Eat Something Good

I haven’t baked a whole chicken in ages.  I think it’s been several years.  In college, I baked many whole chickens.  And every time, it came out great.  My girlfriends loved it.  I ate dark meat at the time.  I’d remove the leg & thigh for my serving (my first serving).  And often we had plenty of breast meat leftover for what else but leftovers.  One friend always requested the same thing.  Her mother used to make it for her.  She liked the leftover chicken shredded (pulled apart) mixed in with leftover rice and for the kicker, we’d pour in all the fat and juices that formed on the bottom of the roasting pan.  I have to admit.  It was pretty good.  I haven’t made it since college but I’ll always have that tasty memory.  Especially the memory of smelling the wonderful chicken cooking all throughout the apartment.  This past weekend, our house was smelling pretty fantastic.  It’s a nice homey meal and puts most people in a good mood.

So after a little bath, I seasoned the whole chicken with dried rosemary, dried thyme, garlic powder, s & p.  I was liberal with the salt.  Then I popped her in the oven at 350F.  Steve predicted that it would take an hour.  Not so, it took almost two.  (I neglected to look at the sticker and was just guesstimating.)  Oh, I inserted a whole lemon (that I’d stabbed with a fork) into the cavity of the bird.  I had to take this out half-way through cooking because I wanted it to cook faster.  On the side I served rice (Camilla brand spanish rice).  To prepare it, I sauteed up some celery, red onion, fresh chopped parsley, dried cilantro with s & p in butter.  I used a mixture of chicken stock and water for the liquid part.  And for veggies, we had canned wax beans.  My idea but Steve’s choice at the store.

Outcome.  Everything turned out great.  I worried that the breast meat was dried out because I had to cook it for so much longer than anticipated.  I did remember to baste it twice with all the chicken fat & butter from the bottom of the pan.  It must’ve done the trick because it was really yummy.  The breast meat really tasted like it’d been baked or roasted (duh).  Like if I were blindfolded and doing a taste test, I’d know which one was from a baked whole chicken.  Some of the seasoning penetrated the skin and flavored the meat.  It was nice.  And it was soft & tender, not dry.  The rice turned out very good.  Steve loved it.  This time I only used a 2:3 ratio of rice to liquid instead of the directed 2:4 ratio.  I was taught to use the former and the rice usually turns out pretty good.  The wax beans were mushier than regular canned green beans.  I wasn’t loving the texture, but the taste was good.  All in all, Steve & I were very content after this meal.  The word ‘pleasure’ comes to mind.

When you get a chance, I highly suggest you bake a whole chicken.  You won’t regret it.  The only part I don’t love is cutting it up afterwards.  I do alright with the leg & thigh.  Then I have a little trouble on the wings.  But I’m more or less okay with the breast.  Sometimes it takes a little time & effort before you can be gratified.  As always, Eat Something Good!