Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Seriously.
I finally roasted my first chicken! All by myself with Keith’s help. And, it was super easy and non-intimidating. It really didn’t even deserve a spot on my Cooking and Baking Dream List because it was just a breeze, but I’m taking all the credit for it anyways. It may not look too pretty, but it tasted delicious.
I followed Ina’s famous Perfect Roasted Chicken recipe, which I highly recommend. Three thousand recipe reviewers can’t be wrong! One thing I will say about this recipe: you gotta really like thyme. You’re stuffing your bird with an entire bunch of thyme, so the flavor is going to be…pronounced.
Here are a few other little things I want to tell you about this recipe:
- I admit it, Keith cleaned the bird for me. He’s the official meat prepper of our family. It’s not a glamorous job, but he does it and I appreciate him for it. He washed it extremely well and then soaked it overnight in a salt water bath. The brine tenderizes the meat to another level.
- When Ina says to be liberal with the salt, don’t be afraid to do what she says. I wish that I would’ve gone all in. Turns out the only thing worse than a too-salty bird is an unsalty bird.
- I subbed lime for lemon and didn’t have the fennel. It’s a forgiving recipe. I also added a few potatoes to the bottom of the pan and I didn’t regret it for even a second.
- Probably because of the aforementioned lack of saltiness, but I really wish I would’ve rallied and made a gravy to go with our dinner. I just didn’t want to dirty another dish by the time it came out of the oven. If you make this recipe, you should definitely gravy it up!
I used the leftovers to make a homemade napa chicken salad the next day and I think we enjoyed that just as much as the original recipe. The chicken was just so tender and perfect. I’m sure you know how to make a napa chicken salad, but just in case, here’s how I made it: dice up the chicken into really small pieces. Add a full squeeze of yellow mustard, a couple of spoonfuls of mayonnaise, a pinch of salt, a dash of black pepper and a heavy sprinkle of seasoned salt and garlic powder. Mix that up to taste. Chicken salad is all about preferences, so make sure you try it along the way and add more of whatever seasonings take you to your happy place. Top it off with a handful of sliced almonds and about twelve cut grapes. Mix it all up gently to preserve the grapes and be sure to eat it with the softest bread you can get your hands on. Bonus points for a croissant.
Have you ever roasted a chicken? I kept saying to myself: I DID THAT whenever I thought about it over the next few days. It’s these little beautiful moments in life that seem like nothing, but give me the confidence to keep trying new things and growing as a person. If I can roast a chicken, I can do anything!
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