Roasting a Chicken......just try it, you'll never go back!

For whatever reason I've always been so scared to roast a chicken.......I'm not sure why! It's not hard but for some reason I had placed it up there with making duck confit or souffle in skill. (and by the way I have yet to try the last 2........but will soon!)

This may sound dumb.....but I realized I kept making the same dishes just with minor differences because I was scared of trying new or hard things! How stupid! Food is supposed to be fun and a learning process and delicious! I was worried about wasting time and money on ingredients just to end up running to Taco Tree in frustration. And while that has happened (at least a few times :) it is worth trying out new things!

You probably already know how to roast a whole chicken........but I didn't so I found Ina Garden's (btw......my favorite food network star/show host) recipe very helpful. She is very straight forward and basic. 

I tried to make you a video.......but I kept laughing and messing up and there was a fly buzzing around my head so I finally told the hubs to just turn it off and I took pictures! 

Step 1. 

Rinse off the whole chicken and pat dry with paper towels

You want it to be dry on the outside so that your oil/butter and seasonings with stick. you also want to check and make sure to pull off any left over feathers or stuff off the bird

Step 2. 

Stand the bird up and sprinkle salt and pepper inside the bird....make sure you've removed all the giblets from inside. Yes I have cooked them inside, no one likes a little plastic baggie of cooked innards on their plate. 

Step 3. 

Slice a lemon in half as well as a whole garlic clove and stuff into the inside along with fresh sprigs of thyme and rosemary or whatever! 

Step 4.

Lay the bird down (confession..........I had to watch her video 3 times to make sure I didn't have it upside down!) and brush melted butter over the entire top of the bird. If you have a dairy intolerance like me then you can certainly use olive oil but butter is actually the best for this because the milk and fat solids in it make the outside brown perfectly :) 

Step 5. 

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the outside and tie the legs together. You do this so that your bird won't dry out, it helps keep the juices inside :) I also like to tuck the wings under the body as well.

Step 6. 

Place over vegetables! I love traditional sliced carrots, onions, etc. The veggies soak up all the juices and are AMAZING as well as aiding in the roasting process by lifting the chicken up off the pan. 

Step 7. 

Place in a 425 degree oven until cooked through, usually about an hour plus depending on how big it is! Enjoy!!!