Homestyle Roasted Chicken

It’s a chilly, wet day in Dallas, one of those times when you don’t mind the oven heating up the kitchen. And that makes it the perfect day for homestyle roasted chicken. The secret to this recipe’s perfection lies in what it’s stuffed with before baking. I like to fill the chicken with butter, lemon, onion, and rosemary. Not only does this help produce moist, delicious chicken, but the drippings also form the basis for a gravy that’s simply heavenly served over mashed potatoes or white rice. Between the drippings and the seasonings on the chicken's exterior, the gravy is perfectly seasoned.

Ingredients

1 6 ½ pound roasting chicken, giblets discarded

2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Steak seasoning containing salt, black pepper, and garlic

For the Stuffing:

1 stick unsalted butter, quartered longwise

1 small yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1 small lemon, quartered

2 to 4 sprigs of rosemary, depending on size

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.Wash and pat the chicken dry. Then rub the entire chicken with the butter and sprinkle it with the steak seasoning.

2. Insert the sticks of butter, onion, lemon, and rosemary into the cavity. This may require a little smashing, but that’s okay.

3. Close the opening with kitchen twine. If skin flaps create an opening, “sew” them closed with a toothpick.

4. Place chicken on its side on an oiled V-shaped rack in a roasting pan filled with ¼ cup of water. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken onto its back. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170°F, about 45 minutes more, for a total roasting time of about 1 ¾ hours, longer if your chicken is larger. This is important; unlike beef, chicken should never be served undercooked or pink. Baste the chicken periodically and check that the pan doesn’t dry out from evaporation; add more water to the pan if needed.

5. Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. Let it rest, covered with aluminum foil, for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the twine and toothpicks (if used) and discard the lemon/onion/rosemary remains before carving.