Recipe: Simple Roasted Chicken

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

Confession: I have never roasted a chicken. I know, please do not revoke my foodie card.

But today all of that changes! There seems to be a trend this month of food bloggers writing up recipes for stock (beef, chicken, turkey, veal or otherwise). The Boston food blogger market is interesting, because we all work together and feed off of each other, and from what I hear, almost no other cities have a blogger community that is so cohesive. Anyway, back on point…So a bunch of people have been making stock and I wanted to as well.

I figure I use chicken stock in almost every recipe I make, so that should be the type I go for. Plus, I would be killing to birds with one stone (pun intended) and would be able to hold my foodie head high and have roasted a chicken! PLUS, I have a HUGE craving for chicken salad, so there’s that too…

The stock story and recipe will come later, for today, please enjoy Simple Roasted Chicken…which, by the way, came out golden brown and perfectly moist if I do say so myself…I’ll take my foodie card back now, thank you.

Oh yeah, I didn’t take any “prep” pictures because, honestly, a whole raw chicken is not a pretty thing! In reality, a whole chicken in general is not pretty in any way…

Ingredients:

5 lb Whole Chicken (washed)
salt and pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion (quartered)
2 stocks of celery w/ leaves (cut into fifths)
2 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of flat parsley
2 large cloves of garlic (quartered)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup stick butter (divided into tbsps)
12 oz beer (I use Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale)
1 cup water

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350
Sprinkle salt & pepper over all sides and cavity of the chicken and rub in
Place chicken in the roasting pan
Place 3 tbsps of butter inside the chicken cavity
Stuff the chicken with onions, celery, garlic, thyme and parsley
Place the remainder of the butter pats on top of the chicken and next to it in the roasting pan
Sprinkle the sugar over the chicken
Pour 1/2 of the beer into the pan and a little over the chicken
Place in the oven, uncovered for .5 hour
Baste with the drippings and cover the chicken loosly with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, uncover, add the other 1/2 of the beer and 1 cup of water to the pan.
Bake uncovered for 30 more minutes
Remove from the oven, remove and discard the veggies from the chicken’s cavity, and enjoy!
If you are planning on making chicken stock with your chicken carcass, deglaze the bottom of the pan with 1 cup of boiling water and reserve for the stock recipe (which I will post this Friday!)

Filed under: Recipes Tagged: | blog, blogger, boston, food, roasted chicken, while chicken

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Megan, on January 17, 2011 at 9:12 am said:

It’s ok… I just roasted chicken for the first time last year or the year before. I’m hooked now. I make the Zuni Cafe recipe usually, which involved salting the chicken 1 to 3 days in advance. The skin gets so salty and crispy. Love it. I just made some chicken stock last night, coincidentally!

Kimmy, on January 17, 2011 at 3:23 pm said:

I’ve only done it once or twice. It’s actually pretty ridiculous I don’t do it more often. I love everyone including the beer, definitely something I’m going to do next time!

kitchenmisfit, on January 17, 2011 at 3:58 pm said:

Love roasted chicken! I first discovered how easy it is thru Ina Garten. I love that you added beer to it!

Brian Knowles, on January 18, 2011 at 8:06 am said:

I think I found my answer as to “whats for dinner tonight”! You made my mouth water thinking of some crispy and forbidden (but always eaten) chicken skin.

The Souper, on January 18, 2011 at 11:24 am said:

Roast Chicken ala “Barefoot Contessa” or Ina Gartner. She puts lemon and garlic cloves, salt and pepper inside cavity. Sprinkles salt and pepper outside onto the whole chicken. Puts a little olive oil on top of chicken. Roast on bed of cut veggies: onions, carrots and celery.
Go to Foodnetwork: Barefoot Contessa for the best recipes.
The Souper