A whole roast chicken with crispy skin, lemon and garlic in the cavity, and green beans and carrots cooked in the drippings.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, 1.8-2 kg
- 12 g sea salt
- 30 g olive oil
- 2 lemons — zest one, then halve both
- 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
- 3 g dried thyme or rosemary
- Black pepper
- 500 g green beans, trimmed
- 400 g carrots, in chunks
Click an ingredient once it's in the bowl.
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken very dry, inside and out — moisture is the enemy of crisp skin. If you think of it the night before, salt it and leave it uncovered in the fridge; it makes the best skin.
- Rub the bird with the oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and thyme. Put the lemon halves and garlic in the cavity.
- Roast breast-up about 70-80 minutes, until the breast reads 160-165°F and the thighs 175°F.
- Scatter the green beans and carrots around the bird for the last 20-25 minutes so they roast in the drippings.
- Rest the chicken 15 minutes before carving — it finishes cooking and holds its juices. Squeeze the roasted lemon halves over everything.
Notes
- Save the carcass in the freezer — it becomes the broth for the chicken-vegetable soup on the lunch list.