Roasting the chook

It's one thing to switch to buying a whole chicken rather than wasting extra money on pieces, it's always great to get ideas on what to do with it.

So a quick and easy chicken solution.

You can cut it up with kitchen shears but this leaves the bones. I prefer to bone the chicken. I start with the legs, wings, then breast which leaves a carcas. Don't worry if there is some meat left on the carcas as this comes off easily if you boil it.

In a roasting pan lay down some baking paper and lay your chicken pieces on top. You can cut the legs to make 4 pieces or just leave them whole.

I like to use garlic oil for this as it gives the meat a really vibrant flavour (described in a previous post). Pour on a little garlic oil and rub it into the flesh. Sprinkle or grind on some sea salt (or normal table salt if you don't have sea salt), pepper and paprika. I also use an all purpose spice mix which I buy at Aldi, though any blend you like is fine.

If you like a touch of zing sprinkle on just a couple of chilli flakes. Even just one or 2 tiny little flakes on each piece is enough to give it just that little bit of bite. I don't like hot and spicy food myself and find this to be not too overpowering, but you can add more if you wish.

The trick to getting this chicken really moist is in the cooking. I pre heat my oven up to approx 180 - 200 degrees celcius, fan forced.

Place a layer of Alluminium foil over the chicken and press it down so that it makes contact with the chicken but keeps the tray covered. Bake for 25 minutes, uncover and bake for another 25 minutes. This leaves the chicken really moist but gives a nice crunchy skin.

This is just a rough guide to baking time so check the chicken at around this stage and see how well done it is. A larger chicken may need more time and different ovens cook differently so it doesn't hurt to play around a bit.

And that is it. It literally takes minutes to prepare and can be done in advance so you can simply put it in the oven and set the timer.

To serve with it simply throw in some peeled potato halves or quarters with the chicken or in a separate dish if size is an issue or a salad, selection of vegetables, what ever you wish! This is excellent served fresh from the oven but can be frozen for a quick slap together meal later.

With the carcas, place it in a pot of water and boil until it forms a stock. You can season it if you wish but I find adding a few onions and other vegetables (I use frozen for this) gives it a bit extra and you can serve the vegetables up later. They go really soft but end up with an interesting flavour. My 1 year old absolutley LOVED these vegies and was saying yum yum after every bite. Pull the loose chicken off the bones and store in a container. It makes fantastic chicken for baby meals, sandwiches, stir fries. You may not get much but there is no shortage of options and all you're left with is less than a handful of bones. One chicken well and truly used to it's full potential.

Of course if you have dogs, they will also love the raw carcas. Just make sure you don't give it to them cooked as cooked bones are a no no.