Herb-Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Sage

Preparation Put the chicken in a large bowl. Add the oil, lemon, and sage; toss well. Cover tightly and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours. The next day, let the chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 450°F. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with the seasoning. Remove the lemon slices and sage from the marinade and stuff them inside the chicken cavity. Scatter the carrots, celery, and onion, if using, over the bottom of a roasting pan. Pour just enough water into the pan to cover the bottom. Arrange the chicken, breast side up, on top of the vegetables, if desired, or place the chicken on a roasting rack over the vegetables. Transfer the pan to the center oven rack; roast for 20 minutes. Baste with the pan juices, and continue roasting, basting once or twice, for 25 minutes more (if the chicken is not golden brown all over at this point, continue to cook for 10 more minutes). Reduce the heat to 325°F. Finish roasting, without basting, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Let the chicken stand for 5 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan juices and vegetables, if desired. Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Bruce Bromberg, Eric Bromberg and Melissa Clark. Copyright © 2010 by Bruce Bromberg, Eric Bromberg and Melissa Clark. Published by the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. ERIC and BRUCE BROMBERG were born in New Jersey and got their start as chefs by attending culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. After working in restaurants in Paris and the United States, they teamed up in 1992 to open Blue Ribbon in New York City. An immediate success, the restaurant has since spawned eight additional locations. In 2007, they launched a line of 100 percent all-natural, breading-free chicken nuggets called The Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Naked Nuggets, which are sold nationwide. Visit their website at BlueRibbonRestaurants.com Melissa Clark, a James Beard Foundation award-winner, writes about cuisine, wine and travel for numerous publications, including The New York Times, and has coauthored twenty-six cookbooks.

Preparation Put the chicken in a large bowl. Add the oil, lemon, and sage; toss well. Cover tightly and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours. The next day, let the chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 450°F. Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with the seasoning. Remove the lemon slices and sage from the marinade and stuff them inside the chicken cavity. Scatter the carrots, celery, and onion, if using, over the bottom of a roasting pan. Pour just enough water into the pan to cover the bottom. Arrange the chicken, breast side up, on top of the vegetables, if desired, or place the chicken on a roasting rack over the vegetables. Transfer the pan to the center oven rack; roast for 20 minutes. Baste with the pan juices, and continue roasting, basting once or twice, for 25 minutes more (if the chicken is not golden brown all over at this point, continue to cook for 10 more minutes). Reduce the heat to 325°F. Finish roasting, without basting, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Let the chicken stand for 5 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan juices and vegetables, if desired. Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Bruce Bromberg, Eric Bromberg and Melissa Clark. Copyright © 2010 by Bruce Bromberg, Eric Bromberg and Melissa Clark. Published by the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. ERIC and BRUCE BROMBERG were born in New Jersey and got their start as chefs by attending culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. After working in restaurants in Paris and the United States, they teamed up in 1992 to open Blue Ribbon in New York City. An immediate success, the restaurant has since spawned eight additional locations. In 2007, they launched a line of 100 percent all-natural, breading-free chicken nuggets called The Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Naked Nuggets, which are sold nationwide. Visit their website at BlueRibbonRestaurants.com Melissa Clark, a James Beard Foundation award-winner, writes about cuisine, wine and travel for numerous publications, including The New York Times, and has coauthored twenty-six cookbooks.