Lemon-Stuffed Roast Chicken with Herbs
Adapted from The New American Cooking by Joan Nathan (Knopf, 2005)

By Monica Bhide
August 2006

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Serves 4-6

For me, no other comfort food can beat roast chicken, the test of a good cook. Roast chicken is an easy one-pot meal if you use lots of garlic and herbs and surround the chicken with vegetables. Just put it in the oven and take it out a little over an hour later. Every culture in America has its own variation, often jealously guarded, with different flavorings and different timing, but always the same sense of comfort.

1	3- to 4-pound, whole good-quality roasting chicken
1	lemon, plain or preserved
4	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
	Sea or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6	cloves garlic, peeled
1	handful of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, sage and thyme, plus extra mixed herbs for garnish
1	onion, unpeeled, cut into four pieces
2	potatoes, cut into four pieces
2	carrots, peeled and cut into four pieces
1	zucchini, quartered
2	teaspoons za’atar
1	teaspoon sumac

 

About the Chef

Award-winning writer and cookbook author Joan Nathan shares her love and recipes for star anise and za’atar. While these are somewhat unusual, you will not find a better guide than Joan on how to incorporate them into your dishes. Joan’s latest book, The New American Cooking (Knopf, 2005), has just won a James Beard Award.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Lightly butter the bottom of a roasting pan or line it with parchment paper.

Cut the lemon in half and rub the chicken with the juice and then with a tablespoon or so of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, less if using a preserved lemon.

Stuff the chicken with the remaining half lemon, a few cloves of the garlic, and the herbs. Place the chicken breast-up in the baking pan. Strew the remaining garlic, onion, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini around the chicken. Rub with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the za’atar and sumac. Roast the chicken for 60 minutes, basting occasionally.

Reduce the heat to 375º and roast until the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh, about 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 110º. Take the chicken out of the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes, if you want, putting a saucer under the legs, to raise them up a bit to allow the juices to flow down to the breast.

To make a gravy, place the roasting pan with everything that’s left in it over a moderately hot heat. Pour about ½ cup water into the pan to deglaze it, scraping up and incorporating into the gravy any bits and pieces that are stuck to the pan. Let it simmer for a few minutes and then pour into a bowl, skimming off the fat, to be passed at the table.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, surround with the vegetables, and sprinkle fresh herbs over the chicken to garnish.