Recipe by Erica Galindo of Sonomachristianhome.com

Every girl should keep this recipe in her little pink tool bag for a happy home. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll want to pull out when your son doesn’t make the team, your husband has a flu or your day just goes sideways.

Done right, a simple roasted chicken conjures up deep soul, down home comfort. Roast chicken is tender, moist and succulent. It’s not expensive, it’s easy to make and the whole time it’s cooking your house will be infused with that irresistible aroma of a perfectly seasoned, slow roasted chicken on the bone. 

Want to bless your husband after a long day at work? Let him open the door to the luscious fragrance of garlic and sweet rosemary. If he commutes like my husband, I can just about give you a money back guarantee–you will make that man feel loved, appreciated and relaxed.

I frequently use the chicken meat from this recipe in soups like Thai Cauliflower or Jewish Chicken Noodle. It’s also delicious in tacos or salads. And no matter how busy things get, I always take a few extra minutes to build the pan drippings into a rich and flavorful stock.

It’s my GO TO stock that I keep in my freezer and use for a multitude of recipes. For convenience, I like to freeze the stock in ice cube trays so I can pop out cubes as needed. It’s the magic bullet in my soups and the secret ingredient in my sauces. It’s one of those recipes your kids will remember forever and your husband could eat every night of the week.

Recipe by Erica Galindo of Sonomachristianhome.com

INGREDIENTS 

1 Whole Organic Chicken, 5-6 lbs
40 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and crushed
5 springs rosemary on the stem, 1 sprig removed from stem
3 whole lemons, cut in halves
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350º. Let chicken adjust to room temperature before cooking.
Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.

Place 10 garlic cloves on the bottom of the pan and place the chicken on top of the cloves. Season inside of chicken with salt and pepper and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Stuff the cavity with 3 large springs of rosemary, 20 cloves of crushed garlic and 2 lemon halves. Generously season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Massage the outer skin all over with some of the crushed garlic and 1 spring of rosemary. Sprinkle 5 garlic cloves and 1 sprig of rosemary on top of the bird. Place in center of preheated oven.

In a separate saucepan, make basting sauce. On medium low, heat 5 tbsp of evoo and saute 5 cloves of garlic for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add 1 sprig of rosemary and 1/2 lemon. Cook 2-3 minutes then add 2 tbsp of butter. Season with salt & pepper. Keep basting sauce on very low heat and baste the chicken with the sauce every 30 minutes. Add more evoo and butter to the pan, if needed.

Cook the chicken for approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the skin is dark golden brown. Strain the drippings from the pan and serve on the side. And don’t forget to save all the pan drippings to make your homemade chicken stock!