Flyer Foodie: Foodie 101 – Roast Chicken
During my last hair cut, my stylist made an alarming and worrisome observation. “I’m loving Flyer Foodie,” she said, “I just wish you’d do something… easy.” “Easy?! But aren’t all my recipes EASY?” I exclaimed. “Well… not for… normal people,” she said. Oh, great. So either A) I’m not normal or B) I’m making food that is only easy for kitchen-savvy people, while leaving everyone else completely in the dark. (My husband says, for those who are wondering, that “A” is indeed the correct answer.) I have the best intentions, mind you. I don’t obsess for hours in the kitchen, apron smudged with handprints and camera smeared with aioli (that one’s for you, George) to bring you something that is either completely mind-boggling or entirely too troublesome.
Red Potatoes
So I came up with a plan. Over the coming months, I’ll be sprinkling my usual Flyer Foodie posts with a series of Flyer Foodie 101 posts, covering recipes and dishes that may have the illusion or the reputation of being difficult, but are in reality, after a few basic pointers, quite simple. I’m kicking off the series with an old standard, roast chicken.
Here’s the catch: I’m leaving the remaining Flyer Foodie 101 posts up to you, dear readers. Leave me a comment on what you’d like to see in future 101 posts – a recipe you’ve always wanted to learn, a dish you’ve struggled with, or a food you want to know more about – and I’ll do my best to accommodate. Come on y’all, this will be fun!
For this week’s roast chicken, I bought a local bird from Richard’s Meat Market, which sells chickens from Little Portion Monastery in Berryville. These pasture-raised chickens are fed a mixture of natural, non-GMO whole grains (which is ground on-site at the Monastery), given no steroids, no animal by-products or antibiotics, and yield a lower percentage of saturated fat and calories than a typical factory-farmed bird. The taste is definitely superior, and it always feels good to buy local, doesn’t it?
Ready for Stuffing
For my flavorings, I chose some classics like onion, lemon and thyme, which are stuffed into the cavity of the chicken – if you’re feeling adventurous, try other flavors, like garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, or even cinnamon sticks. For the outside of the chicken, I rubbed butter over the skin with a liberal hand, and then sprinkled a seasoned salt evenly over the butter. I know seasoned salt can be a deeply personal matter – feel free to use what you like; my favorite seasoned salt has hints of garlic, paprika and orange peel. With flavor on the inside and flavor on the outside, the oven takes care of the rest. How easy can you get? My chicken roasted for just over two hours, which came out to about 30 minutes per pound. If you decide not to stuff the chicken with flavorings, the cooking time will decrease significantly. I also added some potatoes to the pan and removed them once they were done, while the chicken kept cooking.
Roast chicken can be summed up in a handful of words: Classic. Comforting. Aromatic. Delicious. Just to name a few. The rules for roasting a perfect chicken are anything but complex, and achieved by following just a few simple guidelines. 1) Let the chicken stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to roasting to ensure even cooking. 2) Fill the cavity with flavorings, like onion, lemon and herbs, and be sure to salt the cavity, as well. This helps flavor the meat from the inside out. 3) Make sure the chicken is suspended in the roasting pan on a rack. This allows the drippings to fall into the pan, so the chicken isn’t “boiling” in its own juices. 4) Allow the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes before carving. Adhere to these rules and I can guarantee a perfectly cooked chicken, a satisfying dinner and delicious leftovers, simultaneously. Magical, I know. Enjoy!
Classic Roast Chicken
1 4-6 lb. chicken, gizzards removed
1 small onion, thickly sliced
1 lemon, quartered
1 small bundle of fresh parsley
1 small bundle of fresh thyme
3 Tbs. butter, softened
3 Tbs. favorite seasoned salt
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 450°. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with clean paper towels.
Trussed
Salt the cavity of the chicken and insert the onion, lemon, thyme and parsley into the cavity. Spread the butter over the outside of the chicken, top to bottom, and cover with your favorite seasoned salt. Place on the middle of a rack in a roasting pan, and place in the oven.
Immediately decrease the temperature to 350°. Roast the chicken for about 30 minutes per pound, or until the skin has crisped to a golden brown and an inserted instant read thermometer reads 185°. Remove from the oven, cover with tin foil, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
*If you’re adding vegetables to the pan, like potatoes or carrots, add them at the beginning and keep a close eye on them – they won’t take as long as the chicken. Remove them from the oven when they’re done and cover with aluminum foil until the chicken is finished cooking.
If the above slideshow doesn’t load, please visit the entire Roast Chicken set on Flickr.
Laura Hobbs is a guest contributor for the Fayetteville Flyer. Born and raised in Fayetteville, Laura is a self-proclaimed foodie and avid cook. For more of Laura’s contributions, visit her author page.
