You know the old expression, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? Well… shortly before we started dating I had the occasion to cook dinner for my now husband, Adam. I wasn’t trying to impress him, and it was a cold winter night, so I made a simple, oven based meal: roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
Well, sometime this week is the 11th anniversary of that meal. And this dear and lovely man still talks about how delicious my roast chicken is. He tells other people about it too. Which amazes me because while I’ve always liked it, it didn’t seem THAT good. But, maybe his memory is mixing together the deliciousness of the chicken with the deliciousness of my company and so I still take it as a compliment.
But, I must say that when I made this chicken last night for dinner I was reminded of just how good it really is. So good in fact that I said so at the table. Adam has warned me that I sound a bit like a jerk when I compliment my own cooking, but I can’t help it, it’s just too good not to enjoy out loud! I usually try to mitigate the jerkiness by saying, “I know I’m not supposed to say this, but…” According to Adam, that’s not good enough. My dad always says “Ummm, umm, this is good” when he’s cooked something yummy, so at least I know I come by my revelatory enjoyment of food honestly!
Roast Chicken
1 oven roaster chicken approx. 6-8 pounds
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp spice blend (see below)
½ onion
2 carrots
4 celery stalks
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Clean the chicken and remove the innards that are packaged inside the chicken. Pat dry the chicken. In the bottom of a roasting pan (I actually use a Le Creuset 5-Quart Buffet Pot
Rub the dry chicken skin with the olive oil and then rub on the dry spice blend.
Roast in the oven according to the package instructions based on the weight of the chicken or until the timer has popped. You will know the chicken is cooked if the juices are running clear and the legs are loose when wiggled.
When the chicken is finished let it rest for approximately 15 minutes. Then carve and serve. I served it with these. (Thanks to my friend Susan who made enough to share with me!)
Spice Blend
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp powdered dried parsley
1 tsp powdered dry sage
1 tsp powdered dry thyme
Love the name of the blog! I haven’t tried the recipe, but it looks good enough to eat! Nice tip of the hat to the older generation with your comments about where your “modesty” came from. Keep it up. Quiche recipe next, please.
I’m so glad you started a blog! You’ve always had a way with words…combined with your love of cooking and appreciation of good food, I know I’ll be enjoying your posts for a long time.
Next time I make roasted chicken, I’m trying your recipe…with all that shameless bragging, it must be good (wink)!
Speaking as a “before”, your photos are an inspiration!
I found this recipe by searching google for “jerk chicken” While its not what I was originally looking for, it looks delicious! Keep up the good work!
I was planning on making this tomorrow, but now I’m wondering about your “powdered” dry spices. Do you think one could use normal dried sage, parsley, and thyme? Or do I really need the powdered ones? And if so, can you convince me that I’ll need them for other recipes too?
Also, I can just skip the whole gizzard, etc. part? What do you do with your pan drippings anyway?
No, you don’t have to buy powdered spices, just use the regular ones. I “powder” them myself in a coffee grinder that I use exclusively for spices. (You can pick one up at Target or Walmart for about $15.) Just throw all the spices in there together and give it a couple of pulses and it will be a powder in a couple of seconds.
I use the pan drippings to make a gravy, sometimes, depending on the side dishes that I’m serving. But the chicken comes out to be so moist and delicious that I find I don’t need it for the chicken itself most of the time. So, if you want to skip the innards, that’s fine; they would just add flavor to the gravy. But definitely throw in the vegetables. They help to keep the bird from sticking to the bottom of the pan and they give off wonderful aroma to the chicken. Enjoy!