Lazy Sundays are perfect for cooking wonderful family meals. Sunday dinner, a tradition in our home, has all our family coming together to enjoy sharing time and food as a family once again. I learned to cook form my mother who masterfully created a different feast every Sunday. In our Italian American family, we honored the tradition of large family Sunday dinners.  My life busy lifestyle is drastically different from my mother’s but I enjoy, like she,  leisurely Sundays preparing a bountiful meal without hurrying through the preparation.

Roasted Chicken is easy to create with many different seasonings that bring out the flavor of the chicken. I love to experiment with different ways to make a whole chicken from marinating to roasting. However, you choose to cook a whole chicken to be creative and have fun!

 

Perfect Roasted Chicken 

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken

Kosher salt

1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

2 olive oil

2 teaspoon ground sage

2 teaspoon ground thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper  

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt inside out of the chicken.

Place on a large plate cover and refrigerate overnight. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Put the chicken in a roasting pan. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic.

Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil, sprinkle sage, thyme, salt, and pepper over chicken. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. 

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter.

 

Enjoy!