Wonderful — the aroma of roasting chicken wafting out of the kitchen! Whole chickens are one of the least expensive proteins in our grocery stores, AND something that is SO simple to prepare. Once it’s in the oven, there’s little you have to do!

Roast Chicken

Ingedients

• 1 whole chicken, giblets removed, washed, and patted completely dry
• Seasoning rub of choice. At minimum, salt and pepper. I used a West Texas steak rub that works just as well on chicken as it does on beef. Click here for the rub recipe.
• Chicken Stock — 1/2 cup to full cup, depending on your roasting pan
• olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 350º. After removing neck and giblets from the chicken, wash the bird and pat dry completely. Rub generously with olive oil. Choose the seasoning rub of choice and rub generously inside the cavity, and all over the outside of the chicken.

If you are using an upright roaster with a liquid infuser, place desired liquid and herbs into the infuser. Put the chicken onto the upright roaster, until the top of the roaster pokes through the top of the bird. Put the upright roaster with the chicken into a roasting pan. Pour chicken stock in until there is approximately 1/4 inch in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast in the 350º oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and fifteen minutes — or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165º. In my oven it took 1 hour and ten minutes.

Take the chicken out of the oven. Carefully place on large cutting board and remove upright roaster, being careful not to burn yourself (I did this using two sets of tongs). Allow the chicken to rest on the cutting board for 10 minutes before cutting.

If you want to make a sauce, you can take the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan and reduce them while the chicken rests, — or simply use the pan juices from the chicken. If you do this, put the curried mayonnaise into a ramekin when you serve.

Cut into desired number of pieces and serve.

Upright roasters allow the entire chicken to brown, which improves flavor.

If you like the idea of infusing the chicken with other flavors — anything from beer to chicken stock with herbs, then choose an upright roaster with a liquid infuser. When I do this, I make my rub using the fresh (or dry) herbs that I plan to put into the infuser. Herbs that compliment chicken well: rosemary, thyme, and I LOVE fresh tarragon when I can get it — but with tarragon, I’d make a sauce and skip the curried mayo!

This is the simple, upright roaster I used in this recipe: Fox Run 5667 Vertical Chicken Roaster, Non-Stick	Here the other vertical roaster I use, when infusing herbs: Norpro Stainless Steel Vertical Roaster, With Infuser

Curried Mayonnaise and Broccoli

• Mayonnaise
• Curry Powder
• Lemons
• Fresh broccoli crowns cut into pieces

Look — I don’t measure this. My mother made it for us throughout my childhood, and I just dump things into a small bowl, whip with a whisk and taste. But for a place to start:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• juice of 1/2 a lemon (remove seeds before squeezing)

Then taste. Continue to add a couple of dashes of curry and a juice of less than 1/4 of a lemon until it tastes good to YOU. I always let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. NOTE: the flavors strengthen dramatically if you make it the day before — honestly, tastes best this way. But I make it at the last minute all of the time, and just strengthen the curry and lemon flavors until it tastes good to me.

Broccoli — Cook to taste. I’d say don’t over cook it! We prefer bright green, and just barely fork tender all the way through. I’m not a fan of crunchy broccoli. Either steam it or quickly par-boil it, as you prefer.

Keeps well for a week in the refrigerator.

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Printable Recipe
	Link to a printable version of the recipe.