Today, roast chicken. Or, really, yesterday. Since it's quarter past midnight here and all. Sleep. Whatever.
First off, buy a whole chicken. :) We get the Perdue Oven Roaster & Parts. I throw the 'parts' away, because I haven't found a recipe for cooking them that doesn't involve frying, and I can't eat them fried what with the butter and all being un-good for the diet and no one else in the family wants to eat chicken hearts.
The rule is 20-23 minutes per pound at 350 in the oven.
You prep the pan, which for me is just lining it with non-stick foil. We have a turkey roasting pan which is just lovely. The chicken comes out so insanely moist, and you leave all the fat drippings behind. The chicken needs to be unwrapped and the little package with the 'parts' pulled out.
Then you wash the chicken and drain the fluid out of it. I also look for little feather bits while I'm doing this. They cook fine and you can actually eat them and they're just tiny things, but if I see them I have to remove them. It's a mental thing.
I coat the chicken in olive oil before breading. What I do is lay the chicken in the pan and then pour a little oil into my palm and basically massage it into the chicken. I find it easier to get just a thin layer and get it into all the nooks and crannies on the chicken that way.
My breading is a mix of store bought Italian bread crumbs, Season All, Onion powder, Garlic powder, Oregano and Parmesean cheese.
Again I leave the chicken in the pan and pat the breading on by hand. We don't want a real thick crust because most of us can't eat the skin anyway, and making sure it gets into every part of the chicken ensures that the taste of the breading is in every bite.
Once I have the chicken ready and the oven is to temp, I pop it in and wander off for an hour and a half (usually. It's all dependent on the weight of the chicken). We have stuffing, typically, which I am not allowed to make inside the chicken. Parental preference. And a veggie, depending on what's in the house and what we feel like.
Beautiful. I remember roasting a chicken by myself for the first time about a year ago, I was so proud of myself! hahahaha
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you are not going to eat the skin/breading anyway, have you considered just rubbing in the spices instead of having the bread crumbs? You can also score the skin and then rub in the spices underneath the skin which really helps get the flavour into all of the chicken.
Wow! It looks yummy. I'm gonna try making this.
ReplyDeleteSo this whole post was really funny to me!
ReplyDelete"Here's another installation in the 'oh good lord she cooked!' saga."
For real! :) Nah, you cook like once a week at least, don't you?
"Today, roast chicken. Or, really, yesterday. Since it's quarter past midnight here and all. Sleep. Whatever."
Why are you staying awake and messing with Baby Sis' time to prowl the house freely?
Thanks for sharing this recipe and pics, too. Really enjoyed it!
Yeah, me too. I feel as though I've perfected my roast chicken. Especially since we got the roasting pan. Man, I would not have believed the difference it made if someone had told me.
ReplyDeleteOooh...I had not considered that. I'll try it the next time. Thanks!
Suroor,
ReplyDeleteIt *is* yummy. I'm very proud of my chicken!
Susanne,
ReplyDeleteI aim to amuse!
No, yeah, I cook on Saturday. But my family still jokingly has that reaction.
My sister caught me taking the pictures and she's went, "what? why are you taking pictures? you roast a chicken at least once a month!"
Pht. Baby Sis has adjusted, mostly. And I have important doings to be doing.