The mister arrived home late last night and when he saw his dinner waiting for him on the table he did his best to make an "I'm sorry" face...but since sorry isn't in his vocabulary he had some difficulty and his face was rather contorted into something resembling an ogre in a Disney movie...he did try to explain himself, "Wow, this looks great! Did you make it or buy it?" I was one second away from throwing a frying pan at his head...buy it?!? The house was filled with a wonderful aroma, the oven door was open and a baking dish with the remaining chicken was on top of the counter and I'm wearing an apron with a few splatters on it...Oh, he may look like Matlock with his gray hair and he may look like Columbo with his one good eye and he may even sound like Sherlock Holmes, especially when he's been out with his good friend Jack, but let me assure you, he could not tell if a chicken was home cooked or store bought if the chicken itself was wearing a price tag inside a Colonel Sanders bucket!
So when the mister saw the roasted chicken, skin all browned and crispy, sitting in a baking dish atop the stove, what was he to think?! I tell you, some days, I wonder about that man...how is it that he even finds his way to work and back?! Of course it was HOME COOKED...that is WHAT I DO!! Fool. Freak. Neanderthal. Okay, I'm over it. This is a super simple meal...which is one of the reasons I love it. It's bare-bones basic...no fancy spices or rubs, no twine or trusses...just two key ingredients, lemon and garlic, which are so mild but they give this the most wonderful flavor - your caveman will love it too.
Roasted Lemon-Garlic Chicken - Pots and Pins
1 whole fryer, rinsed and dried
1 whole lemon, cut in half
5 whole cloves, quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Place fryer, breast side down in a baking dish. Pour olive oil over chicken and using your hands, coat chicken in the oil. Squeeze lemon halves over chicken and then put the lemon halves inside the bird. Sprinkle garlic cloves over chicken, and put a few inside as well. Add salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 175 degrees and the juices run clear. If the bird browns too quickly, cover with foil for the last 20 minutes or so. Let sit for 10 minutes before carving. Serves 4 to 6.
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"Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit." ~ Kin Hubbard
