Cookerati

Life is unpredictable.  I’ve been busy and having a few health issues, which means Cookerati languished this last week, unfortunately.  I have some weird painful nerve things going on with my face, but I seem to be doing a little better on medication.  While at the same time, I snagged my brother in law, and talked him into working on my bedroom closet which meant clearing it out, and temporarily moving into my daughter’s bedroom.  She’s at college and knows that we’ve taken over.

This is a good comfort meal when you need to sit down for a family meal that anyone can prepare.  I do mean anyone.  I have a clay baker that I bake my chicken in, but you can use a roasting pan if you like.  I added some ginger and lemongrass to give it a zingy springy flavor along with garlic, cause I love garlic. I usually bake the chicken and about half way through throw the potatoes and spinach into the pan – use whatever fresh vegetables you like best.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Chicken
• Olive Oil
• 3 cloves garlic sliced
• 1 onion
• ginger
• lemon grass
• thyme
• sage
• pepper
• salt

Directions:

Lightly spread Olive Oil over the chicken.  Place garlic under the skin – all over.  Grate ginger and lemon grass and sprinkle that under the skin of the chicken, plus throw a little in the cavity along with some of the garlic.  Sprinkle the other herbs and spices along with salt and pepper on top.  Place the chicken into the roasting pan, or clay baker, slice an onion and place around the chicken.  Cover with foil and bake at 325. 

In a bowl, places chopped up veggies and sliced potatoes, sprinkle with some herbs, salt and pepper and toss.  Twenty minutes before the chicken is done – add the potatoes and veggies to the baker and recover.  You can uncover about ten minutes before the end if you want a crispy skin, but we don’t eat the skin, so we don’t do that part. The chicken needs to be 165 deg F, but I’ll take it up to 155, and then let it sit for about ten minutes.  It will rest and go up to about 165.  A meat thermometer is one of my best friends.  I don’t cut apart the chicken to test like my mom used to, just poke it with the meat thermometer.

This chicken is delicious, easy and oh so good.  My husband sits and picks the bones clean, there’s never enough left for another meal.