As a working Mom it's a challenge getting healthy meals on the table that taste good, keep us on a budget and don't take hours to prepare. This past Fall I learned how to roast a whole chicken from my favorite daytime show The Chew. Lucky for me, my local grocery store puts whole chickens on sale for around $3 every few weeks so I can stock up.
Here's how I prepare one. First I rinse & pat my chicken dry. Then I stuff it with a 1/4 - 1/2 of an onion and a clove of fresh garlic. I place it on a bed of celery, push a pat of butter under the skin of each breast and salt it. This particular time I had a fresh lemon from a friend's citrus tree to flavor it, but obviously you can change it up with different spices & ingredients easily.
I roast the chicken on 400* for 30 minutes to crisp up the skin, then I turn the oven down to 350* and cook it for an hour. I use a meat thermometer to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. Since mashed potatoes are a family favorite in our house so that's usually what I serve on the side with some fresh veggies. Of course you could always add the potatoes & veggies to the roasting pan and cook them all together.
The nice thing about a roasting a whole chicken is that there's always lots of chicken left over for another meal! So far I've made chicken noodle soup, chicken salad & a pot pie and that all have turned out wonderfully. Not bad for a $3 chicken!
Yum, yum! I want to try this! I know you've told me that you do this but I've not yet tried it. I love the idea of doing stuff with the leftovers too & would love to make a pot pie. What recipe do you use for that??
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