Dinner Last Night.
Last week, I was just craving a roasted chicken. After the last experience – which wasn’t traumatic, but still a bit freaky – I figured I could handle it. Mr. How Sweet was all in too. Obviously.
So I bought it on Sunday and decided last night at 6:30 that I was going to roast it. Yes, that is VERY late to decide something like this. Especially coming from someone who grew up eating dinner at 8:30 pm every night. My family is nocturnal.
But sometimes I lay awake at night dreaming of food, and things like this need to happen immediately when I want them to. Plus, I think the fact that I didn’t have much time to flake out helped. Even though as soon as I opened the chicken, I threw it on the counter and just stared at it for a good 15 minutes. Time was not my friend last night.
I shoved this lemon and some garlic where the sun don’t shine. Sorry, chicken.
Then I realized that I really didn’t have a roasting pan, because the one I used last time was a little too big. After rummaging around in my house I found this little pan. Um… a little small maybe?
Doesn’t matter. It worked!
This chicken was even better than the last one. Instead of rubbing the entire thing with butter, I went with the olive oil route which I think made it super crispy. And I used more salt and pepper than should be humanely allowed.
And I made mushrooms! Because when I like a vegetable, I tend to make it every single day until I absolutely can’t even stomach it. Why would mushrooms be any different?
I used some of our favorite whole grain baguettes from Dellalos and made some of that grilled herb bread. Random meal, but it worked. No greenery. Just the way I like it.
This was not my plate. But let me just say that I bought a larger chicken this time (antibiotic free, so it cost more than a pair of my shoes) hoping that we would have a ton leftover. We didn’t. We don’t. There are just a few scraps left.
Mr. How Sweet is a human garbage disposal.
I’m thinking about making this a biweekly thing! You can’t beat a roasted chicken.
51 Comments on “Dinner Last Night.”
Yum, a homemade roast chicken is so much better than store-bought! I got an organic chicken from Trader Joes that wasn’t so outrageously priced.
I will look there this weekend!
I roasted a turkey for Christmas and it smelled (and tasted) amazing… I need to try it with a smaller bird! YUM :)
DROOL! I want roast chicken so bad now!
Yum!! I love roast chicken :)
I love making roasted chicken for the boys. They absolutely love it. It looks delicious Jessica!
I love roasted chicken but haven’t made one in months. It was so delicous!
HINT from another woman married to a human garbage disposal!
When you serve the chicken (or any meal), wrap up some leftovers before Mr. Sweet can even see they exist. He can’t eat it if it’s not there! My aunt told me to do that and it has been very helpful!
I also tend to serve him 2 smaller pieces of whatever we’re having instead of one big one all at once. Somehow he thinks it’s more that way because there are always seconds for him. When you’re married to a garbage disposal you need all the tricks you can get!
Best hint ever!!
I want some right now. And you know… I’ve never roasted a whole chicken – just turkeys. It’s probably similar but I need to try stuffing it with goodies and slathering that sucker up. Thanks for the bug in my head :)
Even if you only have the bones left…you should make stock.
I take the bones and throw them in the crockpot with carrots, onions and a bay leaf, simmer on low all day – voila, instant chicken soup base!
I’m now going to have to roast a chicken this week. I won’t be able to forget about it. Roasted chicken is so good! This looks amazing!
Yum! Looks great. I have been wanting to try one of these myself soon. You make it sound so easy, I may have to try it.
I have to be brave and make a whole chicken! I’m finally okay with chicken breasts! Haha! :-)
I’d love to roast a chicken, but my husband is still away on business.
Now I love roasted chicken, but I’d be eating it for days……
Maybe I could just send my leftovers to Mr. How Sweet. ;)
I’ve never roasted a chicken, what a sin!
Whenever I roast a chicken with my intentions being lots of leftovers, my husband always handles that for me… lol. At least there’s still the bones to make stock ? ;)
Homemade roasted chicken is soooo good!!! :D
I get these seasoned Cornish hens from Perdue that come in their own little oven bags… they cannot be beaten. Tenderest birds I have EVER eaten. Is a tiny bird too sissy for Mr. How Sweet?
I’m so glad you’ve discovered roast chicken, Jessica, because it is so easy, and so good!
You could use your larger roasting pan and put two chickens in it. Might as well roast two as one. Then you should have leftovers for salads, burritos, whatever.
At least I would hope you would have some leftovers from two chickens. But maybe I underestimate Mr. How Sweet! :D
That chicken looks so sand a creepy sitting there on your counter :)
That looks AMAZING. I’m dying for a bite!
You make me laugh in every post! I love reading everything you write. I’ve never roasted a whole chicken before. It looks frightening…but scrumptious (just not when it’s sitting raw on your counter).
