Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken

Let me start off by bragging my little head off. Because I feel that I have the right to brag. But first, a little back story.

When I was a kid, my mom never forced me to cook. If I wanted to, I could, but the parts I didn't like, she did for me. Like touching raw meat. I. Hated. Touching. Raw. Meat.

It made me nauseated. It made me gag. Yes. I was a sissy lily livered pansy. But that still didn't change the fact that once I got married, Craig did the major meat touching, rinsing, etc for me. Isn't he a doll? Haha. Anyway, on to the bragging part. 

I got this organic free range chicken. I knew it would make an amazing dinner and I was going to push through having to touch it. With gloves on, of course! Once I got it out of the packaging, I realized..

IT HAD A NECK ON IT. A real neck. Still attached. And I had to remove it.

Have you ever seen a dead, raw chicken neck?!???

GAG. And gag again. (that's the sissy part of me coming out)

I panicked. I called my mom. She laughed at me. I called Craig. He laughed at me, too. My mom said I could do it. Craig said he'd do it when he came home. 

I decided to be BRAVE! 

I got my sharpest Pampered Chef Bread Knife. I put my large gloves on. I grabbed that NASTY chicken neck by the base and I SAWED THAT DISGUSTING THING OFF. 

WOOHOOOO!!

=)

See? This is me bragging about how cool I can be sometimes.

And for all those who don't believe in waste, guess what..I threw it out anyway. Sick piece of nastyness...

But I DID make an amazing roasted chicken for dinner! I'm still beaming with pride. =) After that, touching raw meat is like a walk in the park. I'm officially cured of my phobia!

Now, on to the recipe. =)

Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken

1 lemon

3 garlic cloves

1 onion

1 tablespoon each rosemary, sage, thyme

olive oil

salt

pepper

Rinse chicken well. Pat dry. Slice lemon in half. Chop onion into quarters. Smash garlic cloves. Stuff all three into the cavity of the chicken. 

Combine herbs, salt, pepper, and a few drizzles of olive oil to moisten. Slather on chicken making sure to get some in between the skin and meat. This part is crucial to intensely flavorful chicken.

Roast on 350 for aprox 1.5 hours, uncovered, in a roaster pan. I use Pampered Chef's stoneware roaster.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before cooking to ensure the juice stays IN the chicken and doesn't drain out.

The end!

Oh, except be sure to strain and save the juices that do form! It will make an AMAZING gravy =) (that recipe will come later)

 

I added some brown rice, steamed veggies, and cornmeal biscuits to the chicken making it a complete meal. I loved the cornmeal biscuits warm. Once they got cold they weren't incredible, but I've yet to find a biscuit I enjoy cold! So, here's the cornmeal biscuit recipe!

Cornmeal Biscuits

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup corn meal

1/2 cup shortening ( I use palm shortening)

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

additional cornmeal

 Heat oven to 450. Cut butter into flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk until dough leaves side of bowl (dough will be soft and sticky). Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 1/2" round cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet immediately.

 

p.s. the best way to make brown rice is to boil it in half water, half chicken broth. Amazing!