Roast Chicken and Vegetables

This is a dish that I make all of the time.  It’s a dish that is satisfying in all four seasons.  I love it.

I always have at least one whole chicken in my freezer.  A chicken with the bones and skin still intact will have more flavor when you cook it.  The bones and skin lend a richness and a “chicken” taste.  I do keep a bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts as well, but when I prepare those, there has to be a lot of hoopla to make them appetizing and they certainly aren’t tasting like a chicken.  I like to roast a whole chicken or cut it up and make Coq Au Vin or fried chicken.  Whole chickens are good.

I use a roasting pan for this dish with a rack.  This is so that the chicken will cook over the vegetables and drip lovely yummy juices all over them and make them gorgeous.  I think I got it at WalMart for $10.  I use it ALL the time and I got a great big one so that I can make my 20lb. Thanksgiving turkey.  Today I made a 6lb. chicken.

Cut up 4 large potatoes, 5-6 carrots, 1-2 onions, and any other root vegetable (like parsnips) that you’d like to roast.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and the sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now clean your chicken making sure you remove the neck and giblets from the cavity.  Wash the skin and pat it dry with a paper towel.  Put it on rack and place the rack in the roasting pan over the vegetables.

Depending on the size of your chicken, you add a quartered onion, 3 cloves of garlic cut in half, and 1 quarter of a lemon.  Since these won’t be eaten, you don’t need to peel them or anything.  Just shove them up in there. You’ll also need to bend the wings back on themselves..just fold them behind like the chicken is relaxing.  You don’t want them to burn.

Now this part os going to sound weird, but trust me…it adds so much.  Where I am from, you would have a hard time finding a kitchen that doesn’t keep their bacon grease stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in a crock on the counter.  It’s an easy way to add a smoky flavor to dishes without having to waste some perfectly good bacon that would go better on a sandwich or with eggs.  Melt about 3 Tblsp. of bacon grease and baste it over the chicken.  This will make the skin crispy and OH SO DEEEEELICIOUS.  You could also just lay 3 strips of bacon over the top of the bird but, again, I’d rather save my bacon for better things.  Add a little bit of salt and pepper to the skin.

Now put some foil over the whole thing and place it in a 375 degree F oven.  Again, depending on the size of your bird you’ll need to cook until done.  For my little bird I cooked it covered for 2 hours and then uncovered it for 30 minutes.  When you take the roasting pan out of the oven, take the chicken (still on the rack) out of the pan and place on large cooking board or plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest.  The meat needs to rest for at least 15 minutes.  Stir the vegetables and incorporate all the flavors.

Besides the roasted vegetables, I always like to serve a salad with this dish.  Some simple greens or a Spring Mix are perfect.  I also always like to make my own vinaigrette or dressing.  We’ll talk about those later.  For now just use up that bottled crap you’re using now, but don’t plan to buy any more.

This meal is so good and it makes the house smell so damned good.  When you’re done picking most of the meat off of this, DON’T DISCARD THAT CARCASS!  We’re making chicken stock tomorrow…and you need a chicken carcass for that!  And those veggies taste magnificent cold as a quick midnight face-stuff.  Enjoy!

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