Roasted Chicken Oh Yeah Ya Did

            One thing that will always produce oohs and ahhs when you are cooking for other people is the sight of roasted chickens coming out of the oven. There is something about seeing that golden, crispy skin that just starts your mouth watering. It is also a technique that is really simple and the payoff is second to none. So here is how Johnny roasts his little birdies. It is simple but it has yet to fail me. So go baby go and find you some birds to roast.

            Because this is such a simple preparation the quality of your ingredients is going to shine through so if there was ever a time to spend a little more this would be it. I lean towards buying my poultry as locally as I am able; luckily I have poultry farms relatively close to where I live. Do the best that you can. The big thing you want to look for in your birds is that they are free range and hormone and antibiotic free. We could get into a very long and intense debate about ethics and all of the stuff that surrounds eating meat in general but we are not going to. All that you really need to know is that they are going to taste better. I have tested this so trust me the birds that have been running around and are not full of drugs taste better and that is why you should use them. Spending the extra $5 is worth every cent and more. Okay let’s get down to it roasted chicken Johnny style.

Roasted Chicken to the tune of Marlaina Kamikaze by The Zolas

1 whole chicken around 3lbs

½ lb butter

3 cloves of garlic minced

Salt and pepper

Some herbs chopped, I use winter savoury but thyme and rosemary both work great too.

(Optional) coarsely chopped root vegetables: carrots, onion, potatoes, squash, or whatever you have. I use these as a roasting bed as I do not have a rack for my roasting pan. Not only does it keep the bird from scorching on the bottom but it adds a little extra and complimentary flavour to the meat which is never a bad thing.

-Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and remove your bird from the fridge so it can temper. You want it to be at room temperature when it goes into the oven. Now you need to remove the neck and any of the other little treats your butcher may have left in the body cavity. Keeping them or discarding them is totally up to you. Now you have to truss the sucker so get ready to tie the sucker up. It doesn’t really matter how you do it but the things you need to remember is that you don’t want any twine going over the breast and you want your bird to look like a single package, no limbs hanging out like a botched mob hit.

-Using your fingers, push up under the skin to separate it from the meat of the breast. Stuff the butter and garlic up under the skin and that is magic baby. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and the chopped herbs. Now it is ready for the oven.

-Roast for anywhere between 35-50 minutes depending on the exact weight of your bird and the reliability of your oven. Check the internal temperature. It should be between 165- 180 degrees Fahrenheit. You can baste it if you want to but I don’t. Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes and then carve it up. You can serve the roasted veg as a side dish if you like and you are done. Enjoy.