It was Sunday and I was in the mood for cooking a roast chicken. Off I went to Pinterest in search of inspiration and found an Ina Garten video. Oh, did it look perfectly mouth-watering. Just perfect in its golden color was enough to lure me into finding out more! This recipe was enticing, but I added my own additions like capers and mushrooms, if you like them. This Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken will be a wonderful family sit-down type dinner when you have time to converse and catch up with your loved ones. <3 A great accompaniment to it would be a batch of some amazingly soft Perfect Dinner Rolls (the recipe my little brother shared with me).
Gather and prep your veggies(and fruit) to have everything ready to go!
So, I proceeded with some of Ina Garten’s wisdom, some of which I already knew from Julia.. For example, drying the skin helps it brown. This works with any meat you cook and you want those brown bits in the pan because they add an intensely rich flavor to the end result which you will see soon enough! Place the prepped chicken on the roasting rack, if you have one, Add salt, pepper, a quartered lemon, a whole head of garlic sliced in half along with some sprigs of thyme into the cavity of the chicken.
After the chicken has been rinsed(in and out), patted dry and “stuffed, tie the legs together with twine and tuck the wings behind its back. Brush the melted butter on all exposed outside skin. Then, drizzle any remaining butter over the top and allow it to drip down the sides and into the pan. Salt and pepper liberally.
Layer the carrots, potatoes, onions, lemon slices, capers and a few more sprigs of thyme around the chicken.
Place chicken in a 425 degree preheated oven. Depending on the weight, It could take 1 hour 15 minutes or longer. The internal breast temperature should be 165 degrees, at least.
Remove chicken, after draining its internal juices into the roasting pan, to a platter and tent for about 20 minutes before slicing. The moisture will be absorbed into the meat making it so moist, according to Ina.
Here’s what’s left. Remove the roasting rack and allow vegetables to fall into the roasting pan, You can easily see where the brown bits remain in he pan. We are about to remedy that situation with a little chardonnay.
Pour the chardonnay into the pan, specifically over the brown bits. I only used one cup, but I think a little more would give you more sauce, There’s always next time! I’ll update the instructions if I find this makes a substantial or needed difference. Add the wine to the hot pan specifically over the browned bits. Use a flat edge wooden spatula or comparable tool to gently scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan; this is called “deglazing.” The flavors will disperse throughout the other juices remaining in the pan, making an incredible sauce, coating the veggies, once heated again and alcohol evaporates and thickens somewhat.
Here is where I would add some sliced Baby Bella mushrooms if you prefer them. After tasting the veggies with the sauce and chicken, it reminded me of Julia’s Beef Bourguignon. The sauce would be amazing over them! Now, where was I? My mouth made a quick trip to France (through my mind), but I’m pack now. I call that a “squirrel” moment like in the movie UP. 🙂 The pan was placed back into oven while chicken was cooled and then sliced. The picture below shows how the juices cooked down to become that savory sauce. I probably would cook it less time, or at a lower temperature next time since it appears more of the liquid evaporated than I had expected. Adding more Chardonnay may make a difference too.
Time to devour this in my mouth. One bite of this Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken and I’m in heaven, …or is it France….. Notice that the lemon rinds are visible. If you dare, try a bite of this with your sauce. It’s a delightful surprise, or at least it was to me.
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8 servings
- 4-6 pound roaster
- 1 t. Kosher salt
- 1 t. freshly ground black pepper
- lemon, quartered
- garlic head, halved
- 4 T. butter, melted
- Salt
- pepper
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
- onion, halved pole-to-pole and sliced into ¼" slices
- small yellow or red potatoes
- 1 lemon, halved, quartered, sliced
- thyme sprigs
- 2 T. capers
- 1 c. chardonnay
- 8 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms, optional
- Wash, rinse out and pat dry the roaster.Place on rack in pan.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper inside the cavity. Place quartered lemon, halved garlic head and thyme sprigs inside also and then tie legs together with twine.
- Brush melted butter on the outside of the chicken. Drizzle any remaining butter over the chicken and allow it to flow into the pan.
- Grind fresh pepper over the top of the chicken along with some additional salt.
- Place carrots, onions, potatoes and lelmon slices evenly around the chicken in the pan.
- Place a few thyme springs on top of the vegetables along with the capers.
- Place roasting pan on middle rack in a preheated 425 degree oven.
- Internal temperature should be 165-170 degrees when done. Time will vary according to the weight of the bird. Start checking at 1 hour 15 minutes and cook longer until required safe temperature is reached.
- Lift chicken and drain its savory internal juices over pan vegetables.Remove to cutting board and tent with foil for about 20 minutes.
- Gently remove the rack and allow vegetables to fall into the pan.
- Pour wine into roasting pan, focusing on where the browned bits are hiding, to help deglaze the pan. Slowly stir the bottom to loosen those flavorful remnants.
- Return pan to oven while chicken is resting, no more than 15-20 more minutes.Toss in juices before removing to serving dish.
- Slice chicken and place on a platter with vegetables then serve.
