Juicy Roast Chicken

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 425 F. Remove the giblets, rinse the chicken and pat it dry.

2. 2

   Season the chicken liberally with salt and fresh ground pepper, both inside the cavity and out.

3. 3

   Cut the lemon in half, stuff it in the cavity together with the celery rib (recipes often ask you to tie up the chicken but I was out of twine and it turned out OK).

4. 4

   Chop up the carrots, potato, and the onion.

5. 5

   Slice the asparagus spears in half and layer all vegetables on the bottom of a baking dish.

6. 6

   Put the chicken on top of the vegetables (you can coat them with olive oil but I did not even bother), breast side up.

7. 7

   Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

8. 8

   Reduce the temperature to 350 F and roast for another hour.

9. 9

   (I made a pan of muffins at the same time.)

10. 10

    After an hour, increase the temperature to 375 F and roast for 15 minutes to finish off.

11. 11

    Remove from oven, allow it to sit for a few minutes before carving, then carve and serve.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.