Roasting a Whole Chicken like Norman Rockwell's Granny
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more information.Though I purport to be a pretty okay home cook and generally feel like I can make a decent dinner, there are a some kitchen skills a thirty year old mama should know that I've never even attempted. Case in point: I've never roasted a whole chicken. Can I really call myself a good cook if I don't have that seemingly simple (stick the whole thing in the oven!) yet definitely daunting (salmonella! Dry chicken!!) task down?? I think not.So, I'm challenging myself to recreate this:
Ok, not really. But I do intend to wear an apron and make a whole chicken. (Update: did not wear apron.)There are about a billion "easy roast chicken" recipes online, so I consulted a few sources and landed on The Pioneer Woman's version. Mostly because it looked just exactly like my mom's rosemary chicken, which I have eaten approximately 247382 times in my 30 years. Come to think of it, I probably should have just called my mom, but I really needed some step-by-step pictures.Anyway, back to Birdie, as I've affectionately named my dinner. I cranked my oven to 450 degrees to preheat and gathered my essentials: olive oil, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper.
I gave my herbs a pretty fine chop and tossed them in a bowl.
Then added a GENEROUS amount of salt and pepper (under-seasoned food will get you Chopped for sure) and drizzled in about a quarter cup of EVOO. Give it all a stir.
Then, I prepped my bird. Mine didn't have any giblets or weird stuff inside, but check yours just in case. Pat it COMPLETELY dry with paper towels, then stuff it with chopped lemons, onion, and garlic (which I forgot).
Then, rub the whole thing all over with your herby oily mixture. This is when it gets extra messy. I had to wash my hands, no lie, about 14 times in this little 15 minute photo shoot, going back and forth between rubbing a chicken and taking the pictures.
You want to season both sides, but make sure you end up with your chicken breast-side up. I panicked for a second and had to (wash my hands... again) and look this up mid-prep. You can also tuck the wings under the bird itself. Almost like the bird is doing this...
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But in a foil pan (easy clean up!) going in the oven instead of on a sunny beach somewhere.
Birdie is ready! You could tie up the legs so the onions and such don't fall out, but I didn't have any twine, and it was fine. Turn the oven down to 425 degrees and put her in the top half of the oven. Set your timer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.When it's done, it should look something like this. Maybe with slightly less-burned onions if you were prepared enough to have baker's twine, but delicious either way!
Speaking of resting, make SURE you let your bird sit for at least 15 minutes, so the juices can redistribute properly. If you don't, all of that deliciousness will run right out when you cut into it. I used this time to saute some asparagus and make some garlic ciabatta bread. My mom probably would have done wild rice and green beans because they're my favorites, but, alas, I had neither.
Finally, a picture-worthy dinner is served! Though it took awhile in the oven, the meal was actually pretty low maintenance. That's a win in my book!
I'm thinking this could be great for having a couple friends over, especially if you leave the chicken whole, and let your culinary feat speak for itself. Or, this would make a great Valentine's Day meal for that lucky someone... though maybe skip the garlic bread in that case ;) Or, just make a bird for dinner on Sunday and use the leftovers for salads all week! That was my plan! Birdie was much more juicy and delicious than those store-bought rotisserie chickens. Just saying.And I promise you don't have to be a Master Chef to make it! Enjoy!(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});