Roast Chicken

I love roast chicken.  It's perfect for so many different occasions.  Sunday Dinner, dinner party for friends, easy week night dinner, birthday dinner... it can be dressed up or dressed down - just like a DVF.  ;)  Just be sure to thaw your bird thoroughly before baking, it can take longer than you think to thaw.  I like to roast my bird on high heat.  400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes, sears in all the juices, creates a great crispy skin, and leaves the flesh nice and juicy.  I like to serve a saucy-veggie side.  Like tomatoes sauteed with olives and spinach - or braised beans... something that is a little juicy, to masquerade as a gravy, without actually being a heavy, fatty gravy.  For this particular meal, I made braised fennel with chick peas.

Roast Chicken with Braised Fennel and Chick Peas
1 whole chicken (around 5 lbs)
1 fennel bulb, quartered and sliced
1 can chick peas
1/4 sliced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 glass of water
salt
pep
oil
Few stems fresh thyme

Braised Fennel:
Put a sauce pan on high heat with a glug of oil and pop the sliced onion into the pan.  Once the onion softens, pop the sliced fennel into the pan.  Swirl around the onions and fennel for a few minutes then put the garlic in and saute all together for a minute - don't let the garlic brown.  Pop in a few sprigs of thyme, then pour in the water so that the fennel can braise. 

Roast Chicken:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Dry the chicken off completely with paper towels.   Put the chicken on a baking sheet, oil and salt and pepper the chicken, put a couple of sprigs of thyme in the cavity and roast for 40-45 minutes.  Make sure the juices run clear (no traces of pink,) take the chicken out and let it rest for a few minutes.

Carve the chicken and serve over a pool of braised fennel and chick peas.  Enjoy!