Whole Roasted Herb Chicken with Roasted Veggies and Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Whole Roasted Herb Chicken with Roasted Veggies and Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce

~ adapted from Anni Daulter ~

A Fall feast inspired from the movie Chocolat–

Wash, dry, and prepare 1 6-8 pound whole chicken– or 2 equalling the weight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub on butter, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper– all over sides and inside cavities.

Squeeze 2 lemons inside/out of chickens. (Smells wonderful.)

Smash and peel 4 cloves garlic– Put 2 in each cavity along with:

3 sprigs fresh rosemary (divided),

fresh thyme, butter, salt and pepper; add 2 lemon halves. Truss the chicken and place on a rack in a roaster; layer onion slices over tops of each…

10 halved yellow baby potatoes,

carrots, sliced garlic, and assorted peppers– hot and mild.

Remove the seeds from 1 acorn squash and slice into wedges. Do not peel the rind, it will roast tender into a marvelous flavor.

Halve tomatoes to roast…

Drizzle vegetables and onions with olive oil. Place 1 layer cheesecloth over all, tucking in the sides loosely.

Lightly drizzle top of cheesecloth covering.

Cook for 20 minutes.

Turn down oven temp to 375 degrees and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Drizzle a good amount of melted butter over chicken after removing the cheesecloth; lightly toss vegetables. Continue cooking until meat is thoroughly cooked all the way through and browned with a crust.

When chicken is resting out of the oven to hold in meat juices, melt Lindt’s dark chili chocolate. Stir in a pinch of ground cayenne into the smooth sauce.