Easter Sunday Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken

In recent times, Easter has become synonymous with stuffing yourself with chocolate eggs. Remind your brood of the REAL taste of Easter with this succulent herb and garlic roasted chicken.

Preparation time: 1/2 hour
Cooking time: 3 hours
Total time: 3 1/2 hours
Servings: 8

Your ingredients:

4 teaspoons of fresh thyme

4 teaspoons of fresh rosemary

4 teaspoons of fresh parsley

2 teaspoons of fresh sage

6 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper

1 whole chicken (8 pounds)

Celery, carrots, shallots and apple slices (enough to make a layer in roasting pan)

How to make your Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Snip the thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sage into a bowl with a pair of kitchen shears (you can use a knife and cutting board, but it's much easier to simply snip herbs directly into a bowl.

2. Finely mince the garlic.
3. Combine the chopped herbs and garlic in a small bowl and add the salt and pepper.
4. Remove the giblets from the chicken if they are still intact. Now rinse the chicken and pat dry.
5. Gently loosen and lift the skin from the drumsticks and breast, but do not remove the skin completely. Rub the herb mixture underneath the skin. Carefully replace the skin.
6. Grease a shallow roasting pan.
7. Using a cutting board and knife, chop the celery and carrots into large pieces and slice the apples. Create a layer of celery, carrot, whole shallots and apple in the roasting pan, and place the chicken on top, breast side up. This step really enhances the flavor of the chicken (instead of just using a wire rack).

8. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in your preheated oven at 450°F. Then, reduce heat to 350°F and bake for about 2 1/2 hours. If necessary, cover the roast loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.

Always use a food timer for accurate timing. Roasts can easily become dry, even when you overcook for just 5 minutes!
9. Insert a cooking thermometer into one of the thighs and make sure it registers to 180°F.

10. Let the covered roast sit for 10 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute. Happy Easter!