kristen's kitchen: roasted chicken

Up until a year ago nothing instilled fear in me like "roasting". I don't know why, but it always seemed so daunting, so scary, so HARD. Well folks I'm here to tell you that it's not as hard as it sounds. Actually it's a piece of cake.

Yesterday Mr. Wonderful and I got a well-deserved break from the one woman show of crazy that is his mother. He's been battling a cold the better part of the week and since his father and sister hate it (therefore making it difficult to serve for Sunday dinner), he decided he wanted roast chicken. I wanted something simple so I just did a basic recipe, but really the sky's the limit on this one.

I forgot to take pictures until after the fact, so you'll just have to use your imagination-again.

Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken
olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1tsp garlic powder

2 tsp thyme

1 cup water or chicken/veggie stock
Roasting pan with or without rack-I don't use a rack but if you have one and want to use it, by all means do so.

Place racks so roasting pan will be in center of oven and preheat to 375F

Mix seasonings in a small bowl; set aside.

Prep your chicken:

Remove chicken from package and giblets from body cavity (Liver, kidneys, sometimes neck. You can cook these, but I think they're gross so I throw them away), and rinse inside and out with cool water. Drain well and place breast-up in roasting pan.  (I place the chicken in the roasting pan and prep it there. This helps to keep the mess and possible contamination to a minimum.)
Check to ensure all the excess fat and pin feathers are removed, and pat dry with a paper towel. This helps to ensure a crispy skin, not to mention using your kitchen towels is just gross.
If you didn't buy a pre-trussed chicken, do this now.

Trussing a chicken is easy-it just takes a little time to master:
Place bird breast-up in pan.
Cross drumsticks at 'ankles' and bind with kitchen twine. (easiest way is to make a slip knot and attach to the 'ankles' and kind of hog tie them together.) This doesn't need to be pretty; you just want them to stay together during cooking.

Once bird is trussed drizzle a little olive oil (about a tablespoon) over it and spread with hands-don't forget the body cavity. Then rub seasoning mixture on skin and inside cavity. Add 1c water or broth to pan cover if your roasting pan has a lid, and place in oven.

The cooking times will vary based on how big your bird is. The general rule for UNSTUFFED chicken is 20 minutes per pound of meat, plus an additional 10-20 minutes. Confused? Me too. This link is my go to-as it has a cooking guide, general info, and tips on how to make variations to the basic recipe. I am afraid to eat stuffing from body cavities, but I am not opposed to putting things in there for extra flavor. Just be sure to use caution if you do choose to use the stuffing from your bird.

I covered and roasted my bird for an hour and 35 minutes. Be sure to baste your bird every 15-20 minutes if it's covered, but watch it if you don't have a cover for your roasting pan. You don't want the juices to cook off and dry the meat out. To baste you don't need anything fancy, just a large serving spoon. Just remove bird from oven, close the door to retain the heat, and spoon the juices over the bird. Recover, and put back in oven. If you want to roast veggies with your chicken don't put those in until the last 30 minutes-unless you like mushy veggies.

After the initial roasting time I like to put it uncovered into a 450 degree oven for an additional 10-15 minutes to brown and crisp up the skin.

The best way to check if your bird is done is to use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. Once it reads 180 you are good. If you don't have a thermometer there are other ways to check for doneness-the easiest is to cut between the leg and thigh and be sure the juices run clear.

Once bird is cooked remove to a plate, cover with foil, and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. Resting allows for the juices to redistribute in the meat. If you cut the meat before it's had time to rest you lose all the cooking juices onto your cutting board and get dry meat. So do it. It's worth it. Plus it gives you time to make pan gravy with the drippings:

chicken gravy
1cup cold water
3tsp cornstarch
chicken drippings

milk or water

Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat. Mix water and cornstarch in small cup until blended and there are no lumps.

Whisk cornstarch mixture into drippings and stir continuously until thickened and everything is incorporated. If the gravy thickens too fast whisk in milk/water a little at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

Remove from heat and serve immediately with mashed taters or over the meat.

Carving your bird takes some practice, but super easy once you get the hang of it. Good reference link is here

Mr. Wonderful rating: went back for thirds...had to threaten him to leave some chicken for chicken noodle soup later in the week...