Roasting a whole chicken is easier than you think, and provides endless leftovers (and meal-prep opportunities!) for the week ahead. First, a chicken is liberally seasoned with fresh herbs and lemon, then roasted to perfection with the breasts served fresh out of the oven over a fabulous lemon-garlic orzo. The wings, legs, and thighs can be set aside for to make anything from chicken pot pie to an immune-boosting soup.
Herb-Crusted Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Orzo
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
For the Herb-Crusted Roasted Chicken
1 (3½- to 4-pound) whole chicken
4 Tbsp (½ stick) salted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Lemon- Garlic Orzo
12 ounces dried orzo
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions:
1. To roast the chicken, preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
3. In a small bowl, mix the butter, oregano, rosemary, and thyme until well combined.
4. Rub about half the herb butter over the outside of the chicken. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and smear the rest of the herb butter under the skin.
5. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet. Tuck the wing tips under the joint where the wing meets the chicken’s body. Using about 6 inches of kitchen twine, tie the ends of the drumsticks together.
6. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear and/or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165ºF. If the skin starts to brown too deeply, simply tent the chicken with a piece of aluminum foil.
7. Meanwhile, make the lemon-garlic orzo: Cook the orzo according to the package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
8. Add the tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to the orzo and stir to combine.
9. Remove the chicken from the oven, tent it with foil (if it’s not already tented), and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve the legs, thighs, and wings from the chicken, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate to use for leftovers. Carve the breasts from the chicken and slice them.
10. Divide the chicken breasts and orzo between two plates. Garnish with the parsley and serve.
From COOK ONCE DINNER FIX by Cassy Joy Garcia. Copyright © 2021 by Cassy Joy Garcia. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
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ingredients
Herb-Crusted Roasted Chicken
Lemon-Garlic Orzo
directions
Rest time: 10 minutes.
To roast the chicken, preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
In a small bowl, mix the butter, oregano, rosemary and thyme until well combined.
Rub about half the herb butter over the outside of the chicken. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and smear the rest of the herb butter under the skin.
Place the chicken in a roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet. Tuck the wing tips under the joint where the wing meets the chicken’s body. Using about 6 inches of kitchen twine, tie the ends of the drumsticks together.
Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear and/or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165ºF. If the skin starts to brown too deeply, simply tent the chicken with a piece of aluminum foil.
Meanwhile, make the lemon-garlic orzo: Cook the orzo according to the package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to the orzo and stir to combine.
Remove the chicken from the oven, tent it with foil (if it’s not already tented) and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve the legs, thighs and wings from the chicken, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate to use for leftovers. Carve the breasts from the chicken and slice them.
Divide the chicken breasts and orzo between two plates. Garnish with the parsley and serve.
All products featured on Food Network Canada are independently selected by our editors. For more products handpicked by our editorial team, visit Food Network Canada's Amazon storefront. However, when you buy through links in this article or on our storefront, we earn an affiliate commission.