Nancy Guppy has been a registered dietitian for over 25 years.  She works as a food and nutrition consultant and operates a cooking studio in Northeastern Ontario.  Nancy also does countless recipes for Chicken Farmers of Canada. You can visit her on the web at www.chapmanslanding.com.   She also blogs at www.chapmanslanding.blogspot.com and www.goaskmygourmetmom.blogspot.com

Roasting a chicken is much easier than preparing most chicken recipes and the leftovers make easy, great meals.  Here I show you how to make a simple roast chicken at home that is better than the deli roasted chicken at the grocery store.  Team it up with some roasted oven potatoes and winter vegetables like beets, carrots and squash for a heartwarming meal.  Or make you meal more Mediterranean and pair it up with a green salad and a pasta with sauce.

If your group can easily eat an entire chicken in one setting then roast two chickens at the same time.  You will have the makings of three, if not four, weekday meals.  Use leftovers for sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups and easy supper meals. Quick Chicken Paprikash, Chicken Pesto Pizza and a Quinoa Corn Chowder comes to mind!

I like to tuck in aromatic vegetables like onion and garlic and some fresh or dried herbs into the cavity before I pop the bird in the oven.   Here I am using my fresh garden sage with Ontario garlic, sea salt, black pepper, sweet paprika and some juicy fresh lemons.  I dried a lot of my summer sage in my dehydrator for use over the winter.  I have listed all the quantities together a little further down.

Simple Sage, Garlic and Lemon Roast Chicken

Ingredients:
3 lb (1.35 kg) roasting chicken
1 whole head of garlic
3 lemons
15 sage leaves
1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil
¼ tsp (1.25 mL) sea salt
¼ tsp (1.25 mL) black pepper, freshly ground
½ tsp (2.5 mL) paprika, sweet or smoked
2 Tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Remove giblets and neck from the cavity of the chicken.  You can discard or freeze to use later when you make your next batch of soup.

2. Wash 15 fresh sage leaves and set on kitchen towel to air dry.  Add 3 sage leaves to the cavity of bird.
3. Use a whole head of garlic.  Add a large clove of garlic to cavity and cut 4 cloves of garlic into thin slivers. You can smash them with the side of the blade of a large knife to make it easier to peel away skin. Mince the last  cloves of garlic and set aside as they will be sprinkled over top of chicken before roasting.

4. Cut first lemon in half lengthwise and slice thinly into half moon slices.  Cut second lemon in half horizontally and add both halves to cavity of the bird.  The lemon in the cavity steams and helps keep the chicken tender and juicy. Juice the other lemon and set aside.
5. Use your fingers to carefully loosen skin from top of chicken breasts on both sides and at both ends. Carefully stuff in a slice of lemon, sliver of garlic and a fresh sage leaf across top being careful not to pierce skin –Keep going until you are out of space!  You can stuff the extras into the cavity.

6. Use your hands to coat chicken breast and legs with olive oil. Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and sweet paprika. Mince garlic and sprinkle over top of chicken. You can truss the legs if you wish but this is not necessary.

7. Roast for one hour at 375°F (190°C). Drain off fat and discard. Pour fresh lemon juice over chicken followed by maple syrup and roast another 20 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in thigh registers 185°F (85°C).  Take the chicken out when done, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

More Meals - Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

I usually put the chicken carcass in the slow cooker to make stock right after we finish eating.  You can also put the crock in the fridge overnight and then place the cold crock in the slow cooker before you leave for work.  If you don’t want to make soup within a day of eating the chicken you can wrap it all up in a bag and freeze.  There are many great recipes on the website detailing how to make chicken stock and a large variety of soups.

Before I make stock I take the best meat off the bone and set it aside for our sandwiches, wraps or quesadillas for the next day.  My two kids and I can get 3 meals out of one good size chicken.. the  original dinner, sandwiches or wraps and a good homemade soup.

I cover the carcass with 2-3 liters of cold water.  I also add 1/2 tsp ground turmeric for a yellow colour and 2 Tbsp of vinegar.  The vinegar is an old Mennonite trick that helps to take calcium and flavour out of the bones.  I leave the stock on low setting in the slow cooker for 8-16 hours.  I then strain it and freeze whatever I don’t need right away in smaller batches.  I usually keep my stock simple so I can use it for a wide variety of soups, sauces and entrees.

It’s so easy to make homemade soup. All you need is a good stock, herbs and vegetables and a bit of salt.

From the low sodium stock I made a warming East meets West fusion chicken noodle soup.  My simple recipe is below.  I find that lemon pairs well with chicken soup.  I balance it out with a bit of honey if I find it a bit sour.  My kids like to add a few dashes of light tamari (Japanese style soy sauce) to their bowl so I have included this too. If you aren’t fond of peas, turnips, or celery in your soup feel free to substitute.  You need an equivalent of 3 cups (750 ml).

East meets West fusion chicken noodle soup

Ingredients:
2 quarts (2 L) Chicken broth, home-made
2 cups (500 mL) Roasted chicken, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) Onion, finely minced
3 Garlic cloves, finely minced
½ tsp (2.5 mL) Chile pepper, red, hot, flakes
1 tsp (5 mL) Basil, dried
1 cup (250 mL) Peas, green, frozen
1 cup (250 mL) Turnip or rutabaga, cut into small chunk
1 cup (250 mL) Celery, sliced
1 cup (250 mL) Egg noodles, fine
1 tsp (5 mL) Lemon peel or zest, fine
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Lemon juice
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Soy sauce, low sodium (e.g., Lite Tamari)
½ cup (125 mL) Fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) Honey (to taste)

Preparation:

1. Heat stock in soup pot.  Add chopped chicken, minced onion, garlic, chile pepper flakes, basil, peas, turnip and celery.  You can substitute 1 Tbsp fresh Thai basil for the dried if you have it.  Cover and bring to a boil.

2. Stir in egg noodles and simmer a few minutes until el dente (just tender).  Add lemon peel, fresh lemon juice, low sodium soy sauce, minced parsley and honey.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Serve garnished with a sprig of fresh parsley and/or lemon wedge if you wish.