Once-a-week Roast Chicken.

March 21, 2015 Family Meal, Toddler Meals, Uncategorized

Alright. So I have not been blogging, but I have definitely been cooking. Lots.

I have been asked “what am I cooking tonight for the kids” on a regular basis. As a short-order cook/mother, I sympathize with the need for inspiration. Meal time can get mundane. And the temptation to not heat up chicken fingers every night is huge. But I try to save those types of meals for when we are out. Meals at home are nutritious, belly-filling, energy-giving meals that we can all enjoy. I still try to keep us all as wheat-free, sugar-free and most recently, dairy-free, as I can. So I have some meals on rotation that are staples for set days of the week. It relieves some of the stress of “what to cook”.

My daughter has Ballet on Wednesday nights so I need something that can go in the oven and stay there until we arrive home from her class. Therefore, the old faithful Roast Chicken Dinner is always my top Wednesday night meal.

I have been asked by some friends how I do my Roast Chicken. And I realized that although it is so easy to prepare, so many people are hesitant to prepare it as they have never had anyone show them how. I have made this post for all the Martha’s and the Talor’s that need a kick start to their Roasting Career. Put this on your rotation and maybe in 10 years your kids can tell you (just like I did to my mother) “please not another Roast Chicken, mom”. Until, then…roast away!!!

Roast Chicken Dinner.

It is so important to buy a healthy chicken. Ensure your chicken has been fed organic feed (no animal by-products used, antibiotics, or fertilizers/pesticides used to grow the feed), and that the chicken has not been fed antibiotics, hormones or drugs. Then go beyond the “organic” label and buy chickens that have been pasture-raised. Ideally your chickens come from local farms where you actually know how they have raised their flock. I have some great local butchers in Toronto that have great knowledge on the farms they buy from.

What you will need:

I buy a 3.5 pound chicken to feed my family of four.
Rosemary
Oregano
Thyme
1/4 Lemon
1/4 yellow onion
1 clove of garlic - sliced
1 tbs Grassfed Butter
Sea Salt
Pepper

Take your chicken out of the fridge and place in a roasting pan. (Breast side up! Don’t put it upside down!) Let it sit in the roasting pan while you prepare everything else.

Preheat oven to 400 F

Use a knife to lift the skin of the chicken. Gently put in a touch of grassfed butter and a slice of garlic. If lifting the skin makes you feel queasy, then just put butter on top of skin with a knife! Just make sure the butter is soft so that it spreads easily.