By the way, mushrooms = a fungus. Not a vegetable. Nice try though. Close enough.
i LOVE roasting whole chickens! for some reason it looked so cute just sitting on your counter like that! (sorry if thats wierd) haha
My mom always throws raendom things into the cavity of the bird like oranges, lemons, garlic, onion, herbs…literally whatever she has on hand it goes in there and it is always SO DARN GOOD!
oh yes the EVOO def makes it crispier than butter!!!
Jessica, you have to try Lucinda Scala Quinn’s (Mad Hungry cookbook author) Flattened Roast Chicken. It. is. amazing. Delicious, delicious, delicious. And lemony.
love me some sauteed shrooms! And I definitely get on recipe kicks where I want it everyday for a week (minimum) ha
I love roasting chicken; we usually get too meals out of it, and you can save the carcass and make chicken stock!
too= two*
I just had roasted chicken for dinner…..and long before I saw this post. It was so good…I have never roasted a chicken before, but everyone talks about how easy it is. Sooooo good! I still need to make grilled herb bread,, and never would I turn down some mushrooms sautéd in butter.
Next time, will go with EVOO rather than butter.
You sound like you’re on our cooking schedule, dinner is usually between 8-9pm around here too!
I’m actually roasting a chicken tomorrow as well, one that I got from a lady nearby who raises pasture chickens naturally and antibiotic free. They are so incredibly good too.
I hope that we have leftovers though bc I want to make a chicken & summer squash lasagna with them the next night :)
Oh I would have gnawed off my arm if I ate at 8:30 – in fact, that’s what time I’m going to bed to read. I’m so pathetic.
haha OMG it’s a naked bird… hehe I love chicken man..roasted is superbly scrumptious.
This looks yummy! I need to make us some roasted chicken. Yum!
Looks good. I made roasted chicken on Sunday, then saved the bones and left over veggies to make home made broth. I try to make a chicken roast a couple times a month just to make the broth and then I freeze it in jars.
The mushrooms looke good too!
Everytime I roast a chicken I ruin it. I guess I just cook it too long and season it too much. I guess what I am trying to say is overkill when it comes to making that perfect bird. Thanks I will try your method. Paulette
Gotta tell you – those raw chicken pix look just a bit scary. But the finished product looks delicious and beautiful. And sounds like it tasted really yummy. Roast chicken is a Friday night standby in our home. Everyone loves it – from baby on up to big appetite husband! :)
Thanks for making me laugh out loud again this morning! The chicken looks amazing, Jessica. Your photos are gorgeous, as usual!
I’ve been meaning to roast a chicken sometime soon…I think that beautiful chicken is a sign that the time has officially come to roast away. Love the caramelized mushroom plan too. Yummy!!!!
This looks so good! I’ve never roasted a chicken before, I’m kind of scared but I should probably take the plunge and give it a try!
Homemade is So much better than store bought! :D
Thank you for all of the time you put into your posts! Your posts are one of the highlights of my day! :D
Thank you so much for reading!
There is nothing better than a roasted chicken!!! YUMMM
Oh how I love the roasted chicken. It’s one of my favorite go-to meals. I always have the greatest intentions of using the leftovers as meals throughout the week, but we pretty much just end up eating it as plain chicken. So good.
I just picked up a whole chicken to roast today & I’m jealous of how big yours is. We will definatly have no leftovers. It was only $9 & organic which is unheard of where I live!
That’s awesome!!
Hi Jessica! I’ve been reading your blog for a few months now. Love it! I’m studying Animal Science in college, and I wanted to share with you that giving antibiotics to chickens is not allowed in the US. Some packaging for poultry says this in small writing, probably on the back or bottom of the package. So there’s no need to spend more money on your chicken than on your shoes! :-)
Great job! It looks delicious! And those mushrooms!!! Yum!!!
I’ve never roasted a chicken before but would love to learn since chicken is the only meat my husband will eat! I get the seasoning part & all but what else do you put in the pan with it & how long do you cook it for and at what temperature? Thanks for any help you can give!
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I roast chicken all the time! I use a bit bigger pan :) and pour a beer in it or white wine, whatever I have and roast the chicken in that. If I have lemons or limes to throw in the bird, I do. If not, I don’t. I always bathe him in EVOO and sprinkle with kosher salt or pepper. Then I have to decide what else I’m going to use. Sometimes it’s just dried rosemary or garlic powder. Other times it’s Herbes de Provence or curry powder. I also like a spice blend my sister gets from Holland called Shroama. Yum!! Whatever it is, my husband and kids eat it up. A roasted chicken is such an easy and delicious meal!!
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