How To Roast Chicken In Olive Oil

{Many thanks to my friend M.S. for sharing this recipe taken from the healthy Mediterranean Cookbook by Joanna Farrow and Jacqueline Clark.}

What you should have:

A whole chicken, dressed of course!

Extra virgin olive oil,
small potatoes {no need to peel};

quartered and seeded red bell pepper
{~not jalapeno because you can't eat that without drowning yourself in water, haha!};

large garlic cloves
{again, no need to peel and crush to make your life easier, heheh};

red tomatoes;

eggplants {yes, you may include!} cut into cubes
or Baguio beans;

lemon;

fresh thyme;

coarse salt and ground pepper
{the black pepper is optional actually};

and most importantly, a pre-heated oven {350 to 400 F}.

Rub the chicken with salt to flavor and clean it.

Then rub it all over with olive oil.

You may add ground black pepper if you prefer that.

Place the sliced lemon and the thyme {to remove the 'smell'} inside the chicken.
{You may also use lemon grass instead of thyme, but the scent will be dif'rent}. ☺

Place the chicken in a roasting pan and in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and turn it right side up and BASTE with the DRIPPINGS {this means the combined olive oil and chicken oil} from the pan.

Put the potatoes and garlic cloves in the pan and roast again for another 30 minutes.

After the second 30 minutes, turn the chicken so it is evenly roasted.

You should also add the red bell pepper, tomatoes, eggplants or Baguio beans at this point

{or you may also want to put okra as it tastes good roasted!}.

Continue to baste the chicken and the potatoes and vegetables in oil drippings to add flavor and keep them from drying up.

Roast in oven for another 30 to 40 minutes.

Then voila!

After one hour and forty five minutes, you have your olive oil-roasted chicken. ☺

You may sprinkle a little salt and pepper according to your taste.