Roasted Tangerine Chicken

Learning to cook a whole chicken is so much easier than it sounds. The key is an internal probe thermometer - a cheap little gadget that makes roasting almost completely foolproof!

Roasted Tangerine Chicken

1 Whole Chicken
2 Tbsp Butter
1 onion, quartered
3 Tangerines, quartered
Fresh Rosemary
1 c fresh Tangerine Juice
1 Tbsp Honey
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400° 

Rub the entire chicken with the butter. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, including the area between the skin and the meat. Stuff the cavity with the onions, tangerines, and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Set your probe thermometer's alarm to 161° and insert into the thickest part of the breast, being sure not to hit the keel bone. Place in the oven. Roast the chicken until your probe thermometer goes off (usually around 45 minutes to an hour).

Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest under tin foil. In a hot sauce pan, add about a tablespoon of pan drippings, the tangerine juice, and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the sauce to 1/2 cup, about 8 to 10 minutes.Carve the chicken however you like, and drizzle with the tangerine sauce.

Notes/Substitutions: I don't actually own a roasting pan, so I place my chicken on the little rack from my toaster oven, on top a glass casserole dish. For tips on preparing poultry, I highly recommend the Good Eats Episode "Romancing the Bird" (watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acUg1jaUzOY part 1 of 4). This recipe is just one idea for a roast chicken, but the technique is indispensable. For a more "everyday" roast chicken, stuff with any aromatics and fill the casserole dish with your choice of root vegetables.