How to Roast a Chicken
Pardon the raw poultry photo buuuut, it's all I've got. Roasting a chicken is actually really easy to do as long as you don't over think it you'll do just fine. It's also one of those things that regularly makes people pretty darn happy overall. I mean, come on... who doesn't like having roast chicken for dinner?
Equipment
Method
* Potatoes or any other root vegetables work here.
** Feel free to mix up the veggies, swap out the aromatics, play with flavours. Think of your favorite things to eat with chicken and see if you can use them for flavour
Equipment
- roasting tray
- sharp knife
- butcher's twine
- toothpicks
- cutting board
- meat thermometer (mine was $20 at loblaws and it's worth every penny)
- paper towels
- 1 chicken, thawed, unwrapped
- 2 large onions, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 4 celery stalks cut into celery sticks
- 2 potatoes, peeled and sliced*
- carrots, I used a handful of baby carrots
- fresh herbs of choice
- cold butter, a few thin slices
- 2 cups chicken stock (fresh or powdered works)
- salt and pepper
Method
- Make sure your sink is really clean, make sure your tap water is REALLY cold and clean your bird. Make sure that there are no 'icky' bits left inside the bird's cavity.
- Preheat your oven to 475°F and move your racks so that the roasting pan will comfortably fit.
- Dry the bird off using the paper towels, make sure you dry the inside of the bird as well. An old wine bottle can make for an excellent stand while you're drying it off.
- If you're going to stuff your bird, make sure that your stuffing has been fully cooled off.
- Separate the skin from the meat of the bird by gently wiggling/sliding your fingers/hand under the skin. A few tears are okay, you can always patch the hole with a toothpick but one solid piece is always best- it'll help retain juices later on.
- Slide thin slices of cold butter and sprigs of your fresh herb of choice under the skin. Season the interior of the cavity with salt and pepper, add herbs, 1 clove of garlic, the lemon and 1/2 of one onion.
- Truss your chicken using butcher twine, patch any holes in the skin using the toothpicks.
- Place the carrots, celery, potatoes, onions and remaining garlic cloves** into the roasting pan.
- Place the chicken onto the vegetables, add the chicken stock to the bottom of the pan and make sure that the chicken ISN'T touching any of the liquid... if it is, just move your vegetables around so it's sitting up a little higher.
- Place the meat thermometer's probe into EITHER the stuffed cavity OR the thickest part of the bird, usually the thigh, making sure the probe isn't touching the bone.
- Liberally season the chicken's skin, place the bird into the oven and drop the temperature to 325 right away.
- Roast your bird until your probe reads 165- the time will depend on the size of the bird and your oven.
- Remove the roasting tray from the oven, cover it with a lid or tinfoil and walk away for 15 minutes.
- Carve and serve.
* Potatoes or any other root vegetables work here.
** Feel free to mix up the veggies, swap out the aromatics, play with flavours. Think of your favorite things to eat with chicken and see if you can use them for flavour