It's Incredibly Simple & Incredibly-er Delicious!

Roasting an entire chicken can be a daunting task. This probably stems form the fact that if you mess it up, you've ruined an entire bird rather than having the ability to go back and re-cook smaller pieces such as breasts or thighs.  Nobody wants to throw away a whole chicken and settle on cereal for dinner.

Don't let this scare you! Roasting a chicken doesn't have to be complicated or difficult.  Liz and I aren't master chefs in any way shape or form, and we've managed to follow this recipe with phenomenal results.  Of course, we might be a little biased, we used our own Nobody Calls Me Chicken! Spice Blend which definitely aids in making this bodacious bird taste phenomenal. It's chock full of herbs, spices and lemon goodness! Not only that, but it makes your entire house smell amazing! Think of it as a "Warm Roasted Chicken" scented candle you can eat.  

Ok....maybe don't. But you get the idea. Let's get to cooking, shall we? From prepping to devouring, this recipe is going to take about an hour and a half of your time, but most of it is going to be relaxing and daydreaming about eating your creation when it's ready.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1, 4 lb. chicken
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1 Tbsp Wayward Gourmet Nobody Calls Me Chicken Spice Blend more or less depending on taste
• 2 Tbsp butter
• Roasting pan
• Instant Read Meat Thermometer (Insanely useful, you'll find yourself using it almost every day)

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Put your chicken in the roasting pan breast side up and pat the little critter dry.
3. Smush butter and Nobody Calls Me Chicken! Spice Blend together in a bowl until it's a smooth, spreadable consistency.
4. Spread butter mixture all over the top of the bird.  If you're feeling adventurous, work some of it under the skin of the bird as well. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!
5. Squeeze half of the lemon over the top of the bird and stick both halves into the cavity. (Lemon flavored steam!)
6. Put the pan with the chicken in the oven and roast until skin is browned and crisp, the juices should run clear rather than red or pink. This should take about 1 hour.
7. Use your trusty instant-read meat thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, to get a reading of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).  If it's not up to temp, throw that bad boy back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until you get to the proper temp.
8. Let the bird rest about 10 minutes before cutting into it and eating (Hard to wait, I know, but this allows the chicken to cook just a little more outside of the oven to bring it to that perfect sweet spot of 165 degrees).

               
That's it!  Liz and I worked out this recipe about 13 times before getting it just right so we're really excited to share it with you.  We'd love to see your roast chicken creations! Show us on Twitter @WaywardGourmet or on Instagram #WaywardGourmet. We put all of your creations on our homepage so look out for that!  

Cheers!