Roasted Chicken(recipe)

Whole chickens were on sale this week at Whole Foods for $1.59/pound, so I picked up about a 4 pounder on Sunday. I've used ONE chicken for three meals!

With this one chicken I made:

- roasted chicken dinner with smashed peas and roasted sweet potatoes
- chicken/apples/carrot and feta salad on a bed of baby spinach
- slices of chicken in butternut squash soup
- homemade chicken stock(2 quarts in the freezer)



The salad I made: chicken(3/4 cup)/carrots(2x)/Macintosh apple(1/2 apple)/feta(1 oz.)



Salad dressing with the salad


Dressing included:
2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove minced
2 tsp. of olive oil
1/2 tsp. of agave nectar
salt and pepper


Chicken salad on a bed of baby spinach



Roasted Chicken Recipe:

whole chicken(4-5 lbs)
2x cloves of garlic
rosemary(couple of springs) OR any other FRESH herb you have in the house
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
optional- chicken stock


Preheat oven to 375°F. Place garlic, and rosemary into the cavity of the chicken. Next, tie the legs together with kitchen string(I didn't have any so I didn't do this). If youd do have string pull the wings so the tips overlap on top of the breast; tie in place, wrapping string around the wings and body. Rub the chicken with oil, salt and pepper. Set the bird in a roasting pan, breast-side down. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes. Then, turn the breast-side up and continue roasting, basting occasionally with pan juices, or chicken stock until a thermometer inserted registers 175°F. This will take about an 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the string before carving.



Roasted Chicken Tips from Eating Well

Roasting Tips
1. Very cold meat won't roast evenly. Place it on the counter while preheating the oven.
2. A heavy-duty, high-sided roasting pan is essential for conducting heat evenly. Never substitute a cookie sheet. A broiler pan will work in a pinch, but the roast will inevitably be somewhat chewier.
3. Give it a rest. A roasts internal temperature will rise about 10 degrees while resting. The natural juices will also reincorporate into the meat's fibers and the skin or crust will dry out slightly for a more toothsome yet more succulent dinner.