Christmas Special: Baked Chicken Recipe

Whenever Christmas is about to come, the only carol plays continuously in my mind is – “Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright...” Calvin Coolidge once said - Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. Absolutely True! Christmas is all about purity, goodness and happiness. However, it’s not just about your dinner parties or recipes. You can’t stay hungry in lunch, right? So, I am sharing a simple Christmas recipe that you can make on Christmas lunch and even in dinner if you want.

This is a simple chicken recipe that you can enjoy at any given day. Even in the early Christmas celebration. This recipe is one of the classic recipe that people make on Christmas. The flavors are delicious and this meal is a complete delight. When you will bake this chicken, your whole house will be aromatic and herby perfect way to welcome Christmas. Do you know? One of the best way to keep your house warm is using ovens for baking. Oven releases heat which keep your house automatically warm and while using oven you can make delicious stuffs like cakes, cookies, stuffed turkey and baked chicken.

So today’s post is dedicated to the classic baked chicken for the Christmas lunch. Note – this recipe is not an easy breezy easy it need constant attention so get ready and lets start baking this amazing recipe.

This recipe is inspired by Julia Child and James Oliver

This recipe can serve up to 4-5 servings

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Total: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients –

• 3 pound whole chicken
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt or sea salt
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 large cloves garlic
• 1 whole lemon, with zest
• 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white wine or sherry
• 1 cup water
• Mortar and pestle
• Basting brush

Method –

1. To begin with, take mortar and pestle and grind salt and 3 sprigs of rosemary with lemon zest and set aside. Now put garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and make smooth paste like mixture in a mortar and pestle.
2. Make sure the chicken piece is dry and moisture free. Before trussing dry chicken with paper towels. Drier the chicken more golden brown is the color.
3. Now stuff the chicken with leftover whole lemon, remaining sprigs of rosemary, salt mixture and garlic paste. Rub the mixture even inside the chicken.
4. Now prepare basting sauce by melting butter with remaining olive on a medium heat. Now rub the melt on the chicken with basting brush. Truss the chicken properly.
5. Preheat the oven at 425^o F and roast chicken breast up for 5 minutes, then on left side for 5 minutes later on right side for 5 minutes, basting with each turn. Just check the chicken, it should turn little light brown on skin sides.
6. Now turn down the temperature of oven to 350^o F.
7. Continue basting chicken for another 8 minutes. After 30 minutes rotate on another side, apply some lemon, rosemary and salt rub and continue to baste for another 15 minutes.
8. Finally, turn chicken breast up and continue basting for 15 minutes more. Tip – If you are out of basting sauce use the juices from the baking pan to baste the chicken. Poke the chicken to check whether it is cooked or not, make sure the juices run clear.

Serve it with mashed potatoes, grilled veggies and gravy of your choice. At the end, I want to conclude with a quote by Karl Rahner – Every year we celebrate the holy season of Advent, O God. Every year we pray those beautiful prayers of longing and waiting, and sing those lovely songs of hope and promise. Happy holidays!

Love

Sylvia