Sunday Chicken Dinner

Oddly, as I wandered through the grocery store looking for sustenance after returning home from my super fun Seattle weekend I was hit with the desire to roast a chicken.  Random to say the least.

So I set about filling my basket with the basics for a simple yet yummy Sunday evening dinner.  Root veggies, rosemary, garlic, lemons, and a perfect little 4ish pound bird.

Late in the afternoon I got to work.  Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, rutabaga, and pearl onions were chopped, tossed with olive oil, sprinkled with coarse salt, fresh rosemary, cracked pepper, and minced garlic and spread on a foil lined baking sheet (I don’t own a roasting pan!).

Preparation of the chicken itself is easy.  Patted dry with paper towel, ensured interior of bird was completely empty, trimmed away a bit of unnecessary fat, and stuffed the cavity with chopped lemon, garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, and a very generous sprinkle of coarse salt.

For exterior flavour I put together an easy herbed butter: fresh minced garlic, coarsely chopped rosemary, lemon zest, poultry seasoning, and of course more coarse salt and cracked pepper.  Spread it generously (with bare fingers) over the skin of the bird.

Place the bird directly on top of the veggies then pop into a 375 degree oven.  At about one hour I covered loosely with foil and let cook another 30 minutes. 

Removed from the oven, lifted the bird to a wire rack (over a baking sheet to catch juices) and let stand while I kept the veggies warm in foil and quickly prepared a simple gravy.

Gravy was simply all of the juices poured from the veggie pan (and the catch pan under the resting bird) brought to a rolling simmer in a sauce pan mixed with a bit of corn starch to thicken.  Delicious.

Comforting Sunday night dinner for one…

Obviously there will be leftovers for days to come…which is apparently excellent timing because Monday morning presented us with hot chicken soup weather…

Waking up in Victoria to this reminded me a little too much of what I ran away from in Halifax. Damn La Nina!