Sunday, August 11, 2013

Simple Roast Chicken

I didn't go out for my birthday dinner this year, just postponed it, so I decided to make something I absolutely love, and something that I rarely make for myself.    Roast Chicken.  Yup, a simple, superlatively roasted chicken with a side of potatoes and some carrots.  Nothing fancy, but oh so very good. 

To start with I took the cover off of the chicken in the morning, I wanted the breast to get air dried a little in the fridge.  It helps with the crispiness of the skin.   I also salted it, very, very lightly.
I then took a couple of celery stalks, a carrot and an onion, and placed them in the cavity of the chicken.   I do this when I roast a turkey as well.   I think the veggies keep it a little moister and they also add a nice flavour to the meat.

  I brushed the breast of the chicken with an olive oil/ melted butter mixture.    I then sprinkled it very lightly with some Bell's Seasoning, which just so happens to be salt free, and goes very nicely on chicken. I started the roasting process with the breast down in the pan.

  Yup, breast down. For about a half an hour.   I find it keeps the breast meat a little moister, and when you flip it over the skin over the breast gets nice and I then roasted it til a thermometer placed in the fold by the thigh showed me it was 160 degrees.   I then took the chicken out to rest for a few minutes while I finished off the rest of the meal.  And promptly forgot to take a picture before I carved it. Grrrrrr...   

And usually this is just a simple meal, well prepared, and served and one of my favourites .  I don't need fancy, just some good food.


Now for my critique:    However, as good as this looked, it really didn't perfume the air like a good roast chicken usually does, and when I tasted it, well, all I can say is it was not as good as my mouth wanted it to be.   I don't think I've ever made or eaten such a flavourless bird.  I seasoned it correctly, cooked it properly, but bleh, tasteless.   So the rest of the chicken went into the freezer, and I'm going to mist it with some olive oil, and roast it in the oven until it's browned, then attempt to make some chicken stock from it.  And to aid in that endeavor, I picked up some chicken necks at the organic foods place I went to the following day. 

As soon as I can I'm going to go for some Duck Confit fries, giggle, at the Owl Tap Room in one of the neighboring cities.   That will have to be my real birthday dinner.  


And this year I did not make myself a cake, but a wonderful friend brought me by a slice of Carrot Cake.   Which was so nice of her, and it was very good.   However, I had to tell her it was not as good as the one she made me last year.  That one was over the top good. 


Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

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