Friday's Fave Foods----Roast Chicken

Sometimes cooking does not have to be complicated or fussy. Actually, alot of times, for me! I work full time + and have a family, pets, house and yard to care for. I am not a big fan of fast food or prepackaged foods for me or my kids. I am a big fan of crock-pot cooking and fast healthy meals. Roast chicken takes hardly any preptime, although it does take a fair amount of oven time. It's super simple, and it beats the grocery store version by a long shot. In case you don't know this, they inject those chickens with a fatty marinade to give them so much flavor, and for marketing purposes. You really do not have to do that to enjoy a delicious roast chicken!



1 hen (I use fryers)

olive oil

salt and pepper



Preheat oven to 350 degrees



Wash the hen thoroughly, especially inside the cavity, dry on paper towels, and pat dry. Salt and pepper cavity Lay in roasting pan, breast side up. If you have a large or unruly (!) chicken, a simple truss of the legs with kitchen string is a good idea. Drizzle breast and thighs with minute a small mount of olive oil, and distribute evenly by rubbing especially into the breast. I am not that liberal with the olive oil, because a whole chicken will produce a fair amount of fat while cooking. But the oil will keep it from drying out. Lightly salt and pepper the exterior. Cook in oven for 1& 1/4 to 1 &1/2 hours, depending on the size of the hen, brushing breast with juices intermittently. If you skip this step, don't worry, it will still turn out great! Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Make sure Golden Retriever is on lock down, as she will attempt to steal it right off the top of the stove!



That's it! There are plenty of variations on this. If I have a piece of citrus around, I will put it (whole) inside the cavity of the hen while it is roasting. This is a trick I learned from a talented and experienced chef friend many years ago, it keeps the meat moist and slightly sweet. You can also add 40 cloves of peeled garlic cloves to the cavity if you like garlic chicken.

Also, I am not a germ-a-phobe, but raw chicken can cause alot of problems, so make sure you clean and sanitize your working area any utensils you may use, as well as your hands!

I do realize I posted this on Thursday, but we are off for the week-end, and I did not want to miss 2 weeks in a row of posting!