Rosemary is the herb or romance and remembrance, which is one of the reasons I carried it in my wedding bouquet. Another reason is that the smell of rosemary never fails to flood me with a sense of well-being. I must not be alone in this– it is a popular herb in spas and spa treatments, and there are all kinds of soaps and bath salts scented with rosemary.
But nothing beats the real thing. And nothing says Sunday night at home with the ones you love like the aroma of a chicken roasting with rosemary and garlic. Your house will smell like comfort and peace and contentment. At dinner time, siblings who just moments ago were bickering will now be nearly cordial, and the annoying thing your spouse did will fade from memory.
Yes, rosemary roasted chicken is the all-powerful peacemaker and soother– and may be just the antidote for our current noisy political debacle.
| Servings 8 |
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- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
- 4 garlic cloves,
- 5-6 pound roasting chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 orange, quartered
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- Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a shallow baking sheet pan or roasting pan with cooking spray.
- Chop the rosemary and garlic finely together and combine in a bowl with the salt.
- Trim the excess fat from the bird. Starting at the neck, loosen the skin without pulling it off, and use your fingers to spread the rosemary mixture under the skin and on top of the meat. Place the orange quarters in the cavity of the bird.
- Tuck the tips of the wings under the back. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with the salt and the pepper. Place the bird, breast side up, on the baking sheet and roast in the center of the oven until an instant read meat thermometer inserted deep in the thigh (not touching the bone) registers 170-175 degrees, about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Allow to stand 10 minutes before carving.
| 356 calories | 38g protein | 2g carbohydrates | 0g fiber | 21g fat | 7g saturated fat | 696mg sodium |
Hi Marge-
Sometimes I substitute lemon for the orange but either way, I rub the top of the chicken with either the lemon or the orange.
Such a cozy and yummy roast chicken dish!!