I spend so much time looking for new chicken recipes, that I sometimes forget about a simple, classic roasted chicken. Roasting a whole chicken is super easy, and you can incorporate any flavors you want. You’ll end up with a beautiful, juicy, delicious main dish.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• one whole chicken (4-5 lbs) with giblets removed
• seasonings of your choice – I used salt, pepper and Tony’s
• 1 head of garlic and 1 lemon (for stuffing inside chicken)
• vegetables of your choice to roast with chicken – I used baby potatoes, onion and bell pepper
• 1/2 stick butter, melted

First, remove giblets from inside cavity of chicken. (Sometimes they are already removed.) Cut the head of garlic in half, and cut the lemon into quarters. Season inside cavity of chicken, then stuff the garlic and lemon pieces inside.

Cut the remaining vegetables into bite-sized pieces. I used potatoes, onion and bell pepper because those are what I had at home already, but you can use any vegetables you’d like, such as carrots, zucchini or squash.

Place vegetables in the bottom of a baking dish, then season them liberally. Place chicken on top of vegetables, then season it as well. Pour melted butter over top of chicken and vegetables. Then roast in a 425 degree oven for about an hour and 30 minutes. Halfway through, brush some of the butter/juices in bottom of dish over top of chicken to keep skin from burning. (Or just use a spoon if you don’t have a brush.)

The finished product will have a deep, beautiful color from the butter and seasonings, and the vegetables will be tender and flavorful from the butter and juices released from the chicken. Serve the vegetables as a side dish.

Thanks y’all!

   – Nikki