Monday, January 18, 2010

Sunday Roast Chicken

One of the traditions of childhood was the frequent visits to Grandma's house on Sundays.  We'd be welcomed by her many hugs and kisses; my grandfather would stand stoically in the background, grim-faced, resigned to the high energy of his only three grandchildren.  Occasionally, if he were overcome by a flash of affection he might pat us on the head and then he and my father would disappear to talk about manly things,  the Saturday night boxing match or hunting.

When the family gathered again, it was often to a chicken dinner, fried, fricasseed, or roasted.  There would always be mountains of fluffy mashed potatoes, and because I loved it, creamed corn.  It has been years since I've roasted a whole chicken, mostly because Ole Sweetie-Pi doesn't care for meat on the bone (I had to slice it before serving him, grins.)

However, I was visiting my friend Carrie of  Carrie's Cooking and Recipes and she had posted a roasted chicken and gravy recipe that I just couldn't get out of my mind.  She made it look and sound so good that I actually went back and posted comments on two separate occasions, telling her how much I wanted to make it.  Have you visited with Carrie?  She's got some good cooking going on at her blog!

When Carrie  roasted her chicken she did a long and slow roast, 250*F for four hours; I opted to roast mine at 350* for just under two.   I also massaged olive oil onto the entire outside of the chicken before applying the rub, and basted the chicken  while it was was roasting.  I just brushed some of the pan drippings over the chicken, nothing fancy..

The result?  This chicken is  so good., easily the best I have ever made.  The meat was moist and fork tender.  The spices and herbs in the rub perfectly seasoned the chicken and the gravy.  This recipe is a keeper.  Thanks, Carrie, we loved this roasted chicken!


The chicken needs to marinate overnight or at least 4-6 hours before roasting so you'll  need to plan ahead.

Sunday Roast Chicken
(adapted from Carrie's Cooking and Recipes)

1 (4 pound) whole chicken (my roaster chicken was closer to 5 lbs)

4 teaspoons salt (I would reduce this to 2-3 teaspoons the next time)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 onion, cut into 4 pieces
5 cloves garlic

Gravy
Chicken drippings
2 tablespoons flour (I use cornstarch) plus water to make a slurry
1 14-ounce can chicken broth, low sodium, fat free

Start preparations the night before, or at least 4-6 hours before roasting.  Remove packet of giblets (keep to flavor gravy or discard, as desired), rinse chicken,use a clean paper towel to pat dry.  Massage oil onto outside of chicken.

Combine all spice and herb ingredients to make the rub and then liberally sprinkle and rub mixture outside and inside of the chicken.  Stuff the quartered onion and garlic cloves into the cavity.  Either place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag or place chicken on dish and wrap in plastic.  Place in refrigerator.

There are any number of roasting timetables for chicken, but this is the one that I use.  For my five pound roaster, it took 1 hour 45 minutes to reach 180*F on my meat thermometer.   If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can test for doneness a couple of different ways:  pierce the thickest part of the thigh; the juices should run clear.  Or, wiggle the drumstick; it should wiggle easily. 

When the chicken is done, remove it to a platter and let it rest (resting allows the juices to settle into the meat and will help your chicken stay moister).  Reserve the contents that remain in the roasting pan.

While the chicken is roasting, I start the gravy, typically using the giblets to add a little extra flavor, though if you have an aversion, you certainly don't have to, grins. Open up the little bag and toss the contents in a small saucepan with the chicken broth,  a quartered onion, a roughly chopped carrot and a celery stalk, and let it all gently boil until the giblets are done. Strain to remove the solids and reserve the broth.

To make the gravy, the contents left in the roasting pan into a glass measuring cup.  After a minute or so, the fat will rise to the top and should be removed.  You can try pouring off most of it, and use spooning out any remainder; you can also use a slice of bread to sop up any remaining fat, discarding the bread after use.

There will be gorgeous brown bits in the bottom of your roasting dish and those should be scraped up as they are full of flavor.  Because I use a glass roasting pan and am afraid that direct heat will shatter it, I pour a little of the chicken broth into the pan and use a flat whisk to scrape up as much of that concentrated roasted goodness as I can and then return all to the saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, make a slurry with two tablespoons of cornstarch and a quarter cup of water.  Stir out any lumps.  Holding the slurry in one hand and a whisk in the other, continuously whisk the gently boiling gravy mixture and add the slurry in a slow steady stream, stopping intermittently to give the cornstarch enough time to cook and  thicken in between additions. You may not need all the slurry.  If, however,  the gravy becomes too thick, add water and stir; if the gravy is not thick enough, make another batch of slurry and do as before.  Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly, though I found it perfect as it was.

50 comments:

  1. Well, this looks and sounds terrific gal. Will have to pop over and visit Carrie! Love the thyme....I make a similar roast chicken with garlic, lemon and oregano. Either way...sure is yummy!

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  2. You are the 3rd I've seen to make this recipe and everyone gave it great reviews. How can I not try it out now?

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  3. Just beautiful...I love a good roasted chicken and this looks so yummy!

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  4. I love roast chicken and don't believe I've ever made gravy with the drippings. Sounds delicious. I'll have to make one soon.

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  5. Katy, this looks so delicious! Wow! I could make this too. I like the way the chicken looks with the gravy. Very good. Thanks for sharing. Everyone seems to like it. You go girl!

