Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken

The original recipe that I have replicated for this meal can be found in Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? by Ina Garten on page 122. What is highlighted in red is what I have changed from the original recipe!

For the Roast Chicken (serves 3)

1-Roasting chicken (4-5 pounds)
2- Lemons
1-Whole head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
2-Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced
½ cup- Dry white wine
½ cup- Chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon- all purpose flour
Good olive oil

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 425°.
Remove and discard the giblets. Rinse and pat the chicken dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.
Place two lemon quarters inside the cavity along with the garlic. Brush the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
Place the chicken in a small (11×14-inch) roasting pan. (If the pan is too big the onions will burn.)
Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken. (I actually skipped the bowl and just mixed everything in the pan with the chicken!)

Roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh. (I used a 7 pound chicken so it took closer to 2 hours.)
Remove the chicken to a platter, leaving the lemons and onions in the pan. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

Place the pan on top of the stove over medium-high heat. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits.
Add the stocks and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens.
Add any juices that collect on the platter under the chicken and taste for seasoning.
Carve the chicken onto the platter and spoon the onions and sauce over it. If the lemons are tender enough to eat, serve them, too. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot or warm.

Almost immediately after placing the chicken into the oven the entire house smelled of roasted onions and lemon. I honestly think someone needs to invent an air freshener with this smell. I also recommend making the sauce for this recipe. It came out thick similar to gravy- it was to die for. When cutting into the chicken I could see how juicy and tender each piece was. Ina Garten named this recipe “Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken” because it is her husband’s favorite way that she prepares chicken. Make this for your friends or family and trust me they will be impressed too!

Gather your ingredients.