Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Basic Roasted Chicken.

Roasting a chicken is not only very easy, it allows you to make multiple meals from the one chicken.

I apologize in advance for the photos... I didn't pull out my flash, so most of the photos are a wee blurry, but you get the picture.

Start out by washing your whole chicken.



Pat dry. This is an important step, because a dry chicken ensures a crispy skin.






Place the chicken in a greased baker of choice. *Be sure to put breast side up! *

Generously season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.


Prep the veggies you plan on stuffing in your chicken. I had celery, onion, lemon, and garlic on hand.



Stuff the inside of the chicken with your goodies.




Tie up the legs with the some kitchen twine. If your wings seem to be spreading away from the chicken, then bring the twine around to the front of the chicken and tie there.







Next, separate the skin off of the breast by working your hand in slowly then stuff 1-2 tablespoons of diced butter in to the breasts, between the skin.




Season the the top of the chicken liberally. I used Herbamare, pepper, and dried thyme. Feel free to use fresh herbs - you'll need a little more fresh herbs than dried because they are not as potent.



Now bake off that bird. Place chicken in a 425 degree oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes. After that, reduce the heat down to 375 degrees and bake for 15 minutes for every pound (i.e. an additional 60 minutes for a four pound bird) and until the juices run clear. When time is up, remove the chicken and let it sit for an additional 10-15 minutes before cutting so the juices redistribute.




Then dig in!

If you have leftover chicken, make a chicken soup, chicken pot pie, chicken salad, chicken quesadillas, or even some sort of casserole. The options are endless! And don't forget to boil that chicken carcass for some quality chicken stock. It'd be a shame to waste such a valuable item.

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