Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken is the ultimate comfort food meal for your next dinner gathering or to include in your weekly meal plan. It is full of flavor and will be the perfect meal to share with family after a long day.

 

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Oven Roasted Comfort Foods

The mercury has plummeted after a rather warm holiday season, reminding us that yes, indeed it is winter. Menu planning for this week made sure that this house will welcome all with the cozy aromas of slow-roasted foods, soups, stews and baked treats. One of my favorite comfort food meals is roasted chicken. It is easy to prepare, can be as plain-Jane as you wish or you can dress it up all fancy with special herbs & spices. This week I had a few lemons left over so I decided to give it a go with a lemon rosemary concoction that turned out spectacular.

You may recall that I made a perfect Roast Chicken, which is my go-to recipe…it's delicious and even caught the eye of one Food Network chef, by the name of Alton. Yes, Mr. Brown seemed to like it and pinned it to his Pinterest Board. I normally don't pay attention to that kind of stuff, but I will admit, I do like his cooking style and miss his show Good Eats, so that was a little bit of a fan-girl moment.

Is Your Roasted Chicken Plain or Fancy?

Okay, back to our next roasted chicken recipe. As I mentioned, you can be as plain-Jane as you want to be- meaning a little oil rubbed on top and a good shake or two of salt and pepper. Done. Or, you can let your imagination run wild and go to town on flavor pairings. In this case, I had 1 lemon and a couple sprigs of rosemary and some veggies.

I gathered the rest of my ingredients and in 10 minutes, had my bird ready and in the oven.

A Printable Recipe is below!

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This is how I prepped:

• Remove the bag of giblets from inside the bird. This is the small paper-like item that holds the neck, heart & liver.
• Rinse out the cavity with water and blot dry the outside of bird with paper towel.
• Place a small roasting rack inside a roasting pan; I used a glass 10″x13″ pan. Then put chicken on top of rack.
• Cut 3 medium carrots & 2 stalks of celery in half and place around bird. Add 4 whole, unpeeled cloves of garlic and 1 onion cut in wedges. Slice one medium lemon into 1/4 inch slices.
• Salt and pepper inside cavity and place slices of lemon and 1 whole rosemary sprig.

• Rub olive oil over whole bird and generously top with salt and pepper. Add a little bit of garlic powder and top with 2 slices of lemon and second sprig of rosemary. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and place uncovered in preheated
• Add a little bit of garlic powder and top with 2 slices of lemon and second sprig of rosemary. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and place uncovered in preheated
• Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and place uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven. Roast 2 1/2 hours or until thermometer reaches 180 degrees when stuck in
• Roast 2 1/2 hours or until thermometer reaches 180 degrees when stuck in thigh.

 

I thought by using the lemon it would make the gravy taste a little bitter, but was pleasantly surprised it ended up being light and fresh.

Once chicken is cooked, let rest in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to cutting area. Remove veggies and pour liquid in bottom of roasting pan through a fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup or bowl for the gravy.

To make gravy, I know you are supposed to separate the fat from the rest of the liquid, but you know what? I don't. I guess I live on the edge when it comes to gravy. The more fat the better- I only eat it twice a year and by golly, I'm going to enjoy it.

To make the gravy:

Make a roux by melting 4 Tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and then add 4 Tablespoons of flour , whisk until this mixture is smooth and golden brown. Add pan drippings, 1 cube of chicken bullion and a cup or two of chicken stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn to simmer until you are ready to use.

Serve with mashed potatoes, salad, mixed veggies or whatever sides you find make up the perfect cozy meal.