Rosemary Lemon Chicken

What You Need:

• 1 4-5 lb. whole chicken, giblets removed
• 2 lemons
• 4-6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 whole garlic bulb
• Steak seasoning grinder
• Salt
• Butter, approximately 2 tablespoons
• Extra virgin olive oil, approximately 1 teaspoon

What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Have your child roll the lemons on the counter with the palm of her hands to loosen up the juices.
3. Ask her to slice the lemons in half.
4. Squeeze the juice of one half inside the chicken cavity. Squeeze another half over the top of the chicken. Tuck all four halves into the chicken cavity.
5. Crush a garlic glove with the flat side of a chef’s knife to release the oils and rub it over the skin of the chicken.
6. Tuck a couple of garlic cloves along with a couple small dabs of butter under the skin of the breast.
7. Tuck a few garlic cloves into the chicken and wrap the rest in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and place it in the pan beneath the roasting rack.
8. Sprinkle the leaves of 1 or 2 sprigs of rosemary all over the chicken and stick the remaining sprigs inside the chicken.
9. Spread a few more small dabs of butter onto the chicken skin and season generously with McCormick’s seasoning and salt.
10. Place the chicken on the rack of a roasting pan and roast for about 3 hours, turning it over once halfway during cooking.
11. The chicken is ready when the skin is crisp and a deep golden brown and the juices run clear. To test it, pierce the chicken with a fork or knife and if the juices are clear, it is cooked through. If it is pink, it needs to cook a little longer.
12. Unwrap the extra garlic and set it out on the table as an extra garnish for garlic fans in the family.
13. Enjoy the chicken with a tossed green salad and your celebratory side dishes, and you’ve got yourself a fancy dinner that took no fuss to make.

Did You Know?

Rosemary comes from the Latin word “rosmarinus” which means “dew of the sea.” It is an herb that is part of the mint family but looks and smells a lot like pine. The plant can grow as tall as five feet and have flowers that are white, lavender or blue. In many cultures, rosemary is thought to have magical and healing properties, and it is popularly used in cooking in fresh, dried or powdered form.