Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the back of a knife
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 pound red boiling potatoes, cut into quarters
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
- 2 cups apple cider
Serves 4 to 6
A basic, foolproof recipe for everyone's favorite Sunday night dinner. 1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Set a V-rack in a large roasting pan. 2. Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towel. Season cavity with salt, pepper, garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme. Smear chicken skin with butter; set on rack in pan. Surround chicken with vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and pour cider over vegetables. 3. Roast 1 ¾ hours, until vegetables are tender and juices run clean when a chicken leg is pricked with a knife. The thigh meat should register at 180° F on an instant-read thermometer. 4. Remove chicken to platter. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to platter around the chicken. Set roasting pan over high heat and bring pan juices to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half. Pour into gravy boat and serve with chicken.
Tip This recipe is endlessly adaptable - replace the potatoes with turnips, parsnips, or celery root, use chicken broth in place of the cider, add lemons to the filling of the chicken cavity.
Recipe from "
Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook."