Thursday, February 17, 2011

I roasted a whole chicken last night:


I am a pretty good cook when it comes to vegetarian fare, seafood, grains, and desserts.

I am not, however, well-versed in big hunks of meat or whole poultry birds.

But, whole chickens were really inexpensive at Central Market on Sunday, so I bought one.

I was actually kind of nervous; I bought a roaster pan and used this equation to roast my feathered friend:

15 minutes at 425
15 minutes at 350
45 minutes + 7 minutes for each pound (I did 70 minutes for a 3.75 lb bird and it turned out perfectly)

I rinsed the bird under hot water and dried it really well with paper towels.  I placed it on the rack and sprinkled a generous amount of salt and pepper all over the top.  I had an extra, really large shallot, so I cut it in half and stuck it inside.  Then I tucked the legs and wings under the body.  I did not baste the bird at all because there was not much juice, and my chicken still came out golden brown with a crispy skin.  I also did not add any fat on the skin.

Give yourself a lot of time; but I really suggest roasting a chicken; you will be so proud of yourself!

2 comments:

  1. Yum Leah! It looks like you did an amazing job!

    Out of all the things I cook, poultry is the toughest for me too. =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. have you cooked a whole chicken before? It was really good and so much easier than I though!!

    ReplyDelete