This is seriously the BEST roasted chicken that we have ever eaten. To make this gorgeously golden, moist and savory recipe you will just need to follow my directions closely. This is fairly easy to make and turns out perfect every single time for me. The key to a gorgeous roast chicken is love…yes sounds funny but it is true. So if you hate to be in the kitchen then this recipe may not be for you, sorry! I absolutely love to cook, bake and do anything in the kitchen and this chicken is just an expression of my love for cooking for my husband and children. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.
One broiler/fryer size chicken will feed about 4 or 5 people depending on how big you like your portions. I always make two chickens so we can have leftovers, this makes the best pot pie later on. The carcasses will also make an amazing soup base late on. My recipe is for two chickens. The chickens that I find in my store are around 4-5 lbs each. I get them at Sam’s Club because they come in a 2 pack for only .88 cents per pound! Their chickens are from Purdue and they are grade A and come without giblets and neck. I use my turkey roasting pan, that size pan will fit two chickens and everything else just perfectly. Okay now on to the recipe! (I hope I make sense lol, this is just all jumbled in my head)
Preheat oven to 425F (205C)
Ingredients you will need:
2 young chickens (broiler/fryer) thawed
10-12 small red potatoes, you can slice these or just leave whole (poke if you leave whole)
1 lb carrots, chopped into large chunks after peeling
2 large onion, I prefer yellow, cut into large chunks
3 stalks of celery chopped large
1 1/4 sticks salted sweet cream butter
Dijon mustard
Fresh cracked black pepper
Kosher salt (large grain size)
Thyme
Sage
Rosemary
Paprika
1 Bottle Flip Flop Chardonnay
*have a glass while you cook!
2 Large apples, I prefer to use a gala
Knorr chicken stock packet
1/4 cup flour
Directions:
1. Rinse the chicken inside and out then dry with paper towels as much as you can on the outside
2. Cut up the apple into large chunks, do not worry about the core or seeds. Stuff one apple into the cavity of each chicken.
3. Rub 1/4 stick of butter on the bottom of your roasting pan
4. Toss all the vegetables into the pan, season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Now we are going to mix 1 stick of butter with 1 tbsp dijon, 1 tbsp sage, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 tsp cracked pepper and 1 tbsp kosher salt in a small bowl.
6. Stuff all that yummy herb-ed butter under the chicken’s skin but save a tbsp out for later. You will need to be a bit forceful with your fingers to get it under there but be careful not to break the skin! I only stuff it under the thigh skin and breast skin and then massage the skin to push the butter around a little.
7. Now we will truss the chickens. This helps to make them pretty and it helps them to cook more evenly so you do not get a dried out breast.
Watch this video to learn a quick way to truss with some kitchen twine and then just tuck those wings under. I do not tuck my wings under, that is just how we like to do ours.
8. Take that saved tbsp of butter and rub it all over the outside of your chicken. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper just to help flavor the skin and then sprinkle the whole outside with paprika and rub that in.
9. Now set those chickies on top of your mound of veggies breast side up. I like to put a little space in between them so the heat can circulate better in the oven. My chickens were missing a lot of neck skin so I just stuffed that whole with an apple chunk to help close it.
10. Pour into the pan almost the whole bottle of that Chard, it will cook down/off. This will add flavor to that sparkly gravy you will make at the end.
11. Slide the pan of chickens into the oven and let it cook for 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 375F (191C) and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes (up to 2 hrs) or until the internal temperature is 160F (71C). Pull the chicken out and cover the whole pan in foil to rest while it reaches an internal temperature of 165F (74C). If at any point they look like they are getting too dark on top then I suggest taking a square of foil and tenting it over the top of the breast area.
12. While your chicken rests for 15 minutes you will want to set a strainer over a gravy separator.
13. Take some tongs and insert one side into the chicken’s cavity then grab it snugly to transport the chickens to your cutting board to await cutting while we make some gravy. Cover them in that foil to stay hot!
14. Take out the potatoes and put into a serving bowl. Strain all those chicken juices, scraping every last bit out of that pan! You may need to put the pan over your burners and heat up then add in a bit of wine to deglaze the bits of fond. Be sure to squeeze the vegetables out too, they are bursting with flavor. Now use the gravy separator to strain out most of the fat. Save this fat to help make your gravy.
15. Add 1/4 cup chicken fat into a skillet, whisk in 1/4 cup flour and cook while whisking until it smells nutty and is bubbly. Now add in 1 Knorr stock packet mixed with 3 cups water plus the rest of those chicken juices and whisk until it bubbles. Let this slowly simmer for about 5 minutes then take it off the heat. Now your gravy is ready.
16. Carve the chicken and place onto a platter. I like to leave it on the bone but you can do whatever you like! Pour over that delicious gravy and dig in.
I hope this turns out for you and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me through my contact tab above! I will help in any way I can.