Engagement Roast Chicken

I have decided to test my culinary skills and roast a chicken. Yes, a whole chicken… not the kind you find already cooked to perfection in the grocery store (which are delicious.)

As for the recipe, I decided to turn to my trusty friend, Ina Garten. And let me tell you something… she is a genius. I attempted her Engagement Roast Chicken (choosing this recipe had absolutely nothing to do with the name.)
(I don’t know why you don’t believe me...)

Now let me just tell you one thing about this chicken…DO NOT stick your hand into your chicken and expect the giblets to be in a nice little bag like some whole turkeys because that is NOT the case! I didn’t even take this chicken out to dinner before I gave him a full examination. You guys may be laughing now, but I felt very strange after this happened. I even had to call my mom and talk through my big “culinary” traumatic experience. 

By this point I wanted to put the uncooked chicken (and his parts) in the trash can, drive to the Giant Eagle and get a precooked chicken. Matt would never know the difference. But we digress and I moved on… it was round two. Chicken: 1. Stacy: 0. 

This round I went into with an open mind…and a glass of wine.

I am happy to report the rest of the dish is surprisingly easy. I didn’t have kitchen string so was unable to tie the legs together (hopefully I will have some the next time I attempt this dish) and I also learned, after the fact, that I roasted the entire bird upside down. Just consider me a “learn from my actions type of person” I will get it one day…

(for everyone reading... roast the chicken- breast side up, which I'm sure is common sense to everyone else... but you never know!)

Engagement Roast Chicken
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients
1 (4 to 5 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons
1 whole head garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
Good olive oil
2 Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove and discard the chicken giblets. Pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Cut the lemons in quarters, place 2 quarters in the chicken along with the garlic and reserve the rest of the lemons.
3. Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the chicken in a small (11 by 14-inch) roasting pan. (If the pan is too large, the onions will burn.)
4. Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken in the pan.
5. Roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh.
6. Remove the chicken to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce, leaving the lemons and onions in the pan.
7. Place the pan on top of the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Add the stock and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens. Add any juices that collect under the chicken.
8. Carve the chicken onto a platter and serve with the lemons, onions, and warm sauce.

The way this chicken tasted to the way it made our condo smell was absolutely amazing. I definitely proved to Matt (and myself) that I can excel the kitchen.

Enjoy! :)