Lemon-Herb Roast Chicken and Oat Dinner Rolls

Lemon-Herb Roast Chicken

1 roasting chicken (4-5 pounds)
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 fresh herb sprigs (I love thyme--rosemary or marjoram would work too.)
1 half lemon, cut into two pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced thick
carrots, celery sticks, etc as desired (optional)
1 cup water

Heat oven to 450.
Remove giblets from cavity of chicken.
Rub chicken with butter all over.  Salt inside and out.  Put garlic, herbs, and lemon in it's cavity.

Spread olive oil in roasting pan.  Arrange onions and veggies over the bottom of pan.

Place chicken on top.  Pour in water.

Roast until cooked (about 1 1/2 hours-2 hours.)  Meat thermometer in thick part of breast should read 170 degrees.

Let stand 15 minutes.  Carve and enjoy!

Served with: Mashed potatoes and gravy from the drippings (see roast beef post below for that recipe.), carrots from the roasting pan--oh so flavorful!, green salad, and oat dinner rolls.

Oat Dinner Rolls

2 c quick oats

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 c butter, cubed

1 T salt

3 c boiling water

2 T yeast

1 c whole wheat flour

5 c white bread flour

Additional butter, melted

Combine in Bosch: oats, brown sugar, butter, and salt.  Mix in boiling water.  Cool to 110-115 degrees.  Add wheat flour and yeast.  Mix in enough remaining flour to form soft and slightly sticky dough.  Knead 8 minutes. 

Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and rise about an hour (finger indentation in risen dough should remain.)  Punch down.  Turn onto lightly floured surface.  Divide into 24 pieces and shape into balls.  Place 15 balls in greased 9x13 pan and 9 balls in greased 7x11pan.  Cover and rise about 45 minutes.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove pan to wire rack; brush rolls with melted butter.  These freeze well--just thaw on counter and reheat in the oven.