Garlic Roast Chicken

Cooking another one of Ina’s recipe – Garlic Roast Chicken.  I feel I should dedicate a section just for Ina.  Her recipes are truly delicious and easy to prepare.  I could not find roasting chicken and purchased young frying chicken.  I think it will be good and purchased all the ingredients for this dish.  I am going to add sweet potatoes to this dish.  I purchased a whole chicken today and rinsed and dried chicken with paper towel.  I will be preparing it tomorrow night.  I can’t wait.  Ingredients:

• 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1/2 large Spanish onion, thickly sliced
• 4 carrots cut diagonally into 2-inch chunks
• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 6 pieces
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Salt the chicken inside and out, wrap it and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, first preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels.  Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with all the garlic and lemon.  Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Place it in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it and the vegetables.  Scatter the onion slices, carrots and potatoes around the chicken.  Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.  Place the vegetables back in the oven and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes.

When the vegetables are cooked, carve the chicken and place the slices on the platter surround by the vegetables.  Drizzle some pan juices over the chicken and vegetables.

How great is that when you use simple cheap ingredients to create a wonderful meal that everyone will love!!! I finally discovered a great way to roast chicken thanks to Ina.  I don’t know why I never prepared roast chicken this way…I don’t think I will be purchasing Costco Rotisserie Chicken anymore since I have this recipe.  The aroma is intoxicating and fills the house. The chicken must be at room temperature before it goes in the oven, or the chicken will not cook evenly. Leave the chicken in the refrigerator for 1-2 days after buying it, so that the skin gets a bit dried out.  It will roast up crispier this way.  Then 1 1/2 to 2 hours before it goes in the oven, put it on a plate on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature.   The key to making a good roast chicken is truss the bird before roasting…tie it with butcher’s twine to keep the legs close to the body. This method help to cook the chicken evenly and makes a nice presentation.  I have to do a better job in trussing my chicken…practice more and I will get better. There were plenty of residual juices in the pan to create a gravy but I opted not to making gravy.  I just drizzled the pan juices to the chicken and vegetables.  The vegetables in this dish are outrageous….definitely add more vegetables…they were also moist.  The leftovers were simply divine…the chicken was still moist.

Ciao for now!!!