If there’s something you should know about me right here and now it’s that I’m 100% intimidated by raw meat. I don’t like handling it (insert some sort of sexual joke here) and I really don’t like the thought of cleaning it. **
So, when my mom came to town and left behind a whole chicken I was kind of like ummm….what do I do with this thing? She’s an amazing cook so nothing intimidates her — which is why she thought nothing of leaving an entire bird behind.
If you get squeamish at all, now is the time to stop reading.
A month or so ago, I decided I was sick of looking at the frozen chicken and it was taking up too much room in the freezer, so I took it out to thaw and began begging my mom to come deal with it browsing Pinterest for what I should do with it. Once it was thawed and I took all the packaging off, I kind of gagged. For starters it still had the neck on and was stuffed with gooey chicken parts. There were also a couple rogue pores that had what appeared to be missed feather stems in them.
She told me to pull out all the items I didn’t want and toss them. Some people use them to make broth or other dishes, but I threw them out. When there was a “passageway” through the chicken and it felt a little bit like it might fall apart — it was ready to be prepped. I started by cutting up two lemons and and a lime and put them all into the cavity of the bird. Then, I peeled back the skin really gently and rubbed on some olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh minced garlic.
When all of that was done, I added a splash of water into the bottom of the pot and put it into the oven at 350 degrees for around 2 hours. Be sure the lid is on!
The end result is the only reason I’m writing this post. What came out of my oven was the best chicken I’ve ever tasted in my life. For starters, Dane lifted up the whole thing and the chicken literally fell from the bone. The combination of tender, flavorful meat made this entire process worth it. If you’re at all intimidated by cooking large birds (chicken, turkey, hen, etc.), I’m here to say — you can do it!
And now that I’ve written an entire post about how to cook meat, someone please tell me I’m not alone in thinking that it’s a bit intimidating..?!
**I feel like it’s important to disclose that I stopped eating meat regularly shortly after I drafted this post. I wrote this nearly a month ago now (post planning much?!). That being said, my husband and family still enjoy meat and that’s 100% their choice. I don’t judge them (or anyone reading) for continuing to eat it. At the time, I really enjoyed this meal and still wanted to share it with all of you 🙂
Pumpkin Crunch
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones
Sourdough Focaccia