Roast Chicken

About two weeks ago I roasted my first chicken.  As you know I'm a huge fan of Ina Garten and with the help of her How Easy is That? cookbook and watching many of her shows, I felt like I was ready to tackle the chicken.  I wasn't able to find the recipe I used online but she does have a different roast chicken recipe on FoodNetwork.com

Of course I read the recipe about 20 times before I did anything and Googled a couple of things. I got everything as ready as I could, which involved cutting some lemons and onions, and then worked the bird.  

I'm happy to report that my roasted chicken turned out pretty well, especially for my first time.  I even think Husband went back for seconds.  The chicken was tasty and full of flavor and it was moist.  And it was tender!  I went to plate the chicken legs and the bone just fell out.  I took that as a sign of success! 

I forgot to take pics with the nice camera, so these iPhone pics will have to do for now.  And I forgot to take a pic with the delicious lemon onion sauce. 

I think after this first attempt, the process will get easier.  And I learned a couple of things.  

1. Rinse your chicken and pat that chick dry - it will help the skin get crispy.  

2. I learned how to remove a chicken neck - ew gross.  I am really hoping that that part gets easier with practice.
  
3. When you think the chicken is done, use a knife and cut into the leg meat and make sure the juices run clear.  I was checking the chicken in between the body and leg but Husband informed me that I need to check the leg meat since it takes longer to cook.  

4. A little bit of sugar can cut out and take away the strong acidity of a sauce.  Because I used 3 lemons, the sauce turned out to be a bit...tart.  Just a little!  But Husband added a little bit of sugar which evened out that tartness.  

5. Just be adventurous!  If you're intimidated with a certain dish, Google is your best friend.  I Googled #2 which really helped take away any anxiety or concern.  Knowledge is power people!  And with your knowledge you can tackle anything.  I'm looking at you pot roast!  

And next time I'll save the giblets and have Husband teach me how he makes his gravy.  I will definitely be roasting more chickens in my future.  In fact, Husband came home today with a chicken that we are roasting tonight.  :)  

And because we had leftovers I used another Ina recipe for chicken salad.  Again, that woman can do no wrong.  And the recipe I used from the How Easy is That? cookbook isn't available online, but this chicken salad recipe of hers from FoodNetwork.com is pretty close.  

I can cross off one item on my Winter Bucket List.  

Love & Hugs!