Your Questions: How to Roast a Chicken

We tend to roast a lot of chicken around here.  Because roasting a chicken is so simple, relatively inexpensive, delicious, and feeds us for quite a few meals, it ends up on the menu quite a bit. 

And each time, I list it on my "Meal Planning Monday" posts, I get questions from yall about how I do it.  And while I am definitely not the next Martha Stewart, I am more than happy to share what works for me and my family.

So here goes... how to roast a chicken.

• Defrost the chicken (this can take a while - sometimes days).
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• Take out the "guts" that are on the inside and throw away.  Very gross, but you get over it.
• Rinse the chicken and pat it dry.
• Place the chicken breast-side up on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.
• Rub the skin with olive oil.  I never measure, but I know that I use a lot.  Make sure you get the bottom of the chicken, too.
• Then rub the skin with salt and pepper - really get it in.  You show that chicken who's boss!
• I usually stuff the inside of my chicken with whatever is laying around - a lemon, some rosemary sprigs, garlic cloves, half an onion.  So check your fridge and see what you can use up.  
• Once everything is stuffed on the inside, I tie the legs of the bird together with kitchen twine.

• Then I put the chicken in the oven with legs on the bird facing out.  This is because the breast meat takes longer to cook - so I want it in the hottest part of the oven, the back.
• I usually roast my chicken for about an hour, but of course, it depends on the size of your chicken.  The best thing to do is to use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.  When it reads 165 degrees, it is time to take the bird out.
• Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes, then carve it up.

We usually eat roast chicken for dinner one night and then use the leftovers to make sandwiches for lunch and chicken enchiladas or tortilla soup the next night.