The Culinary Works

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I am sure I’m not alone in feeling like I need to shed a few pounds after the holidays, despite my refusal to make it a “resolution”. In that regard, I am going to focus my energy on some of my more favorite ‘healthier’ dishes in hopes that you may find some you like and I may find enough motivation to stick to a bit of a diet, just a bit.

I find that I am always more satisfied with meals when they are full of fresh flavors and this one always hits the note with the pungent rosemary and bright lemon.

It always leaves me feeling like I wasn’t cheated. It is also one of my favorites, not only because it tastes great on night one, but it also provides left over chicken to fold into some whole grain pasta with olive oil, olives and feta cheese tomorrow night! (If you find them on sale, you might be sorry if you don’t roast two)

Rosemary Lemon Roast Chicken

• 1 Whole Bone In Chicken
• Fresh Rosemary (3 Tablespoons chopped)
• 1 Lemon, zest and juice
• ¼ cup yellow onion, chopped
• Chicken Stock
• Good Quality Olive Oil
• Salt

First, you need to make an herb ‘rub’. Using a microplane or zester, zest 1 lemon, being careful you only zest the yellow (the white part is very bitter). Strip several branches of fresh rosemary and give them a rough chop so you have about 3 tablespoons on your board. Drop 2 tablespoons of kosher salt on top of the chopped rosemary and then pile on your lemon zest. Chop these together and mix until you have created a very uniform finely chopped mixture.

Rub your chicken with Olive oil and generously sprinkle this mixture all over the bird, including inside the cavity. Rub, Rub, Rub! Cut your lemon in half and place half inside the cavity. Allow it to marinate in the fridge for an hour.

After it’s marinated, put it in a roasting pan on a rack or on top of some chopped veggies, onions/carrots etc with 3 cups of chicken stock on the bottom, pop it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes per pound. Using a probe thermometer, take it out when the center of the thickest dark meet reads 160 degrees. Allow the bird to rest. During the resting time, the carryover cooking will finish the bird to 165 degrees.

While it is resting, drain and skim the fat from the pan drippings and allow them to cool. Gently sauté the chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil with some fresh thyme and the juice from the other half of the lemon. When the onion is translucent add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir, allowing it to cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the skimmed pan drippings until smooth and allow it to come to a boil. This will thicken it a bit and make a nice butter/cream free sauce for your chicken. Season with salt and pepper as is needed

I love to serve mine with pureed celery root or even mashed sweet potatoes; both are health alternatives to mashers and taste amazing. (I mash them with olive oil and chicken or veggie stock)

Don’t forget to use the leftover chicken for tomorrow’s pasta dinner, or maybe even some yummy chicken salad for lunch! AND, you can gently simmer the bones and make an amazing stock spiked with lemon and rosemary…the start to another fabulous meal!

One last idea, the rosemary lemon rub is great on boneless chicken or pork chops set for the BBQ.

Here’s to a great yet healthy meal, CHEERS!

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