Citrus Roasted Chicken

On Sunday night I was going to make a complicated roast chicken recipe--but I never got around to it. Instead we went out and had Mexican due to some crazy indecision. But I would not let the chicken go to waste!

So Monday after work, I decided I'd make the chicken. Chicken only takes about an hour and a half to bake which sounds long but is really quite comparable to the time it takes to choose, drive to and order at restaurant. The problem was that this recipe wasn't a simple salt & pepper throw it in the oven chicken. This recipe had some chopping, a brushed on handmade marinade, the inside cavity stuffed. It was for all intents and purposes complicated to prepare the bird.

I adapted this recipe from what my sister in law calls the "best turkey she's ever had in her life." recipe. I might have taken a lot of shortcuts or I may have followed the recipe, but it was hard. In the end the chicken tasted like it had a bit of a citrus glaze, it was moist even in the white meat and it looked kind of pretty.

Citrus Marinated Roast Chicken

2 T butter, melted

2 lemons, zested and thinly sliced

1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

1/4 C honey

1/8 C lemon juice

salt & pepper

1 onion, cut into cubes

4 celery stalks, sliced

4 carrots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2-3 bay leaves

1 small bunch thyme, tied

4 tiny apples or 1 large, cut into wedges

1 orange, cut into wedges

1/8 C orange marmalade

1. Stir together butter and zest. Attempt to separate the skin from the breast and legs area. Spread the butter-zest mixture under the skin, arrange lemon slices and then pull the skin back into place.

2. Mix together vinegar, honey and lemon juice, set aside

3. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Brush the honey mixture all over the turkey and inside.

4. Preheat the oven to 425.

5. Spread the vegetables and spices on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up on top and tie the legs.

6. Stuff the cavity with apples, oranges and leftover lemon. Arrange the rest in the pan. Drizzle the rest of the honey mixture all over the pan

7. spread the orange marmalade on the top and sides of the chicken.

8. Bake at 425 for an hour & a half or until the juices run clean and the proper temperature is reached.

9. Serve with the vegetables from the pan now covered in chicken grease.

We had dinner at 8:30, not so bad actually.