Bake & Roast

1. Truss the chicken so it will cook evenly.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Put olive oil in a pan that can go from stovetop to oven (like an oval roasting dish, a rimmed baking sheet, or a 9-by-3-inch baking pan). Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the bird breast side up and brown for 5 minutes without moving. Turn chicken to one side, and brown 2 minutes, turn to other side and repeat. Carefully turn chicken over, making sure that a film of oil covers the bottom of the pan and brown for 4 minutes. Turn chicken again so breast side is up.

3. Sprinkle top of chicken with 1 Tbsp. of parsley and squeeze lemon over top. If desired, place lemon slices around the chicken. Roast for 25 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Loosely tent chicken with foil by pleating a piece of foil down the middle and placing over pan. Roast until juices run golden or clear when piercing under the leg with the point of a knife, about 30 to 35 minutes, checking after 30 minutes. If juices are pink, roast for another 10 minutes (until internal temperature is 165 degrees F). Remove to a platter. Let rest for 15 minutes.

4. While chicken is resting, pour all the liquid from the roasting pan into a glass measuring cup. Measure out 2 Tbsp. of the fat and return it to the pan; skim off any remaining fat and discard. Return remaining juices to the pan. Add 1/4 cup of the broth and heat over medium-high heat, scraping up bits from the bottom to deglaze the pan. Stir in remaining 1 Tbsp. parsley and 3/4 cup broth. Bring to simmer and stir continuously for 8 minutes. Transfer to a small pitcher (there should be about 1/2 cup pan juices).

5. Carve chicken by first cutting off leg-thigh portions, then wings. Cut leg and thigh into two pieces, then cut breast meat into slices. Place meat on a platter. Serve with pan juices on the side.

Source: Hannaford fresh Magazine, March - April 2015