Chicken Simplicity

Cooking whole chicken often seems daunting, I know. But you can't avoid it forever... So I am going to provide you with one single roasted chicken recipe that will urge you to give it a shot and allow you to do so from multiple angles. What you stuff it with, coat it with, and roast it with, is all up to you. Thus, there's like 9,758,347 combinations (approximately). The recipe is simple, delicious, and it will make for some beautiful din-dins.  You'll be wondering where the bird has been all your life. 

To start, here are some common-knowledge rules that you should always follow when cooking whole chicken. First, rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Second, after you stuff the chicken with whatever flavorings you are using, such as onions, lemons, or fresh herbs, tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wing tips under the body. This ensures that the chicken will cook evenly (if the legs and wing tips were further away from the body they would cook faster). Third, the chicken is done when the juices run clear! Be safe, yo.  Lastly, and most importantly, have fun with your chicken! If you know what flavors you prefer, integrate those into the recipes; mix and match, substitute certain ingredients with ones you know will knock your socks off, and make the bird your own! Spread your wings and fly! I feel awful saying that... I am a vegetarian at heart. Bad pun, Kara, BAD!

Here is an example of a relatively basic roasted chicken that leaves a lot up to the imagination. This recipe provides you with a perfect roasted-chicken foundation while giving you enough ammunition to have your way with it. I'll show you along the way where and how you can get creative.

Garlic-Lemon Chicken (inspired by Ina Garten):

1 5 pound (ish) chicken

salt and pep

2 heads garlic, cut in half lengthwise

1 lemon, cut in half

4 tablespoons butter, melted

(Be sure to follow the rules above) Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the garlic and lemon inside the chicken. ***Here is your chance to get creative... you can stuff it with thyme, shallots, zucchini, mushrooms, bubble gum (don't!); you can add anything at all! Invent your own recipe.***  Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under. Place the chicken in a roasting pan (if adding veggies to the pan, make sure the pan is large enough). Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter (or you can use olive oil) and sprinkle with salt and pep.  ***Here is another chance to express your creativity: you can baste the chicken with a mixture of butter and: orange juice (and grand marnier!) or lemon juice, for example, and you can also sprinkle other seasonings on top such as paprika, chopped fresh thyme and/or rosemary, etc. but see the "word to the wise" below beforehand.*** Roast the chicken at 425 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours (internal temperature of 170 degrees). Enjoy!

Word to the wise: When roasting the chicken, baste with butter occasionally during the first hour. If using orange or lemon juice, don't baste/coat the chicken with it until after it has cooked for one hour. 

Remember, YOU are the chef. Add veggies to the pan and you have the main course and side dish all in one step. Ina Garten added 1/2 of a spanish onion (thickly sliced), 4 carrots (cut into chunks), and 2 large yukon gold potatoes (cut into chunks). Onion, carrot, and potato are staples to the roasted vegetable world. Give them a try; you can't fail. But zucchini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, squash, etc. would all be mouth-watering. 

Moral of the story? Chicken is yours for the roasting. Get cluckin'! Or I'll just have to keep writing more terrible puns. 

*Photo courtesy of FoodNetwork.com. It is of Giada's Garlic and Citrus Chicken.