Pesto Roasted Chicken

Put an Italian spin on your next roast chicken by making a pesto-butter blend. Rub the blend over a whole chicken and roast it until golden brown.

Serves: 6Hands-on: 10 minutesTotal: 1 hour 10 minutesDifficulty: Easy

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Serves: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 large chicken (5 lbs.)
  • 2 1⁄2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 1 jar (8 oz.) pesto

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease the rack of a roasting pan (or a rimmed baking sheet) with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together butter with pesto.
  • Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper. Rub pesto mixture all over chicken concentrating the greatest amount over the breast area.
  • Place chicken in the rack of a roasting pan set in the pan, breast-side-up, and roast for 45 minutes. Check the temperature in the thickest part of thigh. It’s done if it reaches 165˚F. If not, continue to cook, checking every 15 minutes until chicken is deeply golden brown and reaches 165˚F.
  • Tent with aluminum foil and let sit for 15 minutes before carving.