There is nothing worse than getting one of those rotisserie chickens from the grocery store and taking a bite of it to find the skin is all soggy and slimy and the chicken breast is tough and dry. Such a disappointment! So I decided it was about time to learn how to make a whole roasted chicken for myself. And oh my goodness, it was so easy and it turned out perfect! The skin was crispy and the meat was so incredibly juicy! The best part was that it was seriously so easy to make, anyone can do it!
[What you need]
Whole chicken, uncooked
6-7 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt
pepper
[What to do]
Preheat your oven to 375. Rinse off your chicken, take out any of the nasty guts, and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place your chicken on a platter and drizzle it with olive oil. Season it with salt and pepper. Try and separate the skin from the meat a little bit over the breasts and season between them. Next, but about 1/4 of your chopped garlic and rosemary into the inside of the chicken along with 1/2 the butter. Then take about 1/2 of your rosemary and garlic that is left and put pat it onto the outside of the chicken.
In your dutch oven, heat up the vegetable oil until it's hot (when it just starts to smoke). Now here is the tricky part: using a large pari of tongs or you might have to use two large wooden spoons, whatever works best for you, pick up the chicken and put it breast side down into the pan with hot oil. Sear all the sides of the chicken, about 1 minute on each side to give it a little color on the outside. This will ensure your skin comes out crispy!
When you have seared all sides of the chicken place it in the pot, breast side up and remove it from the heat. Add in the chopped onion, sprinkling some on top and placing the rest around the sides on the chicken. Sprinkle the rest of the garlic and rosemary on top of the chicken. Take the 1/2 stick of butter you have left and chop it up into small pieces and sprinkle them on top of the chicken.
Cover with the lid to the dutch oven and place in your preheated oven. Cook for 30 minutes and then remove the lid and cook for another 15 or until a meat thermometer reads 165 when you insert it into the thickest part of the meat. Then place it under the broiler for about 3 minutes so that the skin gets extra crispy.
Remove the chicken from the dutch oven and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving. When you serve it, top the chicken with the onions and cooking liquid left in the pot (trust me, it's delicious!).
And thats it! You will have a super flavorful, juicy, crispy-skinned chicken and you'll never want to buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store ever again!