A whole chicken is one of the great values in the grocery store. You have a main course entree fit for company, followed by either leftovers or killer sliced chicken sandwiches and you get all this for about $1.39 a pound compared to three or four times that amount for boneless, skinless chicken loins.
It’s hard to screw up a whole roast chicken unless you serve it medium rare or if it’s cooked to smithereens, but here is my version of a perfect, stuffed roast hen.
Start with a fairly big, bird, at least 6 pounds. A skinnier chicken will work but a fatter bird has more flavor and juices. I like to stuff my hens, but I’m not picky about the stuffing. I find that the store brand chicken flavored stuffing works well after absorbing all the juices, but if you have your great grandmother’s stuffing recipe that calls for saltines or oysters or whatever, go with that.
Rinse the chicken and then pat dry with paper towels. Stuff the cavity as full as possible and rub a bit of olive oil over all the chicken. Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on the bird and put it in a 450 oven for 10 minutes; then turn back the heat to 350 and cook for 10 minutes per pound. Allow the bird to rest about 25 or 30 minutes before carving, which gives you time to whip up a little gravy if you choose.
Because of the initial high heat, the skin on the chicken will be brown and crispy, and the breast will explode with juices.
All this for $1.39 a pound. You can’t beat it.
Stuffed Roast Chicken
1 Roasting Hen (6 to 8 pounds)
1 Box store brand chicken flavored stuffing
S & P to taste
1 t garlic powder
