Roasted Chicken

Roasted Chicken is one of the most versatile foods. It can be dressed up for formal affairs, yet it is never too stuffy, pardon the pun, for a simple social gathering. Although the general preparation is simple, there are several ways to veer into the land of, well, not so tasty chicken.  The primary culprit is dryness, followed by blandness, over seasoning to the point you lose any sense you're eating chicken, and lastly undercooking. This preparation seeks to solve all, but the last one. That is because doneness is measured by temperature, and not always time. Roughly a chicken's internal temperature should reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the chicken, baking temperature, and type of oven. Normally, however, a good rule of thumb for planning is about 20-25 minutes per pound.

When combatting dryness two things are essential: a moist stuffing, and resting. The stuffing here is designed to release moisture to enhance the chicken.  This is in contrast to bread and rice based stuffing that is designed to absorb moisture from the chicken. More important than the stuffing is the resting.  Once the chicken reaches doneness, take it out of the oven and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Avoid any picking, early slicing, or anything that will release moisture.  It may be difficult if you're hungry, but this will allow the meat to hold on to moisture. 

On to blandness and over seasoning, they really are different faces on the same coin. While neither one is ideal, the latter is very difficult, if not impossible, to fix after basking. Under seasoning is usually the result of a fear of over seasoning, however, fear be gone. Just remember salt is not your enemy, but it is to be respected. This preparation uses 1½ teaspoons of salt divided between the interior and the exterior.   Pepper and other seasonings may be added, but a good indicator is smell. A raw chicken should smell like chicken, even after it's seasoned. If it doesn't, then it will not taste like chicken.  A good tip is that prior to baking most excess seasonings can be rinsed off.

1 6 pound roasting hen

1 small onion

½  medium Golden Delicious apple

2 cloves of garlic

1½  teaspoon salt (divided)

2  teaspoon black pepper (divided)

2  teaspoons poultry seasoning (divided)

1  teaspoon paprika

2  teaspoons of olive oil.

Step One: Oven and Settings

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, if using a convection oven please consult your owners manual regarding convection oven conversion.

Step Two: The chicken

Remove the chicken from its packaging, and then remove the organ packet or the organs from the cavity. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place on a cutting board.  Using poultry shears trim off any access skin and fat.

Step Three: Season and Stuff

Slice the apple in half. Reserve one half for another recipe. Core ½ of the apple and cut it into 1

inch cubes. Peel an onion, and chop into 1 inch pieces. Peel and smash the garlic. Transfer the apple, onion and garlic to a medium mixing bowl. Add a ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and poultry seasoning and combine well. Stuff the chicken with the mixture, completely filling the cavity.    Once the chicken is stuffed, season the outside of the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and paprika. 

Step Four: Bake

Transfer the seasoned and stuffed chicken to a baking dish preferably one with a rack to avoid the

chicken stewing in it's own juices. Place the chicken in the preheated oven and let it roast for 45 minutes. Using a basting brush, baste the chicken with olive oil. Repeat the basting every 30 minutes until the chicken is done.

Step Five: Rest

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes prior to trimming.