Recipes:Quick and Easy-Roast Chicken and Vegetables

1- 3 to 4 pound chicken

2 cups 1/2 " dice vegetables ( hard root type such as carrots, turnips, potatoes)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 stick of butter, softened

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

1 10" square of parchment paper.

Toss the veggies and garlic in olive oil and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Place on parchment paper and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board with the wings facing toward you. Using poultry shears, cut down either side of the back. The cutting should be very easy; you are cutting soft rib bones and cartilage. If you are feeling resistance, you are cutting into the backbone. Move the shears 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the spine and resume cutting

The back is approximately 8-9 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. The back can be discarded or frozen to use later for soup or stock.

Place the chicken skin side up on a cutting board. Push down on the middle of the breast, breaking the cartilage until the chicken lies flat.

Season with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

 Slide your fingers under the breast skin to form a pocket.

 Butter the breast only.  The dark meat won't need it.

 Invert the chicken and season with salt and pepper.

Pull the four corners of the parchment paper together to form a package.

Place the package, folded side down in the chicken.

Invert the chicken into your roasting pan. I prefer to use Lodge brand pre-seasoned cast iron skillets.

Place the chicken in the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes.

Reduce heat to 300 degrees and roast for an additional 30-45 minutes.

Using your instant-read thermometer, test the temperature of the chicken in the thickest part of the breast and in the thigh. Make sure the chicken and the vegetables are at 165 degrees.

 Allowing the chicken to rest will result in tender, juicy servings.

I use free range all natural chickens. Check that the chicken you buy does not contain additives. Many chickens are labeled as containing a salt water solution of up to 15%. If this is what you are using, do not season the chicken before cooking.

The salt in this recipe is a coarse ground sea salt. If you use regular table salt, do so sparingly.

After mastering this recipe, you may want to try some variations next time. These will add more time and expense, but you may consider them worthwhile.

Brine the chicken - Dissolve 1 cup of sea salt into 1/2 gallon of boiling water. Let the brine cool to room temperature and soak the chicken in it (refrigerated) for 24 hours before roasting. This will season the chicken more evenly and give it a more robust flavor.

Fresh herbs - Good herbs for chicken include thyme, marjoram, and rosemary (minced very fine). Chop some into the butter before stuffing and / or toss with the veggies.

Lemon zest - Add lemon zest to the brine or mix in with the butter.

Food safety points to remember about cooking chicken:

Chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees F. test in the thickest part of the breast as well as the thigh. For this particular recipe, you also want to ensure that the veggies are cooked to 165 degrees.

Wash the cutting board after working with raw chicken, do not place the cooked chicken back onto the board without washing first.

Do not stuff chicken until just before cooking.

Refrigerate leftovers immediately after the meal and eat within 7 days.