Lemon and Spice Roasted Chicken

For Christmas The MR (my lovely-wonderful-will eat anything-best friend-lover face boyfriend) gave me a Le Creuset enameled cast iron 5 quart pot and my oh my its wonderful! I've cooked mac and cheese, 3-bean chili and tonight I roasted a chicken - yummers! It seriously turned out so wonderful - juicy, lots of flavor and basically fell off the bone. I served it with sauteed bok choy & mushrooms with garlic and soy sauce and a side of brown rice. 

A note about my cooking, I rarely measure spices, actually, I never measure spices. I get a feeling, ok, not a God is telling me enough kinda feeling, but a feeling. As Mom says, taste as you go and you will know. So, that's what I do - lots and lots of tasting. I'll do my best to put measurements but taste your food - DON'T TASTE RAW CHICKEN! I feel like I have to put that, I'd feel terrible if someone got salmonella because I told them to taste chicken for enough spice. Oh, and I plan to put pictures for future recipes, I just didn't think about it today. 

Roasted Chicken

The Stuff:

5lb Whole Chicken

1.5 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 tablespoon Dried Rosemary (or Thyme if you prefer)

2 teaspoon Sea Salt

2 tablespoon Cracked Black Pepper

1 tablespoon Lemon Pepper

Half teaspoon Paprika

1 Lemon

1 Small Onion Coarsely Chopped

3 Gloves Garlic sliced

Salt, pepper and lemon pepper for inside of chicken (here is where I'm not measuring, I basically, generously coat the inside of the chicken with these spices)

The How To:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Coat bottom of Le Creuset or your roasting pan with olive oil
• Empty out the cavity of the chicken and wash with water inside and out, then place in the Le Creuset, tucking the wing tips under the chicken
• Generously sprinkle sea salt, black pepper and lemon pepper on the inside of the chicken and add 1 of the tablespoons of rosemary
• Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice on the outside of the chicken, place the lemon (yes, the whole lemon, peel and all) into the cavity of the chicken
• Stuff the chicken with the onion 
• Place the sliced garlic between the skin and the meat of the chicken
• Cover top of chicken with the measured out sea salt, pepper, paprika, lemon pepper and remainder of the rosemary
• Put lid on Le Creuset, if you don't have a roasting pan with a lid use aluminum foil 
• Cook at 350 for an hour and a half or until the leg pulls away easily and the liquid is clear. If you don't feel comfortable doing that use a meat thermometer
• With about 10 minutes left take the lid/foil off to help crisp the skin (to keep it light, I don't eat the skin, but The MR does and he likes it crispy)
• Take the chicken out and let it rest 5-10 minutes, take out the lemon and onion and carve away. You should get a juicy chicken!

Weight Watcher Friends: Points with skin: drumstick 2p+, wing 3p+, thigh 4p+, 4oz breast 5p+

Enjoy!