A roasted chicken recipe for newlyweds to whip up together
Congratulations! You are married, and with marriage comes a whole new set of responsibilities. I still remember getting settled into married life and realizing that now I had to concern myself with what two people would eat daily. No more girl dinners of microwave nachos and a glass of wine—though I still do this from time to time.
Once you get a few quick recipes under your belt that you both enjoy, though, the dinner process becomes much easier, especially when you work together. Cooking as a couple is excellent bonding time, and it is even more fun to enjoy a meal that you worked together to prepare!
As a newlywed, I often reflected on what my mom and grandmother did. I vividly remember my mom and grandmother cooking certain meals on certain days. Now that I have been married for 11 years and have two children, I know that this was no coincidence. There is simplicity in routine.
There was always a red bean Monday, and at least one day of the week, we were eating spaghetti and meatballs. Once I started to look at meal planning from a simplistic point of view, I began to develop a toolbox of simple weekday recipes.
One of the first meals I mastered as a newlywed was delicious roasted chicken. I love that this is a versatile dish that can be served with just about anything, though I am partial to mashed potatoes. This meal is so simple, but it gave me a feeling of “knowing what I’m doing” in the kitchen. The beautiful aroma of the roasted chicken, along with fresh rosemary, spices and garlic, would fill the home. I even throw in some fresh veggies under the chicken for added heartiness.
Since we are roasting the chicken, we will put the chicken in the oven, uncovered, at a high temperature and immediately lower it. This will result in a crispy, browned skin with a moist, flavorful center. I also do not add liquid to the bottom of the pan because I want to roast the chicken rather than steam it. Lastly, I love using roasted chicken drippings to make chicken gravy to serve over mashed potatoes or white rice. My husband loves it, and I hope you do too!
Roasted Chicken
1 (4- to 6-lb.) whole chicken (neck and giblets removed)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup butter, cubed and softened
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
1-2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
1 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. Badia Complete Seasoning (optional)
2 medium carrots, halved and cut into
2-in. pieces
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 medium white onions, quartered
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Rinse chicken with cold water inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.
In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, add olive oil and melt butter. Stir in garlic, rosemary, parsley and dry seasonings, and mix well. Sauté until garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to be handled.
Add carrots, celery and onions to bottom of a shallow roasting pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a rack to pan.
Place chicken breast side up on rack and tie drumsticks and wings together with twine.
Rub half of butter-spice mix under skin of breast side and back side of chicken. Rub remaining spices on outside of chicken.
Place chicken in preheated oven and immediately reduce heat to 375 degrees. Roast chicken for about 20 minutes per pound or until temperature of breast meat registers 165 degrees.
Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes in pan. After chicken has cooled, transfer to a cutting board and let rest for an additional 10 minutes before carving.
*Do not forget to reserve pan drippings for gravy.
Gravy
½ cup drippings from roasted chicken
½ cup all-purpose flour
3-4 cups water or chicken stock
Garlic powder to taste
Onion powder to taste
Creole seasoning to taste
In a heavy-bottom pot or skillet over medium-high heat, add chicken drippings. Stir in flour, and continue to stir until roux starts to darken. As roux starts to turn brown, reduce heat to medium and keep stirring. Once it reaches a milk chocolate brown color, stir in 3 to 4 cups chicken broth or water. Season to taste with garlic powder, onion powder and Creole seasoning.
