Roast Chicken with Smoky Bacon Biscuit Dressing

I purchased some free range chickens from a local farm.  These chickens are super delicious.  The family has been in the business for over 20 years, and they know their stuff!

Along with the chicken I made this wonderful dressing--recipe from Williams and Sonoma--bacon and biscuits in a dressing?  How can this be wrong?

Start by getting the chicken ready to roast.  I brined the bird in a salt and honey brine overnnight, drained, rinsed, then dried the chicken skin.  Stuff the cavity with lemon and a rosemary sprig.

Tie the legs together with kitchen string.

Rub the chicken with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  

Place the chicken on a roasting rack in a large foil roaster.

Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours,

or until the juices run clear.

Get the ingredients ready for the dressing:

Biscuits, bacon, mushrooms, onion, celery, seasonings, and chicken broth.
(That half & half was for another recipe, oooops)

Bake the biscuits while the chicken is roasting. 

Cut the biscuits into cubes.

Saute mushrooms, onion, and celery until tender.

Add seasonings--salt, pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning.

Add the biscuit cubes and mix it all up.
Add chicken broth to moisten the mixture to your liking.

Butter a baking dish, pour the dressing in and cover with foil.

This will bake for 30 minutes in the oven with the chicken.

Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes so the top gets kind of crispy.

Close up of the finished chicken and dressing.
Drying the chicken skin before rubbing on the oil,
makes a beautiful golden brown roast chicken!

Here's the entire Williams and Sonoma recipe for the dressing:
This recipe serves 10

Twelve 4-inch biscuits cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb. smoky bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 yellow onions, diced
5 celery stalks, diced
8 oz. white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
2 Tbl. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbl. chopped fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
5 cups chicken broth

Enjoy friends!