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Roast Chicken

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The smell of roasting chicken draws you into the kitchen. My husband Rick and I are gravy people. Roasted Chicken and root vegetables, gravy and a salad, that is our perfect Sunday night dinner. And the leftovers, that’s almost the best part. This time I have a plan, the leftovers are going to become chicken pot pie. 

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Roast chicken
2 Fresh organic free range chickens
lemon
fresh thyme
allspice, salt, fresh ground pepper
olive oil
chicken stock
butter and flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Let chickens come to room temperature, approximately 1 hour. Dry each chicken with paper towels, inside and out.  Cut lemon in half and squeeze over top of the chicken then drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the top with allspice, salt and pepper. Then put the partially squeezed lemon half,  fresh thyme and salt and pepper inside each cavity. Put in the oven.  I like to add peeled potatoes after 15 minutes and carrots after another ten minutes. Roast chickens approx. 1 hour and 10 –  20 minutes. Leg should move freely or take temperature on an instant read thermometer and look for 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and put on carving board and let rest 15 minutes. While resting make a pan gravy.

Gravy
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 tablespoons flour
chicken stock to desired thickness
optional: white wine

For a pan gravy, pour off fat that is in the pan retaining the drippings. Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of butter and sauté into the drippings add 1-1/2 tablespoons of flour and whisk into the butter over low heat. Keep whisking to cook off the flour taste. Let the flour turn to a light golden brown color and slowly whisk in chicken stock (approx. 2 cups) until it is thick and flavorful. With a wooden spoon scrape the bottom getting all the wonderful drippings to incorporate into the gravy. Before adding the chicken stock ½ cup of white wine can be added. Let it reduce by half and add 1-1/2 cups of chicken stock.

Chicken Stock
2 Chicken Legs, thighs, backs or wings
2 – 3 carrots roughly chopped
1 medium onion roughly chopped
2 stalks of celery roughly chopped
fresh thyme
couple of bay leaves
pinch of peppercorns
parsley stems – small bunch
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
Water

Saute chicken, carrot, onion and celery in olive oil in a large pot until a rich golden color. Cover with water and add the rest of the ingredients. When it comes to a boil reduce the heat and skim the top. As it reduces add water and let it keep cooking till you have a rich delicious stock. Strain and after it’s cool skim the top.

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