whole roasted chicken wholly worth your time...
If you caught my Friday Favorites last week you saw that my favorite weekend cooking tradition is to whole roast a chicken on Sundays. You also read that I wasn't the biggest fan of chicken growing up- I just didn't grow up eating it (#redmeatalldayeveryday). And then I met Chase. He made me appreciate chicken & introduced me to ground turkey (did I grow up under a rock???) Over the past couple of years I've cooked A LOT of chicken and discovered whole roasting chicken is my favorite way to cook fresh chicken. Roasting chicken whole keeps the chicken moist & flavorful. Cooking a whole chicken on Sunday means I can have fresh, shredded chicken for the week & fresh chicken broth.
I used a Dutch oven for this recipe which I picked up on clearance at Macy's for $25! Here's a link for the same brand from Amazon. If you don't have a Dutch oven you can always use a roasting pan or sheet pan with a rack, BUT it's so much easier in a Dutch oven! BONUS: you leave all the veggies/leftover goodness in the Dutch oven for your chicken broth AND less dishes to do! You know how much I despise dishes...
Scroll down for my roasted chicken recipe & chicken broth:
Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
Kosher salt
black pepper
poultry seasoning (check the ingredients to make sure no salt is added to the mix!)
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
1/4 stick butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into chunks
1 bunch of celery
Olive oil
your choice of fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of fresh herbs, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.
Spread the onions, carrots, and 1/2 of the celery bunch (save the other 1/2 for the broth) in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Toss with salt, pepper, fresh herbs, and olive oil. Place the chicken on top.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and cover with aluminum. Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before shredding. Save all chicken pieces, bones, excess fat & the veggies for the broth.
Chicken Broth Recipe:
Ingredients:
chicken pieces (legs, wings, necks or back bones & giblets)
2 celery ribs with leaves, cut into chunks
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
your choice of fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley)
cold water
Directions:
Add above ingredients (except water) to the cooked veggies roasted with the chicken in the Dutch oven. Cover with enough water to completely submerge ingredients. Slowly bring to a boil; reduce heat until mixture is just at a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 hours, skimming foam as necessary.
Strain broth, discarding vegetables and seasonings. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Finally, did you see my Instagram today? I posted a quick, easy & healthy lunch recipe using the chicken I cooked on Sunday!
