Simple Roast Chicken

Submitted by Lizzie_Rodriquez

"from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, trimmed of excess fat, then rinsed and patted dry (3-4 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (rosemary, marjoram, oregano, sage) or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and fresh pepper
• chopped fresh herb (to garnish)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Place the chicken breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Begin roasting. Mix together the olive oil, herb, salt and pepper.
3. After the chicken has roasted for 20 minutes, spoon some of the olive oil mixture over it then turn the breast side up. Baste again, then again after 7 or 8 minutes; at this point the breast should begin to brown (if it hasn't, roast a few more minutes). Turn the heat down to 325; baste again and roast until the thickest part of the thigh reads 160 to 165. Total roasting time should be under an hour.
4. Before removing the chicken from the pan, tip the pan to let the juices from the birds cavity flow into the pan (if they are red, cook another 5 minutes). Remove the bird to a platter and let it rest for 5 minutes. While resting, pour the pan juices into a clear measuring cup, and pour off as much of the fat as you can. Reheat the juices, carve the bird. Garnish and serve with the pan juices.