There are countless recipes for whole roasted chicken, and for me roasted chicken is a go to meal when I don't want to do a lot of prep work, and I need to feed 4 people. We get all of our chickens from Horton Hill Farm in Jefferson because we swear by free range, free roaming hormone and antibiotic free chicken. But even with the best chicken the challenge is to season it properly and make sure that it doesn't taste dry (or get overcooked). Herbs and garlic are essential to a well seasoned chicken...regardless of which herbs are used to season a roasted chicken, you have to have herbs, oil and garlic. Sometimes I'm just really really lazy and the laziest surefire way to make roasted chicken is to use prepared pesto. Basil runs rampant in the summer, there is so much that we don't know what to do with it, so I make pesto and put it into containers and use it all winter and spring. (Recipe on basil pesto coming later this summer). The cool thing about using basil pesto is that all of the herbs, garlic and oil are combined into a paste so there is no chopping or dicing or prepping at all...and you can even purchase ready made pesto in a jar or container at the supermarket. I defrost my pesto and then generously slather it onto the chicken skin, under the skin of the breast of the chicken and in the cavity. I then roast the chicken at 425 degrees F uncovered for about an hour and a half (for a 3 and a half to 4 lb chicken). If the chicken browns too much then tent it with aluminum foil. I take the chicken out when the meat thermometer reads 165 and let it rest for 10-15 minutes and then I carve and serve. This is the easiest way to make a flavorful succulent chicken because all of the work is done for you!
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