What a strange but beautiful time to be in Portland… it is October, and it was about 75 today. It will be 80 degrees this week. Hey, I’ll take the extra tomato growing time! But it is a little weird – we’re almost having a “normal” fall rather than a monsoon fall like we usually do. Today Dave and I spent an hour at the park kicking a soccer ball around. I’m pretty sure tomorrow I will be paying for practicing too many corner kicks, but we’ll see.

Another busy weekend is behind us! Dave and I’ve been learning stuff, cooking stuff, watching football and baseball and more. Dave is taking a home improvement class – we’re always plotting what improvement to make next to our house. I have finally finished my Master Gardener certification. We’ve just finished having both sets of parents in town – a fun and busy time for sure.

This chicken recipe is one I saved for the last night my parents were visiting.

I love making a whole roast chicken. Even though they literally cost $3 a pound, they always make it feel like it’s a special occasion. We roasted this one over onions, potatoes and lemon slices, and painted the entire bird with Bee Local honey! I love using their honeys in my kitchen, for cocktails, salad dressings, bruschetta drizzling, you name it. Actually one of my favorite snacks is to slice up a baguette, plop a pad of butter on top, drizzle with Bee Local honey and then top with some flaky Jacobsen Salt. I’m making myself hungry, I would eat that right now.

Anyway, check out this chicken recipe. I think you’ll be surprised at how easy it is. And you’ll for sure impress your guests. Both with the presentation, and the taste, of course!

Honey Glazed Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, free range and organic is best
• vegetable oil
• kosher salt (recommended: Jacobsen Salt Co.)
• 8 red potatoes (sometimes called new potatoes), quartered
• 1 whole yellow onion, sliced roughly
• 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 whole lemon, sliced into rounds
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs sage
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1-2 Tbsp. Bee Local Honey (recommended: the Cherry Wood Smoked variety), lightly warmed but not hot

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Prepare the chicken by removing the innards and neck from the body cavity. Then, put the breast side of the chicken down and use sharp kitchen shears to cut on down both sides of the bird’s backbone, removing it completely. Flip the bird over so the breast side now faces up, and use the palms of your hands to push down on the bird, flattening it.
3. Wash your hands thoroughly, then prepare a baking sheet (jelly roll pan size is good). Scatter the potatoes, onions and garlic on the sheet and toss with 1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil. Salt liberally, then layer the lemon rounds in a flat layer on top of the veggies. In the center of the tray, lay your garlic and herbs.
4. Move the flattened chicken over on to the baking sheet, centering it on top of the pile of herbs and garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the honey, then salt liberally.
5. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for approximately 1 hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. I suggest checking on the chicken and basting with a little vegetable oil at about the 25 minute mark. Keep an eye on the skin’s coloring as well – it will get beautifully browned, and when you think it’s close to what you’d like the color to be, tent the chicken with aluminum foil for the rest of the baking period.
6. Allow the chicken to rest before carving, and take proper precautions (or just wait long enough) so you do not burn yourself!