Simple Roasted Chicken

Name: Simple Roasted Chicken
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2 (4½- to 5-pound) whole roasting chickens; 2 lemons, quartered; 2 small yellow onions, quartered; 6 fresh thyme sprigs; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; Kosher salt; Fresh ground black pepper

Serve perfectly golden roasted chicken—with crisp skin and moist meat—that has family racing to the table.

Serve perfectly golden roasted chicken—with crisp skin and moist meat—that has family racing to the table. Shred any leftover chicken for weekday dishes that are just as satisfying.

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

2 (4½- to 5-pound) whole roasting chickens
2 lemons, quartered
2 small yellow onions, quartered
6 fresh thyme sprigs
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking pan with foil. Place a wire rack in the pan; set aside.
If necessary, remove necks and giblets from chickens; reserve for another use or discard. Pat chickens dry with paper towels.
Place chickens, breast side up, on rack in baking pan. Loosely place lemons, onions and thyme in body cavities. Skewer neck skin to backs. Tie drumsticks together with 100% cotton kitchen string. Rub chickens with olive oil; season generously with salt and black pepper.
Roast, uncovered, 1¼ to 1½ hours or until a thermometer inserted away from bone into the thickest parts of breasts registers 165°F or 175°F for thighs. (If necessary, loosely cover with foil during the end of roasting to prevent overbrowning.) Remove from oven. Loosely cover with foil and let rest 15 minutes.
Transfer chickens to a cutting board. Remove and discard kitchen string, lemons, onions and thyme sprigs before carving or shredding the meat.

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