BAKED CHICKEN [REVISED 4/8/2019]

A beautiful, juicy bird that will have family and friends oooohing and aaahhhing! And so very easy!

Ingredients:

4-6 lb Chicken - thoroughly washed and patted dry - inside and out

1/2        lemon sliced into 4-5 pieces

1/2 head garlic - cloves separated and smashed 

3-4     fresh sprigs of thyme

2 T      butter at room temperature

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°  Line a large shallow baking pan with heavy duty foil and spritz with PAM

Rinse chicken and pat dry inside and outside. Trim off excess fat around the cavity and lay around the edges of the baking pan.  Wash all the pieces of innards in the cavity EXCEPT DISCARD THE LIVER.  Lay these around the edges of the pan.

Add a small rack - the kind you'd cool a cake pan on and spray it with PAM.

Sprinkle cavity with a shake or two of salt and pepper; layer the lemon pieces in the cavity and cover with the garlic and thyme - do NOT pack tight

Put a dab of butter in each hand and give the bird a body rub all over; sprinkle liberally with fresh ground pepper and a few shakes of kosher salt on all sides

BAKE 1-1/4 - 1-1/2 hours or until juice at the thigh/body joint is no longer pink

Remove from the oven.  Lift the chicken with grilling forks and gently shake the stuffing onto the baking sheet, draining all the liquid onto the pan as well.  Quickly remove the bird to clean plate and cover with foil; let rest about 15-20 minutes before slicing.  

For a wonderful chicken stock:  (This is the fun part)

After the pan has cooled, place a fine mesh strainer over an 8C bowl.  CAREFULLY pour the pan drippings into the strainer, using a spatula to gently scrape the foil covering clean.  Add about 1C of very hot water to the pan and swish to remove any tasty bits and pieces that remain and pour through the strainer.  Throw the solids in the strainer in the trash.  Add enough water to the liquid to make about 3-1/4 cups of stock.  Stir with a whisk to blend.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. (note: don't add any salt or pepper to this liquid)

The next morning, remove the congealed fat on top of the liquid and discard.  The remaining liquid is an intensely flavored chicken stock you can use for cooking soups, rice, pasta, etc. (divide into 1C portions and freeze in a ZipLoc freezer bag)

Note:  This makes an AMAZING start for chicken soup - my family's favorite.  It's also wonderful to use with an equal part of water for making long-cooking rice.  (not instant or quick rice!)

Also - I always boil whatever's left of the chicken carcass for about 30 minutes and pick the bones of any meat for my soup - lots of good stuff in the nooks and crannies of the bird's skeleton!