"You could win something with this" Roasted Balsamic Chicken

Let me tell you about this chicken I roasted today. I combined a couple of recipes (Giada De Laurentiis and Mark Bittman) and then added my own flair. The end result of this process created one of the best roasted chickens I have ever had the pleasure of eating. And, I don't really like chicken.

The lemons that I stuffed the cavity with permeated the breast meat with a nice citrus flavor, which was accentuated perfectly by the "glaze" on the skin. The dark meat was... oh man...just succulent and heavenly.

It took a bit of work, but it was worth it!

GO BUY/FIND THESE THINGS:

One Five lb. Roasting Chicken
1/2 Stick of Butter (the real stuff people!)

STUFFING:

2 Medium Sized Lemons (Quartered for stuffing, after zesting for marinade)
2 Sprigs of Lemon Thyme
6 Leaves of Lemon Basil
2 Sprigs of Rosemary

RUB:

2 Tbsp. Good Olive Oil
Generous Amount of Freshly Ground Pepper
Kosher Salt (or what I use, Rosemary Infused Salt)


"GLAZE":

Zest From Two Medium Sized Lemons
1/2 C. Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 C. Agave Nectar (or honey if you like)
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Good Soy Sauce
5 Sprigs of Rosemary
2 Tbsp. of Minced Garlic


Stuff the chicken with the above ingredients.

Rub: Put on the oil and then the seasoning (rub it on).

Pop the bird in the oven breast down in a roasting pan; or what I used, a simple glass cake pan.

Roast breast down for 20 minutes at high temp.

Take out, flip bird, brush/pour half the "glaze" onto the bird, take temp down to 325 degrees, cube your butter and surround the bird with it. Set timer to 8 minutes.

Baste the bird with the "glaze" when the timer goes off. Set timer for another 8 minutes.

Baste the bird again with the "glaze". Add the rest of the "glaze" to the pan.

Roast until bird is 170 degrees in the breast.

Baste at the end with the juices.

Take your bird out.

I squirted a little bit of agave on the top of the chicken, poured a bit (1/4 c.) of balsamic vinegar on top and then salted and peppered and dropped some dried rosemary on top for the pretty factor.

If you want to add more pretty to it, sprinkle with toasted sesame seed and chop up some fresh parsley and scatter it on the chicken.

Let it rest for a bit and then ENJOY!!!

Side Note: I served this with some blanched green beans warmed in a pan and seasoned with garlic, rosemary salt, ground black pepper, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar.

My husband decided that I could "win something with this recipe". That's a pretty big compliment coming from him. He usually says my food is "ok" or "good".

Mark Bittman's Book:
How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food

Giada's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/balsamic-chicken-drumettes-recipe/index.html