It wasn’t long after I graduated from college that my Mom sat me down for a serious culinary lesson:
“When you are older, and married with children,
you may not always have the money to buy the most expensive cuts of meat.
I know you love chicken breasts, but you need to learn how to cook a whole chicken too.”
I remember this advice because it was not like my Mom. If you have read any of my other Tasty Tuesdays, you’ll know I don’t give very specific instructions or quantity amounts {cooking is a personal experience and depends on your family’s palate}, and I totally get this method of cooking from my Mom. So when she wanted to instruct me on a very specific recipe, it kinda just stuck in my mind as odd. The only odd thing ended up being my skepticism. I can’t tell you how many Roasted Chickens I have made since then…
Now when whole chickens go on sale {like they did this week} for .89cents/lb as opposed to boneless, skinless chicken breasts at $2.49/lb, I can’t help but send a lil’ “thanks Momma” out into the universe. We’re on a budget, but my family needs to eat, and with this recipe, good cookin’ comes cheap. It doesn’t look half bad plated on a fancy platter, either!
As always, change this recipe up to however it fits well into your family. Sometimes I add Italian seasoning, and less rosemary. Sometimes I add lemon zest/juice, and stuff the lemon inside, to give the little pollito some zing. Sometimes I indulge in butter for my marinade. Sometimes I keep it simple with olive oil, salt and pepper, the way my Mom taught me how. I always throw in whatever root vegetable we have on hand and I always keep a whole chicken in the freezer.
Ingredients
~ 1 Whole Chicken, take the yuckies out, clean and pat dry {A dry pollo = roasting. Wet pollo = steaming. You want a roasted pollo.}
~ Sack of Potatoes {Any will work, really. These red ones can get pricey}, quartered
~ 1 Onion, chopped
~ Lots a Garlic, minced
~ Olive Oil
~ Mustard {I use a variety of Mustard: whole grain with garlic, spicy brown, etc}
~ Seasonings: Salt and Pepper, Rosemary, Garlic/Onion Powder, Italian seasoning
Instruction
~ Preheat oven to 350 – 375 degrees
~ Make your marinade by adding mustard{s}, garlic and seasoning in a mixing bowl. Stir it all up. Slowly whisk in the oil so that everything is adequately incorporated.
~ Put your chicken and potatoes in a baking dish {or if you have a roasting dish, I envy you}.
~ Marinade the pollo, making sure to get the inside cavity. Slather some of the yummers on the vegetables also.
~ Lasso your chickie up with either string or by cutting slits into the skin and anchoring the legs through them. I think you do this so the chicken stays moist or your don’t burn the legs. But if you don’t do this step, you’ll still get a great tasting whole chicken.
~ Put extras in a separate dish so you are not crowding the pollito.
~ Roast for 45 – 60 minutes, stirring up the veggies and basting the beauty every 15 to 20 minutes so that everything gets caramelized and delicious.
Serve with roasted green beans or asparagus and you’ve got yourself a healthy, delicious and affordable meal. My family always manages to get at least 3- 4 meals out of one chicken. Leftovers are great to use in sandwiches or to reinvent for a new meal later in the week.
As always, Momma’s cooking is Kid tested and approved!
2 Comments
erica adams
March 15, 2011 at 8:19 pmYUMMY! You are a master in the kitchen 🙂 I think I need to test this out on my family!! if I do I will have to post a pic and link you some love!! hehe!!
Erica
De Su Mama
March 16, 2011 at 1:00 amAny love from you is good love in my book 🙂 besitos amiga.