I love making Roasted Chicken for special dinners or parties because it's easy, fast, and tasty. An added bonus to cooking up a Roasted Chicken? The leftovers are great for reusing in other dishes, like this yummy Leftover Chicken Pesto Wrap. Don't you just love a double-duty recipe? I do!

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 pound whole chicken
• olive oil
• garlic powder
• salt

• pepper
• 1 lemon
• 3 - 4 sprigs rosemary

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Wash the chicken and cavity with cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Set on a rack on top of a roasting pan.

3. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil all over and then season with garlic powder, salt and pepper—don't forget to season in the cavity, too.

4. 

   Cut the lemon into four wedges and stuff into the cavity, peel and all. Stick the sprigs of rosemary in the cavity, as well.

5. Slide the chicken into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 and roast for 45 - 55 minutes, until juices run clear.

6. Let sit for 15 minutes before carving.

Notes

This recipe can be used for a larger chicken, as well (you won't need more rosemary and lemon—this amount will work fine even with a bigger bird); however, larger chickens will take longer to cook, so check your meat thermometer and cook to an internal temperature of 180 degrees.