You may have heard of Engagment Chicken or Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken, but you have not tried roast chicken until you have tried my Sunday Chicken.  This recipe makes a great chicken and it also produces two bonus items- roasted garlic and crunchy bread croutons.  The garlic and bread soak up the pan juices and are so addictive!  If you are pulling your weekend menu together, put this one on the agenda for Sunday evening.

Sunday Chicken

Ingredients:
-1 chicken (3 1/2 pounds)
-6 thyme sprigs
-3 rosemary sprigs
-1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
-40 garlic cloves (approximately 2 heads)- loose paper discarded, but not fully peeled
-1 loaf of crusty bread, cut into approximately 1 inch squares

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare chicken by removing giblets and neck from chicken.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels.   Gently separate skin from meat on chicken breast and place 1 thyme sprig and 1 rosemary sprig under skin of each breast half.  Place remaining sprigs inside cavity of chicken.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on outside of chicken.  Fold wing tips under back of chicken so wings stay in place.  Using a piece of kitchen twine, tie chicken legs together.  Place chicken breast side up on a roasting pan with a roast rack.

Roast chicken for 40 minutes.  Add garlic cloves and bread squares to pan and roast about 30-40 minutes longer.  Chicken is done when the juices run clear and when a meat thermometer registers 175-180 degrees inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let it sit out for 10 minutes before carving.  You can serve the roasted garlic and crusty bread croutons on the side or mix it into a simple mixed greens salad.

-m