Roasted Chicken with Veggies

A whole chicken? With the insides and the bones? I’d never even tried. It seemed too…..overwhelming. But this year of cooking and the very reason for this blog is to try something different, be bold, take a chance. To cook!

So, I did it.

I cooked a whole chicken. I touched everything. I wasn’t afraid. And it wasn’t as bad or as difficult as I thought it would be. I can do this! I am like my grandmother!

What a scary sight.

If I can’t see what the end product will look like, I’m less likely to cook it. I mean what a cruel trick not to put a picture. I don’t like thinking after I make something, “If I had known it was going to look like this, I wouldn’t have bothered.” So, I make sure to give you lots of pictures. You know what you’re getting into right up front. It’s only fair.

Serves four. This recipe takes 3 and 1/2 hours to actually cook, but don’t forget to tack on an additional  8 hours soaking the chicken the day before!
It also calls for at least a 5 quart slow cooker, but you could always cut it into fourths instead of in half if you don’t have one that large. 

What you’ll need:

3 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
1 whole chicken, close to 4 pounds (cut the sucker in half)
1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon pepper or any type of chicken seasoning
2 carrots
2 celery ribs
1 onion
1 lemon quartered
2 garlic cloves
1 cup chicken broth (or 1 teaspoon organic chicken base dissolved in cup of boiling water)

How to cook it:

1.Dissolve the salt in the water in a large bowl and give the chicken a bath in it.

2. Let the chicken sit in the salt bath in the fridge for 8 hours. I didn’t understand the point of this, and almost didn’t do it, but apparently brining –or soaking in salty water–creates juicy, more tender chicken. Well,who knew?

2. 8 HOURS LATER, drain the water from the chicken, rinse it with cold water, and pat dry, just like you would a baby. I forgot to do this step, but it turned out just fine.

3. Slather the olive oil all over the chicken skin, and sprinkle the entire thing with lemon pepper.

4. Chop carrots, celery ribs and onion. Cut the garlic cloves in half.

5. Position all other ingredients around the chicken to make sure it feels like it’s the main reason for the party. Then pour the broth over everything.

6. Cook on high 3 and 1/2 hours. The thermometer needs to register at least 180 degrees. If it doesn’t, cook a little longer. And quit opening that lid! My grandma claimed it tacked on another 30 minutes every time I did.

End Result:

The smell of cooked chicken filled the house. Mr. Matthew gave me 3 stars. (We use a 3 star system. 1 star = I won’t bother making it again. 2 stars = We didn’t hate it but something needs to be changed, substituted. And let’s be honest, unless I run out of new recipes, I probably won’t make it again. 3 stars = excellent, let’s make it again.)

The chicken was tender, falling right off the bone. I added steamed broccoli and though a light dinner, we found it very filling.

Tell me your thoughts. Can you make this? Have you made this? How did it turn out for you? Any advice on whole chickens?

Add spices.

Throw in the celery.

Chicken broth over the top.

Served wtih steamed broccoli.

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