What's for Dinner?: Whole Roasted Chicken

We just recently came back from the Bahama's over the April vacation.  Great trip, great family time.  But, if your like me, after days of eating out, breakfast, lunch and dinner, airport food, by the time the trip is over, you just want a home cooked meal. My favorite tried and true comfort food after any vacation is Whole Roasted Chicken dinner. It's nothing fancy but my family enjoys it.

When I was a kid, my mom always prepared chicken but she always bought whole cut up chickens, so it was in parts. She loved smothering the chicken in onions etc, but that recipe is for another time.(Awesome, flavorful, fall off the bone, recipe and I have been making it for years). My husband who hates bone in chicken even eats it.

The one time my mom purchased a whole chicken, she didn't roast it. Instead she'd cut it up into parts herself. Well the afternoon she was going to prepare the chicken for dinner (cut it up) she ended up getting sick and asked if I'd cut it up and prepare it for her. I was 12 at the time and figured how hard could it be? So I thought I'd help her out. Had to be the most horrifying experience of my life. Literally, after butchering that poor bird into what was supposed to be pieces, I did not want to eat chicken, touch a chicken or even look at chicken, ever again. Washed my hands from here to kingdom come. But that trauma has since passed. 

Now, when I buy a whole chicken I roast the whole thing. There is no way I'm cutting up that bird at all. That's why they sell cut up chicken at the supermarket in the first place, so you don't have to cut up the whole bird!

When I want to cheat, I buy them already cooked at Market Basket when I don't have time to roast one myself.

It's Whole Roasted Chicken with gravy, rice pilaf, corn and tossed salad and that'ts What's for Dinner.

Whole Roasted Chicken

• 1 6lb or 7lb Whole Chicken (I like them large so I can use the carcass after to make homemade chicken stock and soup and put in the freezer after).
• 1 Large Onion Rough Chopped
• 1 Large Carrot, unpeeled, Rough Chopped
• 1 Stalk Celery cut up
• 4 Cloves Garlic can leave skins on and cut/smashed
• 1 Lemon cut in quarters
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Thyme, Rosemary and Italian Leaf Parsely (all 3 or 1 herb if you like)

Directions:  Wash and clean the inside and outside of the bird. I put a ton of salt and rinse with water. Pat the bird dry after you've cleaned it.

Salt and pepper the inside of the bird.

In a large bowl, combine, the carrots, celery, onions, garlic, lemon and herbs and coat with salt and pepper and olive oil.  Once all is coated with the oil, stuff inside the bird. Tie the legs with string to keep the filling from falling out. If you cant' fit it all in the bird, put the remaining veggie stuffing in the pan around the bird. It will make a nice juice and use that for your gravy.

I then place olive oil or melted butter on the bird and salt and pepper the outside. I've also used Rotisserie chicken seasoning from McCormick and sprinkled that all over the outside of the bird if you want to do that as well. But Salt and pepper will work just fine.

Bake at 400 degree's for about 1-1 1/2 hours. Remove, cover and let the bird rest for 20 mins before cutting the bird.  If your bird has a timer, even better. I always cook longer even when the pop up timer pops up.  I'd rather a slightly over cooked bird than one that is too tough to eat. 

I like to totally remove the breast from the bird, place on a cutting bird then cut thick slices of the white meat. The legs and wings and thighs, should just come off the bird rather easily.

When I want to go all out, I make stuffing and cranberry sauce, but after a long vacation, the roasted chicken, rice and corn is all I need.

Hope you enjoy!