Caramelized garlic cloves and rosemary atop make this Garlic Rosemary chicken a flavor-packed special dinner.Crispy skin, juicy meat & aromatic herby sauce!
The festive season is upon us, and even those of us living in the warmer parts of the world begin to crave roasts. Roast lamb, roast beef and roast chicken are among the delicious things that grace many holiday tables. The perfect roast chicken is easy in theory, but trickier in practice. However, with just a few cooking hacks, you can get it right every single time, showing off your culinary skills and delighting your guests. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, there are a number of delicious dishes you can whip up with the remaining meat. You may be relieved to hear that this list certainly doesn’t end or begin with chicken mayonnaise sandwiches!
Let’s start by considering the whole chicken from the inside out. While a fussy eater may refuse chicken skin, those of us who have sampled crispy, flavorful chicken skin know that it can be all kinds of delicious. The secret? Butter. Baste the chicken halfway through its cooking time with a liberal amount of real, salted butter. A delicious alternative, possibly healthier too, is to baste the chicken with olive oil. This is also the time, if you’re roasting veggies, to add a little water to the pan to make sure they don’t dry out.
Next, it’s pretty essential to consider the flavor pallet you’d like to go with before making any further decisions. One of my favorites is garlic rosemary chicken. This of course, involves a healthy dose of garlic and a generous helping of herbs, wrapped up in gloriously buttery skin, of course. This also involves onion wedges and whatever other vegetables you’re inclined to flavor with the delicious chicken broth that runs off the sides. If you’re feeling adventurous, why not mix things up with a different combination of flavors?
Now, for the flesh. Some folks like to separate the skin from the flesh and rub a measure of butter and condiments on the skin to keep it tender and scrumptious. The idea is for the flavor to seep through from all sides. There’s nothing worse than bland garlic rosemary chicken! It is often recommended that you place a lemon inside the chicken. I like to take this a step further and pop a few peeled garlic cloves in as well. A sprig of rosemary does well on top of garlic rosemary chicken as well as stuffed inside for extra flavor. Dried cilantro, parsley and other mixed herbs also complete the taste experience really nicely.
Meals made with leftover Garlic rosemary chicken range from chicken and avocado salad, garnished with pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander, to sliders, made with shredded chicken and spread with barbecue sauce and slices of cheese. Make a chicken lasagna.
HOW TO MAKE GARLIC ROSEMARY CHICKEN
GARLIC ROSEMARY CHICKEN
Ingredients
- Whole chicken- 1.2 kg or 2.6 pounds
- Medium onions quartered/ onion wedges- 2
- Garlic heads peeled - 4
- Lemon quartered- 1
- Fresh rosemary sprigs-1
- Chicken broth- ¼ cup
- For Chicken marinade
- Salted butter melted-4 tbsp or Olive oil- 8 tbsp
- Garlic cloves grated- 4
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Dry rosemary- 1 tsp
- Black pepper- ½ tsp
- Italian spices- 1 ½ tbsp
- For garnish
- Roasted sunflower seeds- 2 tbsp
- Rosemary springs- 2 optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220 C or 425 F with a rack in the middle of the oven.
- In a medium bowl combine the melted butter with the grated garlic cloves, dry rosemary, the lemon juice, Italian spices & black pepper. If you plan to use unsalted butter/olive oil, add some salt.
- Pat the chicken dry and rub the butter- garlic mixture.
- Transfer the chicken to a greased roasting pan ( I used a sizzling iron plate).
- Place 1 rosemary spring, 1 peeled garlic head, 1 lemon (quartered) in cavity of the chicken.
- Tuck wings under the bird.
- Place to the pan the onion wedges and the remaining garlic heads ( 3). Add the chicken broth.
- Put the roasting pan in the oven, turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F . Cook for 1 hour or until the chicken is done.
- Take the pan out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with some roasted sunflower seeds and rosemary.
- Serve immediately.
Enjoy this festive garlic rosemary chicken!
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