Lemon-Sage Roasted Chicken

I tried to get all artsy fartsy with the herbs & flavors in this yummy recipe. Lemon Thyme is a pretty pink perennial I like to grow in the garden. Italian Parsley and Cooking Sage** do well in the garden, too. Rosemary comes and goes. She requires too much water and therefore dies more often than she survives. And, that's fine by me. Dried, crushed rosemary imparts great flavor to chicken and homegrown potatoes. As for the lemons? Well, until I can garden in zone 9 Nirvana those remain on the grocery list.

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Do you ever bite the bullet and roast a whole chicken? There's not much cause to do so these days since the supermarkets happily do that for us. But every once in awhile I love to make this from-scratch version of that bird in the bag so readily available at the market.

1. Place the chicken in a large stew pot and cover with water.
2. Toss in 2 sliced lemons.
3. Plus, one full cup of crushed herbs just like Simon and Garfunkel suggested way back when ~ parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. 
4. And, 1/2 chopped yellow onion and a full clove, chopped, fresh garlic.
5. Put the lid on this mess and let it percolate in the 'frig overnight.

Drain this glorious bird while you're pre-heating the oven to 475 degrees (F.) No, that's not a typo. Roasting chicken at hot, hot temps is the secret to a moist, delicious meal. Put your cast iron skillet into the oven while it's pre-heating.

After about 15-20 minutes, remove the hot skillet, coat it with olive oil and brown the chicken in it. Then put the skillet and chicken back into the 475 degree oven and roast for about an hour. (Time depends upon the size of the bird.)

* Now I know what you're thinking... 2 days of effort vs. 10 minutes in the checkout line at the supermarket. Is it worth it? Well, I can tell you it makes for one ultra-marvy Sunday Dinner. :)

** Cooking Sage differs from the ornamental sages popular in the garden. Look for Salvia officinalis - the flowers are edible, as well, and have a subtler flavor than the sage leaves.