Simple Roast Chicken
It's a beautiful summers evening, and the start of the long labor day weekend. The boys start school on Tuesday, and Sammy's neighborhood friend is spending the night before he's off to boarding school next week. A special dinner is in order, but that doesn't mean laborious on my end. The more you roast, the more comfortable you become with it, and you realize that its quite simply a very easy meal to make. The onus is on the oven and the credit all your own.
You'll need a proper roasting pan, as pictured below. The Chicken will rest on the rack, and beneath it, the Onion. If you have the neck/various other internals from the Chicken, they too can go with the Onion. The drippings from the Chicken will be used for gravy, along with some White Wine and Mustard, Dijon if you have it. This is a super simple, glorious way to make a Roast. Start here and see where the journey takes you.
Organic Ingredients Serves 4
1 Whole Organic Pastured Chicken
1 Onion
4 Cloves Garlic
4 Tbps. Butter (use half for Chicken, and half for Potatoes)
4 Tbsps. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use half for Chicken, and half for Potatoes)
Sea Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
4 Russet Potatoes
1 Cup White Wine
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
Method
To prepare the Chicken, remove from packaging and look inside crevices and remove any bags or papers. The insides, if available, can be used to make Gravy. Discard the bags. Place the Chicken on the rack of your roasting pan. Peel and quarter an Onion and place in the pan, under and around the rack. Slather the Chicken with some room temperature Butter, a good amount of Salt and Olive Oil. Gently run Garlic Cloves under the skin of each Breast being careful not to tear the skin. I do 2 Cloves per Breast. Roast in a 400F oven for 90 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, stick a fork in the Chicken and lift it slightly, if the juices run clear, the Chicken is cooked. Plate the Chicken, and loosely cover with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remove rack and place in the sink. The pan, with the drippings and Onion should be placed stove top, with two burners on high heat. Add 1 cup White Wine and a tablespoon of Dijon Mustard and mix. Taste, and add Salt & Pepper if needed (taste first). In a minute or two the Wine should dissolve into a Gravy. Remove from heat and sift, discarding the Onion. Keep your gravy hot for serving. Remove foil from Chicken and carve.
Served here with roast potatoes and steamed green beans