Bacon-Roasted Chicken

A whole chicken is smothered with butter and covered with bacon slices before it's roasted with broth for a perfectly tender and moist chicken.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr
• Total Time: 2 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 495 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 (4 pound) whole chicken
• 8 slices bacon
• paprika to taste
• 2 carrots, cut in chunks

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Step 2

Remove the bacon and discard toothpicks. Roast the chicken for 15 more minutes to brown the skin. Transfer to a serving platter, and remove the ties. You may eat the bacon, but it is best to discard the carrots.

Step 3

Rub butter over the entire chicken. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Place the carrots inside the cavity, and tie the legs together. Place the chicken breast side up in a roasting pan. Lay bacon strips across the top of the chicken, and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with paprika. Pour the beef broth into the roasting pan — do not pour over the bacon.

Step 4

Roast for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Baste with some of the broth. Continue to roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) when taken in the thickest part of the thigh. Baste every 15 minutes with the broth.