The Four Day Chicken

Welcome to a four part mini series on….chicken!  Our latest butchering day was Friday, and what beautiful birds they turned out to be.  In the infamous words of one happy customer, “Wow!”

Last week, I also offered a challenge:  Is it possible to increase the value of my meat by making four meals out of a single chicken?

The answer?  Yes, I could…and I did.  Over the next 4 days, I will show you how.  In the meantime, send me your own ideas and recipes so I can share them.

Delicious nutrition and value for my purchase?  Now that’s something to crow about!

Day One:  Robin’s Roasted Chicken

Over the years I have learned a few tricks for roasting the perfect chicken.  Your bird will turn out juicy and full of flavor, and this is and so easy.  Here’s what you will need:

A whole chicken….mine was around 6 pounds

1-2 tsp. 0live oil

Salt and pepper

1 tsp. thyme

2 stalks of celery, including the leaves, cut into large chunks

Perhaps an onion, quartered

An orange and/or a lemon, quartered

The first secret is to season your bird the night before you plan to roast it.  Massage the entire bird, including the cavity, with 0live oil and a liberal amount of salt, pepper, and thyme.  Place the bird in a pan or large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

On roasting day, allow the chicken to come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, set your oven temperature to 450 degrees, and just before roasting, stuff  the bird with the celery, onion, and fruit.

The second secret is choosing your roasting pan.  Some people place their bird on a rack which rests on a cookie sheet.  I have tried that with success but I think it tends to dry out the meat.  Now I use a cast iron dutch oven.  Not only does the meat stay moist but the iron holds the heat oh so well.  I put my empty pot in the oven to heat as the oven temperature rises.  When the oven reaches 450 degrees, I add the chicken, leaving the cast iron cover off.

Now, I set my timer for 40-50 minutes, choosing the extra time for a larger bird like this one.  I am watch for a nice even browning, and when I see it, I know it is time for the third secret.

After 50 minutes, my chicken is golden brown.

Cover your bird with foil, or in my case, the lid to my dutch oven, and turn your oven completely off.  Allow the chicken to rest in your oven undisturbed, for 2 hours.  You have essentially created a slow cooker that will gently bring your bird to perfection.

When I cooked Saturday’s chicken, I had vegetables to roast, too.  So about an hour before I served dinner, I pulled my cast iron pot out and set it on the stove top (covered of course) while I cooked the vegetables for 30 minutes.  Then, I turned the oven back off, put the vegetables on the bottom rack of my oven, and the chicken pot on the top rack to finish for another 30 minutes.  It worked well.

Before serving, discard the celery, onion, and fruit. You now have a beautifully roasted chicken that can be used in countless delicious ways.  Tomorrow, I’ll share one just one.  What will you do with yours?

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables