Whole Roasted Chicken

 This whole process is slightly disconcerting at first. It was fine when the chicken was in the bag but as soon as I cut the plastic bag about the chicken and pulled it out, I started to feel weird about the it. I was actually picking up a whole mammalian body, well almost the whole thing, eek. I saw something stuck inside the cavity of the chicken, popping out of the top. It looked plasticky, they don't leave the intestines in these do they?? I slowly reached toward it, grabbed it with the tips of my fingers and pulled it out over the sink. Phew, it was all the yuck parts in a sealed plastic bag, thank God for small favors. I immediately threw that bit away and then started the washing process. You really have to touch the whole "body" during this part as you flip it one way and the other to get it all washed off in the sink. I then added it to the roasting pan; the directions said "breast side up," which side is "breast side"? More poking and prodding of the bird ensued, the more meaty part had to be the breast side - ok that side goes up. Next I mixed up the spices and chopped the garlic clove and got my pat of butter ready. I knew I needed to make some slits in the skin but where, how many, how long, how deep did I need to cut? I made a few random incisions and hoped for the best as I started pulling up the skin and stuffing the chicken. I dropped a bit of garlic, some butter, and spices into the cavity but didn't dare touch the inside, I was too chicken,  and instead just picked up the whole thing and shook the ingredients down into the hole, good enough! I poured a little oil over the top of the bird and rubbed all that in and around as well. Then came the part where I was supposed to tie the legs with kitchen twine. I didn't have any. Aluminum foil!, I thought. Yup fold it up to make it stronger and voila, strong enough to tie the legs. Keep in mind throughout this whole process I washed my hands about 15 times, okay maybe more like 9 times - lots. I will say I got more used to touching it the longer I had to deal with it. Into the oven it went and I mentally crossed my fingers. I checked on it a few times, basting it with a large metal spoon (didn't have a baster). When the timer went off I stuck my $2 dollar thermostat into the chicken and waited about 4 minutes for the stupid thing to measure the inside temperature. I think I need a new one of those. It read too low a temperature (it's supposed to be 180 degrees) so I put it back in for another 15 minutes. The next time I opened the oven door, the oil was splattering all over the place and the the house got all smoky. Too high a temperature? Too much oil? Next time I'll choose a lower temperature and maybe buy a roasting pan I have no room for.

Whole Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs ish)
Butter/oil ( I used 1/2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp canola oil)

My spice mix - 
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp regular chili powder
1 Clove garlic chopped

1. Preheat oven (350 for more tender skin, 375 for a faster cooking time, or 450 degrees for a crisp skin)

2.Rinse chicken and remove yucky inside stuff (my chicken had the giblets and the sort in a sealed bag inside, I just removed it and threw it away).

3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and lay in a greased 9x13 baking dish, breast side up.

4. Add butter/oil, spices and garlic to outside of chicken but also under the skin by making periodic slits with a knife and then stuffing everything underneath. I also put some of the spices and oil and garlic inside the cavity.

5. Tie the legs with kitchen twine and bake
* 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes if oven set at 350 degrees.
* Bake for 20 minutes per pound if using 375 degrees.
*And for the crisp skin - Preheat oven to 450 degrees F chicken for 10-15 minutes.Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and roast for 20 minutes per pound. (Do not add the extra 15 minutes to the cooking time as with the regular method.)

(I used the 375 degree method.)

6. The internal temperature of the bird should reach 180 degrees F before taking it out.

For more detailed information and a good overview including recipes visit the All Recipes Page on this.

In Pictures

This was a lot cheaper than the cuts of chicken.

Where was I supposed to make the slits in the skin?

 Don't have kitchen twine?! No worries.

 After 85 minutes in the oven.

What I Learned -

1. Cooking a whole chicken is cheaper but a little strange at first.

2. I need to add less butter/oils next time because there is already fat in the chicken.

3. A roasting pan would have been very handy, I will be buying one soon.

4. One of my longtime friends suggested this for next time - "I usually put some water or broth in the bottom with some mirepoix (chopped celery, onion, and carrot), with the chicken on a rack, that way you get really good basting juices and tons of flavor with no spattering. And I bake mine at 325. I say no lid! But yes, lemon slices and rosemary under the skin is heavenly. :) " This sounds like a good idea.