Low and Slow Roasted Chicken
I made this at my mother’s house out of necessity, it was supposed to be cooked in a slow cooker but she only has a small slow cooker so the chicken didn’t fit (I actually laughed so hard that I cried watching her try to fit the chicken in the slow cooker, she was so mad at me!). So anyway, I did a little research and a slow cooker at high is 300 degrees so I roasted the chicken at 300… and the rest is (delicious) history.
Serves 4
2 Medium stalks of celery, cut in half
1 3-4 lb Chicken
½ Lemon
5-6 Sprigs of fresh thyme
1 Sprig of fresh rosemary
10 Fresh basil leaves (you can use the stems too)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
Pepper
A few pinches of Sweet Paprika
Preheat your oven to 300.
Place an even layer of the celery at the bottom of a deep roasting pan.
Season the cavity with salt and pepper.
Stuff the half lemon and the herbs inside the cavity of the chicken and then place on top of the celery in the roasting pan.
Pour the olive oil over the chicken and spread it around in an even layer.
Season with the salt and pepper and then sprinkle the paprika across the chicken.
Roast for 4 hours exactly.
Remove the chicken from the oven after the chicken has roasted and let it sit for 20 minutes, uncovered to rest before you carve it.
Notes:
- Switch up and use any aromatics, ie, carrots or onion as base for the chicken instead of celery or in addition to the celery.
- Feel free to add garlic with the lemon but I didn’t find it necessary.
- You’ll know the chicken is cooked when you pierce the skin in between the thigh and body and the juices run clear. If using a meat thermometer the temperature should not be below 170 F, some say 165 but go with 170 to be safe.
