The Best Roast Chicken Ever

A well roasted chicken is sheer heaven. Fragrant with garlic, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and lemon and served with crisp potatoes and crumbled bacon, it is a feast indeed.

You can add other root vegetables to the roasting pan if you like, but the combination of the crisp potatoes and the bacon is enough for me.

Ingredients:

One 4 to 5 pound chicken
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
6 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch segments
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into quarters
4 to 5 pounds of potatoes peeled, cut into pieces and parboiled for 10 minutes
1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
6 strips of good streaky smoked bacon

Directions:

Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Put three of the garlic cloves and 5 sprigs of the thyme in the cavity, and rub the thyme and garlic all around the inside. Put a lemon cut in quarters, some garlic cloves and a sprig of fresh rosemary into the cavity. Refrigerate it uncovered for 24 hours to help to make the skin extra crispy. Take the chicken out of the refirgerator a few hours before roasting in so it will come to room temperature before you put it in the oven. This will help it cook evenly.

Preheat oven to 475°F. Truss the chicken with kitchen string. Place the vegetables, onions, garlic, and remaining thyme sprig into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and toss with your hands until well coated. Season generously with salt and pepper. Rub the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Create a bed of the vegetables and potatoes in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the chicken on the bed of vegetables. Next rub the top of the chicken breasts with some soft butter.

Place the pan in the oven and roast the chicken for 25 minutes at 475°F. Then lay the strips of bacon across the breast, reduce the heat to 400°F and roast for an additional 45 minutes, or until the thickest part of the thigh registers 160°F on a meat thermometer and the juices run clear.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, keep it warm and let rest for 20 minutes before carving to serve. Remove the bacon from the chicken and crumble over the potatoes.  Cut the chicken into serving pieces. Serves 4.