remember to reserve the carcass for making broth.

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