I believe that there are angels living among us.  One of whom just might be The Pioneer Woman.  She’s just amazing!  So down to earth and is a great teacher.  One the things she’s taught me is how to roast a chicken.  Now, my mom taught me a lot, but I never learned how to roast a chicken.  In fact, I don’t remember my mom roasting one. A turkey for Thanksgiving?  Sure.  Cutting up a whole chicken and frying it?  You betcha!  But not a chicken.

The first year of our marriage, my husband and I wanted to have a small Thanksgiving-like dinner with another couple.  So just 4 adults.  A turkey seemed like way too much, so I decided to roast a chicken.  Enter The Pioneer Woman and her recipe.  (Well, really a recipe by a friend of hers on her site.  Practically the same difference).  I tried it.  I love it!

I’ve made whole chickens both in a slow cooker and an InstantPot, but the oven is still my favorite.  It takes 5 minutes of prep time, you get a delicious chicken AND you get the nice crispy skin that makes for a pretty presentation!  What’s not to love!?

I’ll roast a chicken at least once a month.  I’ll use the chicken meat in a variety of meals (assuming it lasts that long – my boys like to sneak pieces of chicken as I’m pulling the meat off!) and I’ll use the carcass to make chicken broth.  It’s frugal and delicious!  Especially when you can find whole chickens marked down or at a fabulous price. Today, I’ll share how I personally prepare a roasted chicken, but it’s inspired by hers.  It’s as simple as it gets.

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Oven Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb Whole chicken
• Aromatics to stuff inside the chicken(Apple, Onion, Lemon, Garlic, Carrot, etc..)
• 2-3 tbsp butter, softened
• Salt and pepper
• Dried herbs(Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Garlic Powder, etc...)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Stuff the Chicken:

• Put the chicken on a cookie sheet or a jelly roll pan.
• Stuff the inside of the chicken with the aromatics. I usually use 1/4-1/2 onion, carrots, garlic and maybe celery. Just give it a rough chop - big pieces.  It doesn't take too much with a bird this size.

Coat the Chicken:

• Dry off the chicken. It'll have chicken water/broth liquid that it was wrapped with.
• Coat the chicken with butter. Use your fingers and get all over that bird!
• Mix up your spices, if you want. I just use the shakers to shake some on there, pretty evenly. Make sure you get all the sides.

Bake the Chicken:

• Bake your chicken at 450 for 1 hour 15 minutes until that crust is awesomely brown!
• Let sit for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing -- you don't want it to release the juices and dry out.

Jayme is a wife to 1 and a mother to four little boys. She tries to coupon, builds a smart stockpile, and always meal plans. While she likes to cook, she’s in the stage of life where simple is usually better – she never knows how many hands she’ll have free at dinner time! You can find her at No Regrets Living.

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