Chicken with Garlic Croutons

By Lv2Cook

Ingredients

• 12 ounces French bread cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 (4-pound) roasting chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1 navel orange halved
• 2 bay leaves
• Cooking spray
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• Thyme sprigs (optional)

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450º.

Place bread cubes on a baking sheet. Bake at 450º for 5 minutes; set aside.

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse under cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken. Squeeze orange over a bowl to extract juices. Place 1 orange half, bay leaves, and 3 tablespoons orange juice in neck cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under breasts. Place chicken, breast side up, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Pierce skin several times with a meat fork. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone.

Bake chicken at 450º for 50 minutes or until thermometer registers 180º. Place croutons around chicken, and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Remove chicken from pan, reserving pan drippings. Cover chicken loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Discard skin. Arrange croutons on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle pan drippings and garlic over croutons, stirring to coat. Bake at 450º for 5 minutes or until crisp. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Serving Size: 3 ounces chicken and 1 cup croutons