Roast Chicken & Garlic

Whole chickens used to scare me. Even now, I cringe as I tie the legs back :) I will bake chickens when they go on sale though (the sale price motivates me, I guess). I roast two at a time to make sure there are plenty of leftovers (to use for another meal or freeze). The oven is already working, why not make it work for you (2 times)?

Roast Chicken & Garlic

*I make 2 chickens when I do this, so keep this in mind for ingredients

*This recipe is free of milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish

Ingredients

1 roasting chicken (5 1/2-6 1/2 pounds)

2 whole heads garlic, unpeeled

1 small bunch of fresh herbs, (I use whatever is in my garden: oregano, rosemary, sage, etc...Fresh and FREE!)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1 medium carrot

1 stalk celery

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken (sorry..this is the part that grosses me out). Rinse chicken with cold running water; pat dry with paper towels. Trim any excess fat from chicken.

2. Slice off top quarter of each garlic head to expose garlic cloves. Separate cloves and discard loose papery skin but do not peel cloves. Place 10 cloves in the cavity of chicken. Stuff your fresh herbs in the cavity of the chicken. Tie ends of legs together using cotton string. Rub outside of chicken with salt, black pepper and paprika (this always make me laugh as I feel I am giving my chicken a massage :)

3. Coarsely chop carrot and celery. Place in a baking dish (I use the Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker and Rectangular Stoneware Lid/Bowl (looks like Pampered Chef is not selling these any more, but you can get one on ebay pretty cheap)....LOVE IT!!!!!) Place chicken over vegetables. Lift wing tips up toward neck then tuck under back. Sprinkle remaining garlic cloves around chicken.

4. Bake chicken 1 hour and 15 minutes. Carefully remove Lid/Bowl if you are using something like this (I am sure foil would be similar) Continue baking 15-30 minutes or until Meat Thermometer registers 180 degrees in meaty part of thigh and juices run clear. Remove chicken to cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes before carving.

5. Meanwhile, remove garlic cloves from baking. Gently squeeze the flesh from skins of 6 cloves into a saucepan. Using a colander, strain juices from baker into a small bowl, discard vegetables. Skim fat from juices and discard. Add remaining juices to mashed garlic in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Carve chicken into thin slices, serve sauce with chicken.

I serve this with a fresh veggie (a green one would be yummy, like green beans) and garlic mashed potatoes.

This recipe is from The Pampered Chef Main Dishes