Guest Post by Beth of Red and Honey
Are you working to ditch processed foods and put more real food on the table? This month we're continuing a series called Real Food Made Simple: A Beginner's Guide to Eating Better. Our goal is to answer the questions you might have and make the transition a whole lot easier!
I was a starry-eyed young bride at the tender age of nineteen, and the day we unpacked cardboard boxes in our wee bachelor suite I was in my glory. My newly minted husband and I made innumerable messes in the kitchen as we baked and stirred and experimented together, finding our groove together.
I applied my modest kitchen skills with gusto. I used to pore over cookbooks (these days I just take my laptop into the kitchen with me) and try new things at pretty well every meal.
The years ran away from us, as they tend to do, and here we find ourselves a decade into the future with a trio of cute kiddos and a minivan, still chopping and sizzling away in the kitchen.
One of the classics that I learned early in my adulthood that I still absolutely love to make is a simple roasted chicken.
Some people find the idea of roasting a chicken quite intimidating. I actually think it’s one of the easiest things you can do.
With a little bit of knowledge anyone can make a roast chicken dinner that is delicious and impressive, worthy of your coziest of Sunday dinner tables. Classic comfort food at its finest.
What Kind of Chicken Should I Choose?
Free-range chickens that peck around eating dirt and bugs are best. That’s what they were designed to do, which results in a healthier bird and better nutritional content.
Organic is always good too, of course. To be honest, my personal preference (if I had to choose just one) would be for free-range over organic, but that’s just me.
Other important considerations are what kind of feed is used to supplement the diet, whether they are given antibiotics, and how much space they are given to roam (hint: the grocery store version of so-called “free-range” is not what you think!).
The best way to be confident in your choice is to talk to your meat supplier and ask questions. Try to find a small, local farmer who cares.
The How-To’s:
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.
- When you buy a whole chicken, it will generally come wrapped in plastic. Unwrap it, and if there are giblets inside, remove them. You can leave them in the pan if you want to - they add flavor to the gravy.
- Place the chicken in a roasting pan and add water. I use a pan just bigger than the chicken, and I add about an inch of water. The chicken drippings will add to this as it cooks, which will be the base of your gravy. No need for store-bought broth or bouillon!
- At this point you can do whatever “extras” you want. Some people like to rub butter under the skin and throw a lemon into the body cavity; some like to just sprinkle a little salt and pepper. I like to add liberal doses of real sea salt and fresh ground pepper, with a nice sprinkling of dried rosemary. I love the subtle rosemary flavor that ends up in my gravy too. There are a bajillion different options for flavoring here - experiment to find your favorite! You may also want to add potatoes and veggies into the pan for baking in the juices, but be aware that you will have way less liquid for gravy-making.
- Place the covered pan in the oven for the designated amount of time according to the chart below.
- Be sure to check your temperature with a meat thermometer. Stick it in the fleshy part, and only partway through. You can also check for doneness by poking near the drumsticks, and if the juices run clear it’s done or nearly done (check the temperature too).
What Else to Serve:
The chicken may be the star of the show in a roast chicken dinner, but I happen to love the side dishes even more. I was always the kid that took seconds on veggies and declined dessert. Three pregnancies later and I have a bit of a sweet tooth problem, but I do still love my veggies!
Here are some recipes for delicious side dishes that would be great choices alongside your perfectly roasted chicken:
Gluten-Free Garden Herb Biscuits
And for a simple but decadent, make-ahead dessert treat, try this chocolate coconut macaroons recipe. Not a single unhealthy ingredient in them, and dang, do they ever taste good!
When did you roast your first chicken? What’s your favorite flavor option? What sides do you serve with roast chicken?
We love our sponsors:
- Plan to Eat: Plan To Eat was born from our desire to eat real food — great food — prepared at home, together as a family. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them, automatically generating your grocery list, organized the way you like to shop. Eat well. Eat together. PlanToEat.com.
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