How to Roast a Chicken

Have you ever passed by the whole chickens in the meat section of the grocery store wondering how on earth people actually cook them?  And why would people buy an uncooked chicken when you can just walk a few more yards around to the deli section and buy a rotisserie chicken?   I used to, but now I cook a chicken several times a month.  They are juicier than the rotisserie chickens from the deli, they have more meat on them, and it's fun to be able to say that you did it!

Here's how to cook a roast chicken at home.

First, take the chicken out of the package.  I recommend doing this over your sink, as there will be lots of juice in the bag.

Next, using a pair of scissors, remove the 'innards' from the cavity of the chicken.  (Don't be too grossed out by this, if you're using scissors, you don't even have to touch them).  Sometimes there will be a packet inside of the chicken with all of the innards in it.  This chicken happened to all be separate.  You need to remove anything that is not attached to the inside of the chicken.

Some of the insides may look like this:

Once everything is removed, rinse off the chicken and pat it dry.

Place the entire chicken in a greased baking dish, at least a 9x13" pan, with the breasts of the chicken facing up.

Drizzle some olive oil over the top, and then brush the entire chicken with the oil.

In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon garlic pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/2 teaspoon marjoram.

Using a spoon, or your fingers, put this evenly over the chicken.

Check to make sure that the chicken breasts are still at the top, and then place it in a 375 oven.  Cook it for about one hour (oven times may vary), or until a meat thermometer placed near the thigh reaches 180.

Slice and enjoy!

One of the things I love about making a chicken is that I can usually get 3-4 meals out of it.  So, if you make a chicken, don't throw away the carcass or the leftover meat!  Stay tuned for some recipes on how to use that leftover chicken!