BJ's had whole chickens on special a couple of weeks ago, so I brought home two for the freezer. Nothing starts off a weekend nicer than a roasted chicken on Friday night!
People often tell me that they're mystified by roasting a whole chicken. Oh, it's so easy! Just take out the giblets (that plastic bag in the cavity filled with innards) and toss it in the trash. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put it in a roasting pan, and then spread it with some butter. Saute an onion and a celery stalk on the stove until slightly tender, and then stuff it in the empty cavity. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
I usually roast a chicken at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn it down to 375 degrees for an additional 45 minutes. The higher temp browns the chicken a little more, and makes the skin crunchy. (yes, the skin is super-bad for you. But just a little taste now and then won't kill you.) However, to be safe, I also use a digital thermometer probe that beeps when the chicken itself is 160 degrees. Then it comes out of the oven and is tented in foil, and the temp coasts up to 165 degrees, which is a safe eating temp.
Mashed potatoes and canned green beans rounded out the meal nicely, along with my husband's homemade gravy. Have I mentioned lately that he totally rocks with gravy and sauces!!!!
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