Roast Lemon Chicken, March 4, 2015

There is just something so very homey about a roasted chicken. Last Wednesday, we had a very cozy evening, with a nice, clean house, candles burning, and chicken for supper. This is my favorite go-to recipe for roast chicken. In order to honor the coming spring weather, I made a light, spring-y vegetable to go with the heavier potatoes & carrots roasted with the chicken. My tastebuds were absolutely delighted with the lemony snow peas!

Lemon Roast Chicken

A  3 1/2-4 lb. roasting chicken

1 lemon

Rosemary sprigs, optional

Salt & pepper

1 tbsp. butter

Olive oil

Diced potatoes

Baby carrots

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in roasting pan or 13x9 baking pan. Place half the lemon and the rosemary, if using, inside. Rub chicken with salt and pepper, getting some of it under the skin. Rub with butter, then drizzle with olive oil. Toss potatoes and carrots around the bottom of the pan (or cook them separately, drizzled with a little olive oil, in a small baking pan, if you don't want the added calories from roasting them in chicken fat). Cook about an hour and 15 minutes, until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the inner thigh, not touching the bone. Remove from oven and sprinkle with juice from remaining lemon half. Let stand, tented with foil, in the roasting pan for about 15 minutes. Serves 2-4. Any leftover meat makes for a terrific chicken salad. 

Snow Peas with Lemon Tarragon Butter

1/2 lb. snow peas, trimmed

3/4 tbsp. butter, room temperature

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (dried works fine, if you have it around)

1 tsp. finely chopped tarragon (dried works fine, if you can't find fresh)

1 tsp. finely chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

Drop snow peas into boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about a minute and a half. Mix everything else together. Drain snow peas and toss with butter. Serves 2.