Roasted Chicken and Carrots with Herb and Garlic Sauce and Sautéed Kale

I love a good roasted chicken.  When you do it right it just comes out so good and juicy and lovely.  Start with a "happy chicken", one that has run around and eaten good stuff.  It makes a difference.  Dry it off and salt and pepper it liberally, inside and out.  Slice a head of garlic in half across the cloves and stick one half inside the chicken.  Stick a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary in there too. Heat your oven to 425.  Put a cast iron skillet on high heat with a couple tablespoons of olive oil in it.

When the pan is good and hot brown the chicken slightly on each side, starting with one side and ending with it sitting on it's back, breast up.  Place in the oven and let cook for 40 minutes, rotating the pan once if you have a hot spot in your oven and the chicken is browning more on one side than the other.  Using a thermometer check the meatiest part of the breast.  If it reads 165 Fahrenheit your chicken is done, if not put it back in and keep checking after 5 minutes.  When the chicken is done cooking remove it from the pan and place on a cutting board to let it "rest".  If you don't do this step the juices will all run out and the chicken will not be as tasty or juicy.

Peel carrots and slice any that are larger than an inch diameter in half lengthwise. Place on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Toss the carrots around with your hands to coat each one with oil and seasoning.  Place in the same oven as the chicken and cook for around 30 minutes, stirring them around a few times during cooking to make for even browning.

For the herb and garlic sauce you can chop up any type of herbs you have on hand (I used dill, rosemary, basil, tarragon, oregano and flat parsley) with several cloves of garlic (you can use the ones from the other half of the head of garlic you stuck in the chicken), a few anchovies and a couple tablespoons of capers.  Chop everything really well and use the side of your knife to smash the capers.  Just cover with olive oil.

Chop a head of kale by slicing it across the leaves.  In a large saute pan heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and one clove of garlic roughly chopped.  Throw in the kale and saute until it's your desired tenderness. Don't forget salt and pepper. I like mine well cooked so it took about 10 minutes.  Optional- squeeze a lemon over the kale.

Serve the chicken with the herb and garlic oil drizzled over top.