The BEST Roasted Chicken
This winter I am all about comfort foods. What says comfort more than roasted, juicy homemade chicken on a cold chilly night? Just typing this is making my mouth water!
I know some of you are thinking, I do not think I have ever touched a whole chicken, never mind trying to cook one!
Well myself included, there is a first time for everything. I have always bought chicken already cut up ready to cook (thighs, drumsticks, breasts). But this time I wanted to be traditional and prepare a whole chicken for dinner.
My very first time making a roasted chicken, I did NOT cook it hardly enough, and there was hardly any seasoning on it. Me and hubby ended up salvaging a few pieces and everything else close to the bone was RAW! (Talk about Salmonella!)
Anyway, this time around I was determined to cook it just right and be patient and take my time with it and BOY did it pay off.
The chicken came out so tender and juicy I just had to write it down this time to share.
If you learn anything from this recipe, its that do NOT be afraid to use SALT. Salt adds so much flavor to chicken. It even flavors the juice that can be used to make gravy with the drippings. So use the SALT, your finished dish will thank you =)
I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!
Please comment below with additions you used that make this recipe even greater! ENJOY =)
The BEST Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole roaster chicken giblets removed
- 1 stick butter
- 1 onion
- 1 TBSP Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 TBSP garlic powder
- 2 TBSP salt
- 1 TBSP pepper
Instructions
- Wash chicken and remove bag of gizzards and set aside. Pat dry chicken with paper towels.
- Place chicken in baking dish. Pre heat oven to 350° F
- Cut slits in chicken skin all over
- Cut up butter and place butter under skin
- Sprinkle 2 TBSP oil all over outside of chicken
- Season chicken INSIDE and OUTSIDE with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning
- Rub chicken with hands and massage all the spices in
- Cut onion loosely ( small or big slices of onion your choice!) and spread out evenly in bottom of baking dish and inside of chicken
- Add water to bottom of the baking dish
- Baste chicken with juices from bottom of dish every 30 mins
- After 1 hour and 40 mins, increase temperature to 400°F for 30 mins. (or until temperature reaches 165 ° F)
- Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
-
To make gravy from chicken drippings
- pour drippings into a measuring cup and let the fat settle.
- Take 1/4 cup of fat and put into a saucepan
- Add 1/4 cup flour and mix it up until you make a roux (all the liquid is soaked up)
- Ladle out the rest of the fat in your drippings
- Add enough water or chicken stock to make 2 cups of drippings
- (You can also add 1 bouillon cube if you do not have stock)
- Add mixture to sauce pan and mix with whisk until thickened
- season with salt and pepper
