Roasted Chicken with Lemon, Thyme and Dill

Despite the fact that I no longer hold a 9-5 type job and all of my kids have left the nest, I still lean toward cooking a full meal on Sunday's. A big Sunday meal was all part of a tradition growing up. Back then our extended family would gather together for something outrageously tasty from my mother's kitchen. When my children were younger and I worked or when I had my own tiny restaurant that tradition, sans extended family still held. I always prepared a roast of some kind or another dish of epic proportions. Only my husband and I now, but the Sunday Dinner lives on.


We could not pass up $1.00 per pound roasting chickens. This fat Chickie was a little over 8 pounds and would comfortably feed 6-8 people. I am good with having left overs - makes for some great meals. This is so easy to do. And again I did this in our rotisserie oven. The bird came out tender, juicy and mighty tasty.
Did I mention how the gravy was? The gravy was heavenly.

We served our dinner with potatoes au gratin and frozen gold and white corn. The costs will be posted at the end of this post.

The recipe is for the Roasted Chicken and for making the gravy.

• roasting chicken
• 1/2 lemon plus the zest
• 1/4 oz. pkg.fresh thyme
• 1/4 oz. pkg. fresh dill
• 1/4 stick soft butter
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• granulated garlic to taste
• onion powder to taste
• all of the insides of the chicken - to help make the gravy
• 1 medium sized carrot - cut in chunks
• 1 stalk celery - cut in chunks
• 1 small onion - cut in chunks
• 1/2 cup chicken broth - for the roasting pan/tray + more for later on (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 tsp. Gravy Master®
• 2 tbsp. corn starch
• 4 tbsp. water

1. Clean the cavity of the bird out and save all the parts for making gravy.
2. Wash your chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
3. Place the 1/2 lemon and the zest in the cavity of the bird along with the fresh thyme and dill.
4. Secure the roast with butcher's twine. If you are unsure of how to truss a bird, check out videos on You Tube.
5. Smear the soft butter all over the outside of the chicken and to taste, season with the dry spices all over the bird.
6. On the bottom of the roasting tray or pan place the neck and organs along with the celery, onion, carrot chunks and about 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
7. Place the bird in your rotisserie oven and roast for about 2 1/2 hours until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Allow the bird to rest for 20 minutes to 1/2 an hour before carving. If you are roasting in a conventional oven, roast at 350° for the same amount of time. I would suggest basting the bird throughout the cooking process and add touches of broth as necessary.

Making the gravy:

1. While the chicken is resting, take all of the juices and vegetables and strain into a pot. Use some extra broth and scrape all the good bits off the pan and add that in on top of the vegetables and innards and allow to drain down into the pot.
2. Add in the Gravy Master® and stir. Add more chicken broth as needed to make a decent amount of gravy.
3. In a small bowl mix the corn starch and water until combined.
4. Over medium high heat bring the mixture up to a boil. Slowly add in the slurry and keep whisking until you achieve the level of thickness you want for the gravy.
5. Taste and adjust for any additional seasoning like salt or pepper.

Nicely browned skin on the outside; succulent meat on the inside.

Our gravy came out fabulous and just a little bit here and there over the slices of chicken and wow. Just wow. Savory tastes going on, subtle hints of flavor in the chicken of the thyme and dill and lemon combo and this smooth and sexy gravy.

Feeding 6 -8 people:
Chicken alone includes the fresh herbs, butter, lemon and spices- $1.87 for six, $1.40 for eight people.
The entire dinner including the chicken, gravy, corn and au gratin potatoes - $18.51. Feeds six for $3.08 per person and 8 for $2.31 per person.