Cook food to safe internal temperatures. One effective way to prevent illness is to check the internal temperature of seafood, meat, poultry, and egg dishes. Cook all raw beef, lamb, and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a safe minimum internal temperature of 145 °F. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least 3 minutes before carving or eating. Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F. Cook all poultry, including ground turkey and chicken, to an internal temperature of 165 °F.

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    Perfect Roast Chicken

    • Level: Intermediate

    • Total: 2 hr 10 min

    • Prep: 20 min

    • Inactive: 20 min

    • Cook: 1 hr 30 min

    • Yield: 8 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken

    • Kosher salt

    • Freshly ground black pepper

    • 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs

    • 1 lemon, halved

    • 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

    • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

    • 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

    • 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

    • 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges

    • Olive oil

    Directions

    1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

    2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

    3. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.