Butter Roasted Chicken with Orange and Rosemary
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
  • 1 small whole chicken (I like them at about 4 pounds)
  • 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 orange – you’ll need the zest (about a tablespoon, not packed down), and the orange cut into quarters
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary OR 1½ teaspoons dried
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • coarse ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375. Make sure to remove any little pouches of weirdness that may be lurking inside the bird. Pat it dry with paper towels as well as you can. Trim the tips off the wings. Work your fingers under the skin of the bird, lifting it away from the meat as much as you can being careful not to tear the skin if you can help it.
  2. Work the orange zest into the butter until it’s evenly combined and then massage the butter into the chicken, under the skin.
  3. Once you’ve rubbed/stuffed all the orange butter into the breasts, legs, thighs, etc, you’ll have orange butter all over your hands. Rub the outside of the skin on all sides.
  4. Drop the quartered orange inside the chicken.
  5. Situate the chicken in a roasting pan. I like to do mine breast side down (for me it keeps the white meat moister). Sprinkle half of the rosemary INSIDE the cavity with the orange slices and the rest across the top. Sprinkle the top with the kosher salt & coarse ground black pepper.
  6. Roast the chicken for about 20 minutes per pound and then add another 20 minutes onto that to account for the 375 oven temp.
  7. Let it rest for a few minutes before carving.
Recipe by Sugar Dish Me at https://www.sugardishme.com/butter-roasted-chicken-with-orange-and-rosemary/