I don't think I ever got around to re-posting my favorite chicken recipe. This one isn't a slow-roasting recipe, so it works best with younger birds. I still brine the bird for a few days, simply because I think it really improves both texture and flavor. I still have to type up the slow-roasting one.
Okay....you have to thoroughly salt and pepper the inside and outside of a dry heritage 5-lb chicken and let it air dry in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Take the chicken out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to roasting so it can reach room temperature. Preheat the oven to 250 °F.
Stuff the chicken with lemon quarters, a bunch of fresh thyme, and 1 head of garlic that you’ve separated into cloves, but left the papery skin on. Put the stuffed bird breast-side up in your chosen roasting pan or rack with the feet facing the rear of the oven and roast for 3 hours or until the bird reaches an internal temp of 155°F.
Close to the end of the roasting period, mix 2 TBSP raw honey with ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and 1 cup fruity white wine in a small saucepan and heat enough to allow the honey to melt into the other liquids.
Remove the chicken from the oven and increase the temp to 475 °F. Separate about 3 TBSP of your honey wine mixture from the pan and brush or pour it over the chicken, and then return the chicken to the hotter oven for another 10 minutes or until the skin is thoroughly browned.
Remove the chicken and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, cook down the remaining sauce mixture until it’s slightly syrupy.
Carve up your chicken and pour the sauce over each serving. If you want you can squeeze some of the lemon quarters or smear some of the garlic cloves on the chicken as well. DELISH!
