Do you remember the commercial with the mom in the kitchen, reading her romance novel, who then throws flour in her face and flounces out with a perfectly cut plate of rice krispy treats? Her family is vastly appreciative of her hard work producing such a culinary delight. They're so good, they must take skill and effort!
That is what roasting a chicken is like. To those who don't know how to do it, it must take great skill to produce! They are tasty, but they are also ridiculously easy to prepare.
Roast Chicken
I heat the oven to 375 F, rinse the chicken, place it in a roasting pan, sprinkle it with whatever spices catch my fancy that day, and put it in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Sometimes I get all herb-lady-fancy and smash fresh herbs in a mortar and pestle with sea salt and olive oil. Those herbs get tucked under the skin, or you can cut into the flesh and tuck them away inside the bird.
I wrap a few sweet potatoes in foil and put those next the chicken.
This dinner is always well received. Being allergen-free, there is no food coma, despite the tryptophan content of the chicken. This is a happy belly meal!
The best thing about this meal, is that you can use the carcass to make a nourishing bone broth, which will help to feed you for the rest of the week.
Broken Bone Soup
chicken carcass, with larger bones cracked or cut to expose marrow
Onions
Garlic
Veggie Scraps
Splash of Vinegar
Tonic herbs like Shiitake, Astragalus, Codonopsis
Place all of the above into a crockpot, cover with water. Heat on low for 12-24 hours. Strain to remove solids.
You can freeze this in ice cube trays, and pop a cube into anything else you cook to boost the nutrition. You can add a cube or more to grains, other soups, stews, casseroles, etc. Heat and sip when you're feeling a little off, and with the minerals from the bones, it is especially good for you when you've broken a bone of your own.
