How To: Roast a Whole Chicken

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Do you want to know how to: roast a whole chicken? We are here to teach you! Well, with a little help from Smart Chicken. At Organic Roots, you have the choice of many high-quality meat and poultry products. One of our absolute favorite items in the Organic Whole Chicken from Smart Chicken. These young, whole chickens have their wing tips and giblets removed, and have even been trussed for your convenience. Always air chilled, Smart Chicken whole chickens remain tender and juicy when roasted, with a crispy golden brown skin that’s simply unbeatable!

Hatched, Raised, and Harvested in the USA, these chickens are Certified Organic, Non GMO Project Verified, and Certified Humane. They are Free Range and have No Antibiotics EVER! So many of our customers LOVE this product, and so we wanted to share this delicious recipe from Smart Chicken so you can try it for yourself! Show us how yours turns out with the hashtag #rootsrecipes!

How To: Roast a Whole Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole Smart Chicken
½ gallon cold water
4 ounces kosher salt
2 ounces brown sugar
2 lemons, one halved; one zested
3 cloves garlic, minced
20 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

In a stock pot, heat the cold water, kosher salt, brown sugar, 1 lemon (halved), 10 fresh thyme sprigs, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and chill until cold. Once cold, place the chicken in the brine, cover the chicken with a plate so it stays submerged, and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Take the chicken out of the brine and pat dry. In a bowl, combine the lemon zest, minced garlic, and thyme leaves. With the breasts of the whole chicken facing toward you, loosen the chicken skin around the breasts through the front opening. Very carefully distribute the garlic mixture underneath the skin as evenly as possible and as spread out as possible.

Place the chicken in a heated large cast iron skillet and roast to an internal temperature of 165°F, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Halfway through the cooking process, add the butter and baste the chicken every 10 minutes.

Recipe created by Benjamin Maides, Chef, Au Courant Regional Kitchen, Omaha, Nebraska(https://www.smartchicken.com/lemonthyme-roasted-chicken)