Ingredients
- 1 Cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 Cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (I used shredded)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 tbsp. chopped garlic cloves (I used about 4-5 cloves)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
- 1 whole chicken (4-5 lbs.)
- 3 lemons, quartered (depending on size of lemon and bird, may need less to fill cavity)
Preparation
Step 1
1. Make rosemary pesto: Puree basil, pine nuts, permesan cfheese, olive oil, rosemary leaves, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth. Set aside.
2. Place lemons in cavity. Spread half the pesto under the skin and rub the remaining pesto over chicken skin. Fasten neck skin over back with toothpicks. Tie legs to tail.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, 1 hr. 25 min. to 2 hrs., or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thigh registers 180 degrees.
4. Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes.
I put one can of chicken broth in bottom of roasting pan.
I also cut up about 6 red potatoes (quartered) and put them in the bottom of the pan and sprinkled them with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.