Over the next few weeks, we’re going to transfer all of the articles on the website and my personal blog articles on food over to the CTF blog.
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How many times on errand day have you picked up a rotisserie chicken because you needed a meal on the table without a lot of effort or fuss? With a little advanced preparation, a roasted chicken can be a quick and easy meal to get on the table and can also provide two additional meals for your family.
To roast a chicken, take a thawed chicken the night before or the morning that you’re going to be gone and rinse it thoroughly then pat dry. Place it into an empty 9×13 pan. If you have time, you can reach in with your fingers at the neck and separate the skin from the breast meat and stuff the skin with sprigs of rosemary or thyme and thin slices of lemon. Then rub the skin with oil. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and any spices that you wish to use, and rub them into the skin. Cover the chicken and refrigerate several hours or overnight. When you’re ready to leave for your errands, place a diced onion and lemon into the cavity if you’d like. Pour a quarter cup of water or chicken stock into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the oven and roast uncovered for five hours at 250 degrees. Now you have five hours to run your errands and can come home to a wonderful smelling house!
When you get home, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, parallel to the floor and not touching the bone, and make sure it measures 160 degrees before you remove the chicken from the oven. Carry over will take the temperature up at least another 5 degrees to the 165 degree mark once you remove it from the oven. Allow the chicken to sit for at least 15 minutes to cool and let the juices redistribute before you attempt to cut the chicken. Do not remove the thermometer while it is resting, or you will loose a lot of moisture from the meat. While it’s resting, steam some baby carrots or asparagus and throw together a quick salad and you’ve got a wonderful meal!
Place the leftover meat into the fridge or freezer for later use in a casserole or to make chicken salad. Then, you use use the carcass to make stock, add any remaining meat, and have a third meal from the one bird.
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