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Annie Starke's Sunday Roast Chicken Dinner

Sunday Roast Chicken Dinner

byAnnie Starke
Total 2 hours and 40 minutes
Active 40 mins
Makes 8 servings
TIP: The USDA recommends keeping cooled cooked chicken refrigerated at 40°F or less and using it within 3 to 4 days.
Special Equipment
instant-read thermometer
Special Equipment
instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
  • 2 large chickens, giblets removed
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 lemon, zest removed, lemon split and seeds removed
  • 2 pinches flaky sea salt
  • 2 pinches freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 garlic bulb, cut in half, excess husks removed
  • 1 small sweet onion, peeled and sliced in half
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley, plus extra leaves, chopped, for garnish
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • 6 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
  • 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
    Directions
    1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Pat the chickens down with paper towels on the inside and outside. Let the chickens come to room temperature.
    2. In a small bowl, mix the butter, cumin, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together. Smear the butter all over the chickens, including in the cavities. Stuff the chickens with the garlic, onion halves, lemon halves, parsley, thyme, and sage. Truss the legs of each chicken together with string. Then put the chickens side by side in a roasting pan and place in oven for 20 minutes.
    3. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 375°F. Baste the chickens every 15 and 20 minutes with their juices. After 1 hour, add the potatoes and asparagus spears to the pan and toss in the chicken juices. Cook for another 30 minutes, basting halfway; check the temperature and continue roasting if necessary until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast meat of the chickens not touching bone registers 165°F.
    4. Remove the chickens from the oven and let them rest for about 20 minutes, tented with foil to keep everything warm, before carving the one you’re going to eat.
    5. To serve, carve one chicken and position the pieces in the middle of a platter. Slice the onion from the cavity and place it next to the chicken. Spoon the potatoes next to the chicken, then place the asparagus on the other side. Spoon the chicken juices all over the dish, drizzle with a squeeze of the lemon from the cavity, garnish with chopped parsley and dill and serve.
    6. Leave the remaining chicken to cool. As soon as it’s cooled, shred it, pack if up in airtight containers and pop it in the fridge ready for recipes later in the week.