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  6. Katy your chicken looks AMAZING!!! I think it's the olive oil that you rubbed on it, but your chicken looks better than mine... it makes me want to cook it again! It's browned so beautifully, wow!
    This really is a great family recipe for a Sunday dinner!

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  7. This is my kind of meal. I'm bookmarking it. I'll probably make it with thighs, though, since they're my favorite part.

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  8. That chicken roasr has the perfect color and looks moist and is definitely inviting...

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  9. I consider roast chicken comfort food. The right spices and some gravy and I like mashed potatoes with it, is a meal that fills the stomach and the heart.

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  10. I consider roast chicken comfort food. The right spices and some gravy and I like mashed potatoes with it, is a meal that fills the stomach and the heart.

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  11. Roasted chicken is always a favorite here..great find Katy:)

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  12. This looks like a wonderful and tasty roasted chicken!

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  13. this looks so good katy! i'm actually planning on making TWO of your chicken dishes in the next week or so. your orange chicken and you chicken with the italian seasoning. i'm so excited about both of them. your recipes are always so yummy!

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  14. Yum! My son is just like ol sweetie pie! No meat on the bone.

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  15. What a gorgeous chicken Katy! I've never marinated mine but I bet it makes a huge difference. This is one of my favorite comfort meals!

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  16. Oh, Katy......roasting a chicken is another one of those things I've been intimidated by. The weird thing is that I've roasted turkey breast twice. Just something about the chicken unnerves me. You and Coleen got me past my issues and am going to use this as a push to give it go. I'm going to try making it on a Sunday when my Honey's off and the twins don't have baseball.
    ~ingrid

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  17. Oops I meant past my yeast issues.
    ~ingrid

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  18. Beautiful roast chicken! The flavors must be fantastic with the spices and the herbs!

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  19. Oh this is just beautiful looking..a roasted chicken is the best there is and I've bookmarked it:)

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  20. Who could ever resist such a perfectly roasted chicken?!

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  21. This chicken is so beautifully browned Katy! I usually rub butter on my chicken, from now on, I will use olive oil as you did. Thanks for the tip.
    Kamal is just like your sweetie pie, no bones in the meat for him lol.
    Cheers

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  22. You described this so beautifully and made it look so wonderful, I must jump on the bandwagon and try it also!!

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  23. Sooo tempting and mouthwatering chicken...

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  24. wowww neatly presented...feel like having it now..:)

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  25. What beautiful roasted chicken. This is a favorite of my husband - who does love his meat on the bone (the kids do not). Bookmarking this. Wish I could have some now.

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  26. What a gorgeous looking bird. I think roast chicken is everyones perennial favorite. I know for sure it's mine. I loved your post today.

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  27. Your chicken is so perfectly cooked!I've tried this recipe and our family really enjoyed it!

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  28. The way you made this roast chicken sounds delicious Katy! I would like to try it sometime. I never heard of marinating a whole chicken overnight. It just must make it so flavorful!

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  29. great story... wonder where hubby thinks meat comes from?

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  30. I have had some pretty bad (traumatic) experiences with roasted chicken mainly because my mother always made it super dry. This looks incredibly moist though! I'm going to have to give it a shot.

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  31. I, too, have great memories of those family meals where chicken was served... your baked chicken has me drooling, Katy...I haven't had this meal for awhile now, so I guess it's time to remedy that!

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  32. Nothing better than good ol' roast chicken. Mouth watering and yum! Fab recipe, thanks for sharing!

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  33. What a wonderful memory and beautiful chicken! This recipe sounds delicious!

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  34. It's great when you find a nice roast chicken recipe. I've been looking for a good one! I'll have to go and check out Carrie's blog.

    Your gravy looks so yummy too! :)

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  35. Katy, your chicken dinner looks perfect. That is #1 on my top 10 list of favourite dinners.

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  36. What a wonderful Sunday meal! I haven't ever made gravy from roast chicken. I need to give it a try!

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  37. What better way to serve dinner on Sunday than roast chicken with gravy! Delicious.

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  38. Katy,
    This looks so fabulous, I now need to make roast chicken.
    Mimi

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  39. Very nicely roasted chicken...what a nice treat! I haven't had a chance to roast a whole chicken for a while...yours looks absolutely delicious...like the way that you serve it :-)

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  40. What a beautiful Sunday dinner! Love the look of the chicken, Katy.

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  41. Your chicken looks so moist and delicious. Thanks for your recipes.

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  42. Fantastic post !! Your post made me almost Hungry !! So yummy and great !!Will be back !!

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  43. Wow! This chicken looks absolutely delicious! Here in Brazil is very common eat roast chicken with pasta and maionese potato salad. Yummm!

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  44. I still make roasted chicked on many Sundays! Brings back all those family dinner memories. Thanks for sharing all that!!

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  45. This looks wonderful! And how nice of you to cut the meat off the bones for him hahah :)

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  46. Perfection Katy ! You have me longing for a lovely roasted chicken for dinner sometime very soon.

    I would like to try it this way next time, it looks delicious. I am imagining the wonderful aromas that filled your kitchen as it was roasting. :)

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  47. Gosh, isn't it superb! Truely mouthwatering LOL.... hmm..mm...

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