R is for Roasted Chicken

Roasting a chicken takes a bit of time, but the payoff is completely worth it.  The house smells divine.  It impresses guests that you'd dare to cook a whole chicken instead of the ever-convenient chicken breasts.  If you try, you can make a 5 lb. roasted chicken stretch out into at least three meals and span a few days by working the leftovers into chicken salad, a quesadilla, or chicken and dumplings.  After the effort to roast a bird, Peter and I always make stock with the leftover carcass.  I know you can easily buy cans of chicken stock, but I love making it at home and storing it in a variety of freezable containers so that I'm ready for a soup, risotto, a sauce, or whatever takes a bit of chicken broth.        

I've tried several roasted chicken recipes from Barefoot Contessa, Williams-Sonoma, and Better Homes and Gardens, but they all send across the same message: lube up the bird with butter or olive oil, shove some aromatics inside, and include herbs.  Sorry.  That was crude.  But honestly, fixing up a whole chicken to be roasted is one of the nastiest things that happens in the kitchen!  Wash the bird, pull the neck and organs out of the body cavity, pat it dry, tie it up with twine, twist its wing tips around into an unnatural position to avoid burning, push things inside its body...it's all a mess!  I'd much rather bake a cake.  

In spite of the mess, roasted chicken is so good.  My most recent bird went a little like this:

Lime Tarragon Chicken

5 lb. chicken
2 limes
1 onion
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 handful of fresh tarragon
chili lime seasoning
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
salt and pepper

Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Set it in a roasting pan and put a quartered onion, garlic, and tarragon inside the body cavity.  Rub the room temperature butter all over the bird, especially getting the wings and "thin" parts that might be prone to burning in the oven.  Sprinkle with chili lime seasoning and salt and pepper.  Squeeze the juice from the limes over the top of the chicken and then push the halves inside the cavity to help flavor the meat.  Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together and then tuck the wing tips under the body to prevent burning or drying.  (I forgot to tuck the wings!)    

Roast at 375 for at least 1 and 1/2 hours if you have a 5 lb. chicken.  Generally, cook it 20 minutes for every pound of chicken or until a meat thermometer reads 180.  If you have time, use a baster to moisten the chicken and redistribute the juices roughly every twenty minutes.  It helps keep the meat from drying out and crisps up the skin.  Once the chicken is done, tent it with aluminum foil and let the meat rest for several minutes before cutting.

What can you do with all that chicken?

Day One.
Start by pulling off the legs and wings and eating those for dinner with your favorite grilled vegetables and some risotto or a baked potato.  After dinner, push up your sleeves and carve the chicken.  If you're scared, watch this how-to video.  You'll want to save the breast meat and keep it intact for another meal, but then use your hands and fingers to remove all the little shreds of tender white and dark meat that cling to the carcass or get left behind after you've sliced off the large pieces.  I set out a glass dish to drop all the small pieces of chicken into because I'll use these pieces to make a single serving of chicken salad later in the week.  

Day Two.
You can make a chicken quesadilla with whatever vegetables you have on hand.  I love to throw in spinach, asparagus, zucchini, tomato, peppers, grilled onions, or green beans.  I spray a tortilla with a bit of butter flavored spray Pam and then pile up diced chicken breast, veggies, and cheese (mozzarella, pepper jack, white cheddar).  I season with salt and then to make it wonderfully delicious, sprinkle on a bit of chili lime seasoning.  Spray another tortilla with nonstick spray and then cook it in a large skillet over medium heat, turning once after about 4 minutes.  Don't put it in your skillet until it's already hot, because you don't want to wait a long time and liquify your cheese in the process.  It's a nasty mess to clean up!

This is a Chicken, Spinach, and Red Pepper Quesadilla I made Peter with mozzarella cheese.  We love to turn leftovers into quesadillas because it transforms them into another meal instead of just reheating.

Day Three.
Use the shreds of chicken meat and leftover breast meat to make a chicken salad.  I typically add a squirt of mayo and some diced celery to make a quick lunch with crackers or toast.  Sometimes I add grapes or almonds or I might use the meat to make a curried chicken salad with apples and raisins.  I like to toss the meat and mayo into the mini food processor that works as an attachment with my stick blender.  It's quick and easy to make a single-serving using this tool, but you can also make a chunky chicken salad and skip the food processor altogether.