Discussion
The Fayetteville Flyer doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy.
By Lacy on November 4th, 2009
Bread making would be boss. It seems so daunting to me with all its active yeast, flouring, rising, kneading, resting…My Kitchenaid mixer seems made for it.
By Misty on November 4th, 2009
Love this. I chose shop over home ec in high school, and I’m starting to regret it. I mean, is it really life-altering that I know how to make a car out of balsa wood? I would much rather know how to roast a chicken. Oh wait, now I do. Keep ‘em coming!
By Me on November 4th, 2009
@Lacy – She has one on making bread and it is fabulous! I think she got the recipe from the same person I got it from and I have never had better homeade bread!
By Rynne on November 4th, 2009
Laura, I LOVE your foodie posts. They are so yummy and make me want to cook more at home. I like seeing a whole meal too, like the salad, main course, dessert. Give it up!!
ALSO – Who DOES cut your hair??
By Mullva on November 4th, 2009
Laura,
Cool post!
I don’t cook a whole lot, but as a self proclaimed food snob your pictures and post are beautiful! I might even try the roast chicken.
Keep up the good work!
By Alannah on November 4th, 2009
I made roasted chicken tonight because you got it stuck in my craw for the past two days. Mmmmm….thanks for the inspiration.
I’ll echo Lacy – I need help in the baking dept. It would also be nice to go over cutting techniques, and basic cooking terms and when and why to use them (blanching, steaming, roasting, grilling, etc).
By burgerboy on November 5th, 2009
Question: What kind of and where do you get string used to tie the legs together?
And where do i get a rack to roast upon? Does it come with a roasting pan?
By Michael on November 5th, 2009
When smoking chickens and turkeys if there’s enough to need to hang them to make space, I use regular synthetic twine.
Some roasting pans come with racks, if not you should be able to find one at Walmart, Target, Kohls,or any place else that sells kitchen supplies.
By Laura Hobbs on November 5th, 2009
Hi, y’all!
Lacy, Me’s right – check out my post on Schweizer Brot for a great bread recipe. I’ll be sure to do more in the future, too.
Misty, at least you can build a mean birdhouse! You’ve got one up on me in that department. :)
Me, I’m glad someone else knows just how invaluable that Cory-Ricker bread recipe is.
Rynne, a whole meal is a great idea! I’ve jotted that one down in the orange notebook. As for my hair, Taylor Housley-Sutton (a/k/a “Girl Taylor”) at Dead Swanky cuts my hair. She is so lovely and irreplaceable!
Mullva, food snobs, unite! Thank you for the kind words.
Alannah, I’m glad I got under your skin (pun intended). More baking to come, I promise. And techniques and cooking terms are a great idea – that’s gone down in the orange notebook, too.
burgerboy, I use regular 100% cotton string that you can find at the hardware store. It is all natural, no colors or dyes, and doesn’t impart any flavor to the chicken. As for a rack, it often comes in a set with a roasting pan. I just bought a new one recently that came with a roasting pan, rack, lifting prongs and a baster.
Michael, you’re exactly right. Thanks for the comment!
By George on November 5th, 2009
Thanks for the tips and the imagery. :) That’s cool that Richard’s sells the local monastery birds. I’ll have to check that out.
I think a 101 on any basic sauce (marinara, alfredo, hollandaise, gravies, pesto, etc) preparation and applications would be sweet. A lot of them are super easy and way better than store bought. I’m pretty good at some (farmer’s market marinara), but really suck at others (gravy). It’s always good to get another perspective.
By Sardon on November 5th, 2009
Laura, you should teach the people who don’t know how to make pizza how to make pizza dough and sauce. I learned in high school from an Italian girl, who calls the sauce “suga.” I didn’t learn until college Chemistry why the suga needs to be “brewed” for at least two hours is to break down the long carbon chain starches into short carbon chain sugars. Just like with beer, people like sugars just like yeast do.
You might need a video to demonstrate kneading. I was taught to push the dough in the pan, but switched to rolling it out with a rolling pin for thin crust. Pushing the dough then letting it have a second rise in the pan is the Ye Olde King Pizza puffy crust trick.
By Mary Swift on November 6th, 2009
Laura – I was happy to find this Fayetteville site (I haven’t been home in ages), and even more excited to see that you write the foodie section for it! Your recipes look absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to try some of them, despite my lack of cooking skills. Thanks for sharing!!
By Laura Hobbs on November 7th, 2009
George, definitely check out the monastery birds. They’re in the frozen section. And sauces are a great idea – thanks!
Sardon, sounds like YOU may be the expert on pizza! :) I love hearing about the chemistry side of cooking. And I, personally, am a thick crust girl. I’ll definitely add pizza to the list, too.
Mary?! Is that really you?! Welcome – I’m glad you found the Flyer!