Roasted Chicken with Olives, Lemon, and Garlic

Name: Roasted Chicken with Olives, Lemon, and Garlic
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds); 2 lemons, zested and quartered; 12–15 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled; 3 tablespoons olive oil; Salt and pepper; Crushed red pepper flakes; 6–8 sprigs rosemary (strip half the sprigs of their leaves and chop coarsely); 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges; 1 cup pitted kalamata or picholine olives, or a combination of both

December 14, 2011

Think there’s no way to improve upon perfectly roasted chicken? Think again. At Herbsaint we would have to appoint someone to guard the pans while these birds cooled, or they would all end up wingless! In this recipe, the addition of rosemary, garlic, lemon, and olives perfumes the meat and suggests a world of accompaniments: steamed artichokes, just-cooked angel hair pasta, fluffy couscous, a salad of pungent greens with crusty bread for sopping up the juices. When it comes to wine, consider serving a rosé or a white from the Rhone valley.

Cooks' Note

This is a good time to splurge on a “natural” or free-range bird, which will be juicier and more flavorful than the more common mass-produced bird. Trust me on this—try it once and you’ll taste the difference.

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