Julia Child’s Favorite Roast Chicken

I was in the mood for roasting a chicken so I went in search of a good recipe online. I found one at Food & Wine that looked perfect probably because it is Julia Child’s recipe and we all know she was amazing in the kitchen. I didn’t have cooking twine to tie up the drumsticks, but other than that, I cooked it as written. The chicken turned out beautiful, juicy, tender, and delicious! I served this chicken with simply baked sweet potatoes and it was a tasty meal we all enjoyed. 

How to Make Julia Child’s Favorite Roast Chicken

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add the diced carrots, onion, and celery then cook over medium heat until softened; add the thyme sprigs.

Wash the chicken inside and out then pat dry. Pull the neck skin up over the breast and secure it to the back with a toothpick. Salt and pepper the cavity and spoon in the cooked vegetables, a handful of parsley stems, celery leaves, and lemon slices. Massage the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon of butter.

Place a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Salt the chicken all over and set it breast side up on a rack in the pan.

Place the chicken into the oven and roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, as follows:

* At 15 minutes: Brush the chicken with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Scatter the sliced onion and carrot all around. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

* At 45 minutes: Brush the lemon juice over the chicken. If necessary, add 1/2 cup of water to the vegetables to prevent burning.

* At 60 minutes: Baste the chicken with the pan juices. Test for doneness: The drumsticks should move easily in their sockets; their flesh should feel somewhat soft. If not, continue roasting, basting, and testing every 7 to 8 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°.

Let the chicken rest on a carving board for 15 minutes before slicing.

Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the juices in the pan. Add the stock and boil until slightly syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain the sauce; you will have just enough to bathe each serving with a spoonful. Serve the sliced chicken and sauce with carrots and onions on the side. Enjoy.

Julia Child's Favorite Roast Chicken

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 whole chicken

Ingredients

• 2 ½ tbsp unsalted butter divided
• ⅓ cup carrots finely diced
• ⅓ cup onion finely diced
• ⅓ cup celery finely diced
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• One 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken
• Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Handful of fresh parsley stems
• Handful of celery leaves
• Six 1/8-inch-thick lemon slices
• ½ cup onion sliced
• ½ cup carrots sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup of water to help veggies from burning if needed
• ¾ cup chicken broth

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add the diced carrots, onion, and celery then cook over medium heat until softened; add the thyme sprigs.
• Wash the chicken inside and out then pat dry. Pull the neck skin up over the breast and secure it to the back with a toothpick. Salt and pepper the cavity and spoon in the cooked vegetables, a handful of parsley stems, celery leaves, and lemon slices. Massage the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Place a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Salt the chicken all over and set it breast side up on a rack in the pan.
• Place the chicken into the oven and roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, as follows:
• * At 15 minutes:

  Brush the chicken with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Scatter the sliced onion and carrot all around. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• * At 45 minutes:

  Brush the lemon juice over the chicken. If necessary, add 1/2 cup of water to the vegetables to prevent burning.
• * At 60 minutes:

  Baste the chicken with the pan juices. Test for doneness: The drumsticks should move easily in their sockets; their flesh should feel somewhat soft. If not, continue roasting, basting, and testing

  every 7 to 8 minutes

  , until an instant-read thermometer registers 165°.
• Let the chicken rest on a carving board for 15 minutes before slicing.
• Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the juices in the pan. Add the stock and boil until slightly syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain the sauce; you will have just enough to bathe each serving with a spoonful. Serve the sliced chicken and sauce with carrots and onions on the side. Enjoy.

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