I make roast chicken.  A lot.  It’s a weekly menu fare around our house, usually on Friday nights.  Some think it’s daunting to put a whole bird into the oven but I love that after it’s prepped, you can stick it in the oven and walk away.  I’ve made Ina’s roast chicken and Lucinda’s roast chicken but after seeing a recipe that Giada created on Food Network, this one is my go to roast chicken recipe.  I cannot find the recipe online any longer so I’ve tweaked the ingredients to my liking.  If you don’t like leftover roast chicken, you can shred the remaining chicken for chicken tortilla soup, chicken enchiladas or quesadillas.  Save the carcass for homemade chicken stock!

Mustard Roasted Chicken

Adapted From Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-5 lb.) whole chicken
• 1 lemon, juiced and rind reserved
• 2 tablespoons herbes de provence
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl combine lemon juice, mustard, herbes de provence, salt, pepper and olive oil. In a smaller bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside.

Rinse and pat chicken dry and place in desired roasting pan.  Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper that was reserved and place lemon rinds inside the cavity.  Evenly coat the chicken with the mustard herb marinade including the back (use your hands).

Place chicken in oven with breast side down (backside up) in preheated oven.  Roast for one hour.  After one hour, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Rotate the chicken with breast side up and roast for an additional 60 to 90 minutes until a meat thermometer registers 175 degrees in between the leg and thigh.  After removing from the oven, have chicken rest at room temperature under a foil tent.

Carve, serve and enjoy!  Some of my favorite sides to go alongside are roasted brussel sprouts, sautéed green beans, mashed potatoes, and roasted sweet potato carrot puree.