Roasted Chicken with Lemon Curd

Chicken with lemon curd? I know it sounds unusual but it is so delicious. My friend Kari (see previous post to find her baking blog) brought us this chicken with a "new baby meal" just after Myla was born. We gobbled it up and as soon as I was really cooking again, it was the first new recipe I tried. The original recipe is for a whole chicken but it works just as well (even better & easier) using leg quarters or drumsticks and thighs. The original recipe included a recipe for lemon curd but I'm not even including it. Make your day easier and just go buy it! You can usually find it next to the jams and jellies or in the baking aisle. This chicken is fantastic!!!

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Curd

1 (3-lb) roasting chicken (or 3 lbs of chicken pieces with skin on)

1 T chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup lemon curd

2 large lemons, halved

1. Preheat oven to 450. Remove chicken giblets and stuff, rinse with cold water and pat dry. Trim excess fat. Loosen skin with fingers (do this with the chicken pieces, too).

2. Combine rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub under loose skin, all over meat. (This gives the chicken such fabulous flavor).

3. Place chicken, breast side up, on broiler pan coated with cooking spray (or put chicken pieces in a greased or foil-lined 9x13 pan.) Pierce skin with fork. Brush chicken all over generously with lemon curd (I just spooned it on and spread it around, flipped the chicken pieces over and spread the rest). Arrange lemons around chicken (I skipped this step).

4. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake an additional 1 hour until thermometer registers 165. (For legs reduce both times - about 20 minutes at 450 and about 40-45 at 350, until juices ran clear and thermometer was about 165.) Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, let stand 10 minutes.