Roasted Chicken

I really should have photographed this bird while it was still whole and I hadn't eaten the skin off that entire breast half. I think it was the incredible yumminess of the skin though that made me think that I should really take a photograph and post this recipe. It was truly the best roast chicken I've ever made and the house smelled amazing. I think the number one factor that made this chicken that much better was that I had the butcher remove the backbone (butterfly) the bird and then I marinated it for an hour. Since it was without a backbone and laying flat the marinade was really able to permeate the chicken giving it great flavor throughout when cooked.

1 small, organic chicken, backbone removed so that it lays flat

Marinade:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

3 cloves of garlic pressed (you could also mince if you are more ambitious than I)

1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped

mix all together and pour over chicken in a large ziplock bag and let marinate for at least and hour

heat oven to 425

lay chicken, breast side up, in roasting dish and pour remaining marinade over

sprinkle salt and pepper over top of chicken

lay thin pats of butter over chicken (this will help it brown and butter makes everything better)

Roast for approximately 30-45 min depending on size of bird.

About 20 min in to roasting time pour some chicken broth on the bottom of the pan to help prevent remaining marinade from burning and also this will make a yummy sauce to pour over rice or mashed potatoes

note: The first time I made this I had white rice and a green salad with green onion, blanched asparagus, and thinly sliced radish, however I got a small chicken and some fingerling potatoes from my CSA this week so I plan on making this again and roasting the bird and the taters in the same baking dish