Baking a whole chicken is not something I do often. Believe it or not, it is actually cheaper to buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store than it is to buy a whole uncooked chicken, generally.
How is that even possible? Here’s the only conclusion that makes sense to me: the store must price it very cheaply in the hope to draw customers in to the buy the chicken and to then pick up other groceries at the same time, therefore allowing the store to make a profit, overall.
In any case, I made a whole chicken a few days ago, and I am happy to share the recipe with you. It is quite basic and old-fashioned and I hope you enjoy this roast made just like “the old days”.
Ingredients
- whole chicken
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1 large onion
- 1 large carrot
- 6 sprigs fresh parsley
- about 1 Tbsp oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp pepper corns
- 1/4 cup water
- ground black pepper, to taste
- salt, to taste
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Oven temperature: 350F
Prepare the chicken for roasting by removing any packages of giblets that might be found inside the bird.
Brown the roast in a skillet or frying pan together with the oil, nutmeg, and ground black pepper.
Cut the onions into large sections, and slice the garlic cloves in half. Peel the carrot and cut into large rods. Wash the fresh parsley.
Place the chicken in your roasting pan. (I like to use a German-made terra cotta roasting dish with lid. The dish is soaked in water to saturation point beforehand, and it keeps the meat very moist while cooking.)
Arrange the vegetables and peppercorns around and inside the bird. Place the parsley sprigs around the chicken. Add the bay leaves, salt, and water to the dish.
Bake the chicken in the oven, covered, at 350F for about 2 hours.
Susy's Home and Hearth 