Since I have been married, one of my favorite things to do is to have people over to my house for dinner. I just love entertaining. Something about having friends and family over for a good meal just feels right. The weather in Arizona has been a little wacky this week and yesterday the temperature dropped about 20 degrees below normal. I thought it would be the perfect evening for a little comfort food in the middle of spring. So I invited my sister Laura over since my other sister had class and doesn’t get home until late.
Dinner was fabulous. I made roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, Brussel sprouts, rolls, gravy and a blueberry cobbler for dinner. It was the perfect spread for the cloudy and brisk evening.
Let me tell you, if you don’t know how to roast a chicken, learn how to. I try to roast one once a week because after I de-bone it I use the leftovers all week long. We make sandwiches, salads or try make something different for dinner with it like chicken tacos. Tonight I am planning on making a BBQ chicken braid.
(I will post later on my little secret weapon for finding wonderful recipes!)Roasting a chicken is simple and a great way to make a wonderful dish in the middle of the week.
Here is my recipe (it is eaaasssyyy peaasssyy!)
Preheat your oven to 450. Get a whole chicken with all the giblets removed. I find that they don’t actually make chickens with the insides still there and if they do, they are usually in a little package that you can just throw away. Thoroughly wash the chicken inside and out in the sink. Then dry it off with paper towels. It is important to really get all the moisture off of the chicken so the salt sticks better. I then put my chicken in a baking dish. I don’t have a roasting pan yet and it still cooks just fin. Rub the whole chicken liberally with salt and pepper. I mean coat that baby up. I mix the salt and pepper before hand in little dish so that I don’t have to worry about cross contamination on the salt and pepper shakers. You could also sprinkle any herbs or seasoning mixes on it. I rubbed a little rosemary on our chicken last night. Then put the chicken into the oven breast up and roast for 30 minuets. After the 30 minuets, take the chicken out and flip it so it is roasting breast down. This way all of the yummy juices will go to the breasts and give you really tender meat. Lower to over temperature to 400 degrees and continue to roast until the meat reads 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer or until the juices run clear when cut. I find this takes about an additional 40-50 minuets. When you chicken is done, just let it rest for about 15 minuets before carving, it helps the juices settle.
Knowing how to roast a good chicken is a great tool to have on hand. It is always impressive to bring out a wonderful golden and crispy bird when you have company and since it doesn’t require a lot of work, it is a good dish if you have other things you are working around the house.
I am looking forward to my leftovers at lunch today!
Happy Earth Day!
-Heidi
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