Cooking a Whole Chicken!

I first thought that cooking a whole chicken was a daunting undertaking... but then I cooked one! Christine brought one home last spring and since this time I've cooked three chickens -- and now there's no looking back! Obviously cooking a whole chicken takes a much longer time to cook than just baking some chicken breasts and even though I have to plan my week around which day I actually have enough time to cook a whole chicken, it's definitely worth it! Each time I cooked the chicken a little differently as far as what I used to baste it, put inside the chicken cavity, or vegetables I put around it. The following is what I did the last and is probably the easiest.

Herb-Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken
extra virgin olive oil
seasonings

Here's what I used! Extra virgin olive oil, marjoram, thyme, basil, salt (not pictured), and pepper!!

Before

After

Preparation

--Mix together oil and seasonings.

--If necessary, remove giblets and neck from chicken, and reserve for another use. Rinse chickens with cold water; pat dry.

--Loosen and lift skin from chicken breasts with fingers (do not totally detach skin). Rub olive oil mixture evenly underneath skin of chicken. Carefully replace skin. Flip over and repeat. Rub remaining olive oil mixture over the chicken. Place chicken on a lightly greased wire rack in a pan.

--Bake at 425f for 20 minutes per pound and then an extra 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

The hardest part of baking the chicken is carving! This particular chicken was served with stuffed squash and fried okra. Be on the lookout for stuffed squash!