Roasting a chicken used to be an intimidating concept to me. The bird seemed big, it couldn’t be cooked on the stovetop, and in my mind only a mom, grandma, or some other official adult had the necessary expertise. Then I was commissioned to test a group of recipes, and roasted chicken was on the list. It turns out it isn’t difficult at all. Now I think everyone should know how to roast a chicken, if only to enjoy the head start it gives you on nearly a week’s worth of meals: tacos on Tuesday, chicken salad on Wednesday, and a sandwich on Thursday.What makes this recipe special is the combination of sage, rosemary, lemon, and tarragon stuffed into the bird’s cavity. It smells divine while roasting, and the meat acquires a lush citrus-herb flavor. Roasted Vegetables with Tahini Vinaigrette would be great on the side. You will need a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is properly cooked. If yours is instant-read rather than traditional, pull the bird out of the oven after 45 minutes and check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone.Excerpted from COOKING SOLO, © 2016 by Klancy Miller. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
