This recipe for a whole oven-roasted chicken is tried and true. This whole roasted chicken recipe is easy, tasty and will have your family craving for more! As time gets very scarce to cook dinner, I have found that using the oven is not only convenient for cooking so you don't really have to watch the food; it also makes the cleanup relatively minor as well.
Ingredients:
1 whole roaster chicken
1/4 stick of butter
1 stick of Celery (sliced down vertically, then crosswise)
1/4 Green Bell Pepper (diced)
1/2 Onion
Garlic Salt
Seasoning Salt
Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Black pepper
Chicken Bouillon (1 pack I use Goya)
The following instructions are the base steps for the roasted chicken, and I have included some other twists to this recipe below for you to try out.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Season the chicken on the outside (top and bottom) with a dusting of the garlic and seasoning salts, and black pepper. If you add red pepper, be careful to NOT overdo it. Use about a half a teaspoon for the whole chicken.
Season the chicken on the inside with the chicken bouillon, 1/3 of the butter, 1/3 of the celery and 1/3 of the onions and 1/3 of the bell pepper.
Around the chicken, place the remaining vegetables and butter. When it roasts, the juices will be sufficient to make gravy, and to baste the chicken.
Roast the chicken in a covered pot in the oven for about one and a half hours. There is no need to baste it, that is one of the reasons this recipe is so simple. When done, remove from the oven and let the bird 'rest' for about 12 minutes before serving. You will find it nice and juicy.
Now, using this recipe is more than sufficient to feed a family of four.
Recipe modifications:
Sometimes you really don't have the time to prepare other vegetables to go with your roasted chicken dinner, so what you can do is add three medium-sized potatoes to the pot (chopped), as well as some sliced mushrooms. Try these recipe modifications separately to see which ones you and your family like the best.
When done, you will have chicken and potatoes all cooked at the same time. It removes a lot of cleanup, saves time, and is very tasty. Now, this recipe is also good for Cornish hens, but do not use it on game birds such as duck, because their flesh has a different fat ratio and flesh density that need to be considered.
If you want to get fancy, use some of the drippings in the pot to make gravy by adding flour to it in a frying pan, and browning it until it gets thick enough for you. It should be well seasoned, but taste and season it to your liking. Use the gravy on the chicken and the potatoes. The other vegetables in the pot are tasty too, by the way.
Add a small salad and heat some rolls in the oven while the chicken is resting, (it is still hot after all) and you have dinner!
Enjoy!
