Clean Roasted Chicken with White Sweet Potatoes and Herb Rub

Clean Roasted Chicken with White Sweet Potatoes and Herb Rub

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook: 2 1/2 hours, or 20 minutes per pound

Serves: 4

Ahh, roasted chicken--so simple, so beautiful, so fragrant--SO CLEAN....

I have made probably 50 roasted chickens in my day, before I found out how to get the skin super crispy.  Today, I share my secret with you guys.

Ingredients:

1. 4-5 pound chicken, thawed
2. 2 cups broccoli
3. 2 large white sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4. 5 large carrots, peeled and quartered
5. 2 tbsp Fresh Oregano
6. 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
7. 1 tsp Garlic Salt
8. 1 tsp Salt and Pepper
9. 1 tbsp Parsley
10. 3 tbsp olive oil, divided

Directions:
1. Wash the chicken well, remove inside bag. 
2. Pat dry with paper towels--like really dry.  Make sure that chicken skin is bone dry.
3. Pat salt into skin and wrap in plastic wrap.

4. Place in fridge for 40 minutes.  This will allow the salt to pull some of the moisture out of the skin.  Pulling moisture out of the skin will help the skin crisp up during cooking.
5.  While your chicken is resting in the fridge, peel and assemble your vegetables around the outside of a cooking pan.  Preheat your oven to 375.

Leave a pretty decent size space in the middle to rest the chicken.  If your chicken ends up resting on some veggies, that's okay.  Don't panic.  You've come to far now to turn back.
6. To prepare your dry rub for the chicken dice the oregano and place in a bowl with remaining spices.  Here is my rule of thumb when making roasted chicken--GREEN GREEN GREEN.  Green fresh herbs look amazing on the chicken, trust me.  When making the rub please always use atleast one fresh herb.  My choice was oregano but I also enjoy fresh parsley.  When placing the dry parsley into your rub squash it around in your hand a little to release some oils and "wake it up".

7.  Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap.
8.  Place the chicken on a cutting board and rub the rub you made into the chicken skin. 
9.  Use a spoon or knife to separate the chicken skin from the breast right near the chickens little but cavity.  This will leave a pocket where you can inject juices and spices.  Rub some spice directly in that pocket as well.
 BAMMMM

10.  Drizzle 1 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil onto the vegetables, but try not to get it on the chicken.  Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the pan to help create juice.
11.  Place the chicken in the oven on 375 for approximatly 1 1/2 hours.
12.  After this time reduce the heat in the oven to 325, remove the chicken, and use a baster to inject some of the drippings into that pocket you created near the little chicken bum.
13.  Cook for one more hour on 325...the general rule is 20 minutes per pound, so adjust this cooking time according to the size of your chicken.
14.  Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to cool for 10 minutes to help seal in the juices into the chicken (if you try to cut meat right out of the oven it dries and will be crumbly)

AND...WHALLAAAAAA

Chicken is awesome because you can reuse the meat for the next 2 days in different ways.  Next week I may attempt to show you how to make a yummy and clean chicken broth to freeze so you can always have it.  Chicken broth from the can has shit in it you cannot pronounce--I guarantee that.