In an attempt to be more domestic and more economical I decided that I needed to buy a whole chicken (69 cents/lb!) and cook it. My goal was to make it very basic and to use the meat not just for Sunday dinner, but also for chicken enchiladas the next day. I rubbed it down with butter, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. I stuffed it with onions and celery. It was very easy to prepare and not as gross (dealing with the raw chicken) as I thought it would be. While I was preparing it the phrase, "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" kept repeating in my mind. It was a phrase President Hoover used in his 1928 campaign slogan right before the Great Depression hit. I know it is random that I was thinking it, but I guess teaching U.S. history for so many years has ingrained those types of things in my brain.
It turned out okay. I guess I am just so used to "chicken breast" chicken that the different flavor that the other parts of the chicken had was strange. It was not bad, nor gross. It just needed more flavor- it was almost like it was too chickeny.. So next time I make it I will be adding herbs and spices. Economical it was. It allowed me to make a whole 9X13 pan of enchiladas - stuffed full of chicken - 16 tortillas to be exact. So one chicken gave us 4 days of dinner. Not too bad! I will definitely be trying this again and hope to nail it down and give it a 5 star rating!
Go Erika! I'm so glad you roasted a whole chicken. I think as a whole we American sisters need to use the whole chicken more often. We give way too much attention to the breast meat.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool saying to think back on...and yes, very economical. My favorite herbs are fresh thyme and rosemary. I bet those mixed with a little butter and then rubbed under neath the skin would make an awesome adventure for your next whole chicken.
I love roasting whole chix, It is probably on my menu at least twice a month. It is also my go to meal when I have to take dinner to someone!
ReplyDeleteI make slits in the skin and not only rub the spices underneath I also put diced up butter under the skin. I also use the broiler the last few minutes to crisp up the skin.
There are so many flavors you can us with roasting too!!
Have fun.