Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Chicken
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It is amazing how the simple combination of rosemary and garic can so infuse the chicken in this classic recipe, making it taste every bit as glorious as it smells when it's cooking in the oven.
INGREDIENTS
1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
8 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium-size red onions, quartered
2 whole garlic heads
2 teaspoons olive oilPreheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken under cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat.
Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers and gently pushing fingers between the skin and meat. Place rosemary and crushed garlic beneath skin of breast and drumsticks. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack of a broiler pan.
Cut a thin slice from end of each onion quarter. Remove white papery skin from garlic heads, do not peel or separate cloves. Cut top off garlic heads, leaving root ends intact.
Insert a meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Brush onion pieces and garlic heads with olive oil. Arrange onion and garlic heads around chicken. Remove oven temperature to 350 degrees; bake an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 180 degrees.
Cover chicken loosely with aluminum foil; let stand 10 minutes. Discard skin from chicken. Squeeze roasted heads of garlic to extract pulp; serve as a spread on French bread, if desired.
Makes 8 servings