Lemon Rosemary Brined Roast Chicken And Vegetables

Lemon Rosemary Brined Roast Chicken & Vegetables

The lightly salted and honey-laced brine keeps the meat moist and tender while the rosemary and lemon gently perfume the meat in this gorgeous roasted chicken. Add baby new potatoes and carrots to roast in the pan juices for a classic chicken dinner with an elegant twist. A brine is ideal for a heritage or free-range bird that might be on the tougher side and will also add a nice moisture to any type of air-chilled chicken, but it isn’t suited to a water-chilled chicken since the water from the chicken will just dilute the brine. When brining the chicken, make sure the brine is cold before adding the chicken. Immerse the chicken in the brine in a bag with the air squeezed out, or weigh it down with a lid in a bowl to make sure the brine surrounds the entire chicken, and keep the chicken refrigerated until you’re just about to roast it.

Ingredients:

Brine
8 cups (2 L) water
¼ cup (60 mL) pickling or kosher salt
1 small sprig rosemary
1 tsp (5 mL) whole black peppercorns
½ lemon, sliced
2 tbsp (30 mL) liquid honey

Chicken & Vegetables
1 roasting chicken, about 4 lbs (2 kg)
1½ lbs (750 g) baby new potatoes
1 lb (500 g) young carrots, peeled
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp (15 mL) liquid honey

Directions:

For the brine, combine 2 cups (500 mL) of the water, salt, rosemary and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring until salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and add lemon and honey, stirring until honey is dissolved. Add remaining water. Let cool completely.

Remove any giblets and trim off excess fat from chicken. Place chicken in an extra large sealable plastic bag set in a deep bowl and pour brine into bag. Alternatively, place chicken directly in a non-reactive container, pour in brine and place a plate on top of chicken to weigh it down. Seal bag, squeezing out air, or cover container and refrigerate for at least 8 or for up to 24 hours.

To roast chicken, preheat oven to 400°F(200°C).

Combine potatoes and carrots in a large, shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then push vegetables to the edges of the pan to make room for the chicken in the centre.

Squeeze juice from lemon. Set lemon juice aside and reserve rind.

Remove chicken from brine and discard brine, lemon and herbs. Pat chicken dry. Place chicken, breast-side up, in the centre of the roasting pan. Season inside of cavity with pepper and insert reserved lemon rind, garlic, rosemary and bay leaf. Tie legs together and tuck wings underneath back. Brush remaining oil all over outside of chicken and season with pepper. Roast in oven for 15 minutes.

Turn heat down to 350°F (180°C).

Roast chicken and vegetables for 1 hour.

Combine 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice (reserve any extra for another use) and honey and brush all over chicken, drizzling any extra over vegetables. Stir vegetables. Roast for about 45 minutes longer or until meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh and breast reads 170°F (77°C). Transfer chicken to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

If vegetables aren’t tender, return to oven to roast until tender while chicken is resting. If vegetables are cooked, turn off oven, cover pan loosely with foil and keep vegetables hot in oven.

Carve chicken and serve with vegetables.  Serves 6