A savory roasted chicken is comfort food for the soul. This basic recipe is delicious as the feature of a main course and doubles as the base for a plethora of other poultry dishes. This one is a staple in our kitchen.

 

Serves:

4 guests per whole chicken

Tools:

crock pot or roasting pan

aluminum foil

Ingredients:

2 medium onions – roughly chopped

4-8 cloves of garlic

4-6 carrots, cleaned and roughly chopped

1 stalk celery, cleaned and roughly chopped. Greens included.

1-2 whole chickens – washed and patted dry

1-3 TBSP good olive oil

For the chicken rub:

2 tsp + cracked black pepper – to taste

2-4 tsp course sea salt – to taste

2 -4 TBSP z’atar

1 TBSP paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

For the chicken:

Make four to six fist-sized balls of aluminum foil and place in the bottom of your crock pot. This is so the chicken can roast evenly on all sides. If using a roasting pan for the oven, omit they step and just make the vegetable medley bed below:

Put the chopped onions, whole garlic cloves, carrots and celery in the bottom of the crock pot or roasting pan. Set the pan aside.

Mix together all the spices to make the spice rub.

After washing and patting the chicken(s) dry, loosen the skin from the meat without severing it. With you hands, rub the spice mix directly on to the meat under the skin, then again on top. Rub generously all over the chicken filling in all the nooks and cranny’s. Place the chicken(s) on top of the aluminum foil balls breast-side up making sure the chickens rest steady on the foil not touching the bottom of the pot, or simply set on top of the vegetables in your roasting pan.

Drizzle olive oil generously over the chicken. Crack more salt and pepper if you like.

Cover and cook:

If the chickens are frozen you must cook on low for 8 hours. Or on high for 2 and low for 6.

If the chickens are thawed or fresh, cook on high for 4 -5 hours.

If roasting in the oven: place chopped vegetables in the dish. Rub chicken down with spices and arrange on top of onions. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.

The drippings from this recipe make a nice sauce when strained. Enjoy as your main dish or use the meat as delicious add in’s to chicken soup or chicken salad, tacos, you name it.