Roasted Chicken for a Cloudy Day

My mom made a roasted chicken for dinner tonight, which is my favorite thing she prepares. (Bad joke: why did I cross the road? To get to the other side to eat some of my mom’s succulent chicken!) Somehow, my mom manages to keep the chicken moist and juicy every time. Her trick is to add some chicken broth on top of the chicken and also in the cooking container (which is a cake pan). The cavity of the chicken is overflowing with onions and rosemary. The onions caramelize in the oven, giving the onions a soft and mild sweet taste. She also cooks little potatoes and carrots with the chicken (on the sides of the cake pan). I am so excited to eat the leftovers tomorrow!

Ingredients

Chicken

• One 3 pound organic chicken
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• Paprika
• Herbes de Provence
• Salt and pepper

Optional: Add baby carrots and small red potatoes around the chicken

Directions

1) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, and wash the chicken thoroughly.

2) Clean the chicken cavity, and then stuff the cavity with 2 sprigs of rosemary (full), half of the onion (or less if not all of it fits), and 1 clove of garlic

3) Tear the remaining sprig of rosemary with your hands and sprinkle the rosemary on the top of the chicken.  Also, sprinkle some paprika on the chicken skin.  (There is no exact measurement for this, just give the chicken a light dusting).  Add salt, pepper, and some Herbes de Provence on top of the chicken.

4) Pour the chicken broth on top of the chicken as well as in the container you cook the chicken.  (My mom generally uses a 9 inch cake pan).  Note: the amount of chicken broth can vary depending on the size of your dish.

5) Put the remaining onion on the perimeter of the container which you use to cook the chicken as well as the potatoes and carrots (if you decide to use these).

6) Cook the chicken for roughly 75 minutes, but check occasionally since most ovens work differently.  (My mom tends to flip the chicken once one side has gotten golden brown so that the other side browns as well.  She does this about 50 minutes into the cooking process).