Another option when buying an entire chicken is to roast the whole bird. I confess this is something I do every Sunday afternoon for the family's meat eaters (including the canines). See, even though I am a vegetarian, I make a supertasty roasted chicken. :-)Back during my former omnivorous days, I perfected the roast chicken after being served at a Parisian bistro the most delicious bird I had ever eaten. And the preparation could not have been simpler: the chicken had been lightly sprinkled with a touch of sea salt and black pepper and popped into the oven. Parfait! After the holiday, I made it my business to replicate this little bit of France at home. :-)
My process is equally simple. As far as seasoning, I tend to stick to salt and pepper, if anything, although placing a few rosemary or thyme fronds under the skin before roasting has a nice effect. I have also sliced a lemon in half and then stuffed both pieces into the cavity; this too was very tasty. My favorite, though, is to put an entire head of garlic inside the bird; not only does the garlicky flavor enhance the chicken, but also the resulting roasted garlic can be added to mashed potatoes or spread on warm bread. Yum. :-D
Most importantly for my perfect bird is the following: I preheat the oven to 400-425 (or between the medium and high flames on our ancient cooking machine) and roast the chicken uncovered at this higher temperature for the first half hour. Then, I cut the heat back to low for the remaining ninety minutes or perhaps a little longer, depending on the size of the chicken. This way the skin has a nice crispness to it, but the meat remains incredibly tender and fall-off-the-bones good.
Occasionally our weekly chicken is served straight from the oven, but more often it is cooled, plated, and put into the refrigerator. Then throughout the week, it is can be added to a sandwich or salad or used to supplement the dogs' homemade food. And all for just a few bucks, eh? A definite seal of approval from The Happy Recessionist!
Photo is by Deborah Jones found on epicurious.com.
