Lemon Roasted Chicken

Since chicken is really the only meat my kids will eat, roasted chicken is a staple in my house. In the winter months it is usually made once a week but I tend to limit it once summer rolls around since we don't have central air conditioning. Running an oven for 1.5 hours in 90 degree weather is not fun at all. What I love about roasting a chicken is that it always leaves me with plenty of leftovers for other meals. You can use it for chicken salad, chicken sandwiches, chicken soup and I am sure lots more. I know plenty of people will take the bones and make homemade chicken stock as well.

I know what you are thinking - "Who the heck needs a recipe for roasted chicken? Just throw it in the oven!" Sure you could do that if you'd like, but that is no fun. This is a super easy, basic recipe but we love it so much. This is how my mother always made a roasted chicken and now it is how I do it for my family. My husband and I fight over the crispy, tangy skin! Last week I was accused of eating more than my share. 

I always suggest using organic ingredients whenever possible, but in the case of the chicken I just could not swing it. I was at the store looking at the chickens and the regular store brand was about $7.50 for 7.5 pounds while the organic, free range chicken was literally double that for a much smaller chicken.That is just insane so I had to pass.

A kitchen gadget that I love for this is my Misto Olive Oil Sprayer. If you don't have one then I highly recommend you look into getting one. I love mine so much and use it all the time. It certainly makes the prep for this so much easier!

Lemon Roasted Chicken Recipe

Ingredients
1 whole, oven roaster chicken
1 lemon, cut in half
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic salt
Pepper

Directions
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~ Remove bag of chicken pieces from inside of chicken. Rinse inside and out and pat dry.
~ Place chicken on rack in a pan. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon all over the chicken and place lemon rind inside.
~ Spray chicken with olive oil or if you don't have a Misto you can brush the olive oil on.
~ Season with garlic salt and pepper.
~ Flip chicken over to its roasting position and then repeat the lemon, olive oil and seasoning steps on this side.
~ I always get a chicken with a pop-up timer so I just put in the oven and leave it until that pops. If you use a meat thermometer then make sure you cook it until the inside reaches the appropriate temperature.
~ Let chicken sit for 5-10 minutes then slice and serve.