A home cooked meal like our grandmothers used to make is always nice, but when you have young kids, who has the time? Sarah and I do, but only about every other week if we’re lucky. On Sundays we have committed to having Sunday dinners with each other. One Sunday her family comes to my house, and the following Sunday, we swap houses. We’ve been doing this for a few years now and it’s been a great way to stay connected (not to mention well fed!)
This Sunday was my turn, so I decided to thaw my 6.3 pound chicken from my December Springdell Meat Subscription. (Always be sure to thaw in the fridge until fully thawed, usually a couple of days. This is especially important since we’ll be making things with leftovers, and re-freezing items from the chicken as well.) Accompanied with fresh Springdell veggies, it was a hearty, easy, and most delicious meal!
I put one of those big ole’ garlic bulbs (skin and all, halved lengthwise) in the bird cavity before roasting. I also had a little bit of rosemary herb butter (that’s a-whole-nother recipe) in my chest freezer that I rubbed under the skin before roasting.
Save the pan drippings, the giblets, and the carcass (including the garlic bulb)! We’ll talk more about what to do with these tomorrow. See you then!
- One Springdell Chicken, fresh or fully thawed (mine was 6.3 pounds)
- Aromatics for the cavity (such as a garlic bulb and/or citrus fruit halved lengthwise- along with other herbs of your choice)
- Olive oil
- Salt (preferably coarse, 1 use about a teaspoon)
- Pepper (preferably freshly cracked)
- Butter/herbed butter for under the skin (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Remove the giblets from the cavity and set aside (refrigerate if not using them right away). Rinse the chicken and pat it dry, then place it in a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle salt (liberally) and cracked pepper on the outside of the bird. Using your hands, rub the salt, pepper and oil all over the exposed chicken skin areas. If using butter or herbed butter (and while your hands are still messy), gently lift the breast skin with your hand and apply the butter directly to the breast and under the skin, being careful not to tear it. Place prepped aromatics in the cavity, along with a little more salt and pepper, and tie the legs together using butcher's twine. Tuck the wing tips under the bird if you can (mine always pop out during cooking, but not a big deal).
- Roast the chicken at 425 for about 1 1/2 hours or until it hits 165 degrees at the thickest part.