Second Shot at Roast Chicken

My mom got me a copy of How Easy Is That? for my birthday a few weeks ago, and I've been bookmarking recipes left and right. I knew I'd love the cookbook because my mom loves her copy so much, and I'm a huge Ina fan. When I found a recipe for Jeffery's Roast Chicken, I read the title out loud to John and we both cracked up. I knew I had to make it! Are we the only ones who totally make fun of Jeffery Garten (a.k.a. Mr. Barefoot Contessa)? Surely we're not. There's just something so funny about him, and the way Ina talks about him. Doesn't it seem like everything revolves around Jeffery, when he's coming home, and what his favorite foods are? I made this chicken on a Friday night, which made me laugh/smirk even more - if you are a follower of Barefoot Contessa, you know that Ina's claim to fame is making Jeffery his favorite roast chicken every Friday night. I promise it was a coincidence, I'm not that cheesy!

The only other time I've made a roast chicken was another Barefoot Contessa recipe, which turned out amazing, so I was almost hesitant to stray from what worked so well the first time. (When I linked to the first time I made it, I realized that post was exactly a year ago tomorrow - how weird!). I'm glad I tried old Jeffery's fave this go round, because this version is really easy and SO good - I would definitely make this for company. The seasoning is perfect, and the sauce really takes it to a gourmet level.

A quick weekend recap. I hope you had a great weekend - mine was really nice. I went to Athens Friday to visit my friend Natalie and it was an awesome ladies night, complete with a really good dinner, drinks at a jazz bar that had awesome specialty cocktails, and brunch the next morning at the Grit - Michael Stipe from REM's restaurant. When I got back to Atlanta on Saturday, John and I ran errands (including a trip to Whole Foods <3), had a great 5 mile run in shorts and a sleeveless top (in Feb!) and grilled out. Today was church, a long walk with Sam and John, reading, and cleaning. I feel rested and ready to take on the work week, even though it's going to be insanely busy. John's making dinner right now (chicken sausage with peppers and rice) and then we're going to catch up on DVR.

I plan to pick up the blogging pace again this week - thanks for bearing with me while the past few weeks have been out of control busy!  Tons of dinners out with friends and for work, plus I was out of town last weekend for Emily's beautiful wedding in Birmingham.

See you guys soon!

Jeffery's Roast Chicken

Serves 3

Recipe Source: How Easy Is That?

Ingredients:
(1) 4 to 5 pound roasting chicken 
salt and pepper
2 lemons
1 whole head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
Olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
1 tablespoon flour


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Remove the chicken giblets and dry the outside of the chicken.  Salt and pepper the inside and stuff with 2 quarters of the lemons, and the garlic.   


Brush the chicken with olive oil and season with lots of salt and pepper (I used coarse sea salt).  Tie the legs together with kitchen string.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan.  Put the reserved lemons and sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.  Pour the mixture around the chicken.


Roast the chicken (the recipe says about 1 hour and 15 minutes but my ancient oven made me end up roasting it for 1 hour 45 minutes) until it reads 170 degrees with a meat thermometer.  Remove it to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes while you make the sauce.


For the sauce: Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium high heat.  Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the bits.  Add the chicken broth and flour, stirring quickly for about a minute, until the sauce thickens.  Carve the chicken on the platter and spoon onions and sauce over it.  You can even eat the lemons, which add a delicious tanginess to the dish.

Directions: