Recipe: Roast Chicken with Vegetables and How to Carve a Chicken

ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES
Source: Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham
Serves four

New cooks are intimidated by the idea of roasting a chicken, but nothing could be simpler. If you roast the chicken with some vegetables in the same pan for about an hour, you will have a moist, golden bird and savory accompaniments--all ready to eat at the same time. While they cook, you can set the table, watch the news, maybe make a dessert. Sometimes it's handy to roast 2 chickens at the same time; it takes no extra effort, and you will have plenty of leftovers for salads, soups, sandwiches, or a main dish of cold chicken with Green Sauce.

8 whole carrots
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 medium-size yellow onions
4 sprigs fresh or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
8 small white or red potatoes (about 1/2 inches in diameter)
1 whole chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds
3 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

PREPARING THE VEGETABLES
Peel the carrots and cut them crosswise into 1H-inch-long pieces. Cut the thicker pieces in half lengthwise as well.

Peel each onion and cut into quarters.

Wash the potatoes under cold water to get rid of any dirt. Leave them whole and unpeeled.

Scatter the carrots, onions, and potatoes on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking or roasting pan. Sprinkle 1H teaspoons of the salt and H teaspoon of the pepper over them, and lay 2 sprigs of the rosemary on top. If you are using dried rosemary, put 1 tablespoon in the palm of your hand and crumble it over the vegetables.

PREPARING THE CHICKEN
The giblets, which consist of the liver, gizzard, and heart, plus the neck, are usually in a package inside the cavity of the chicken, between the legs. Remove them and discard or refrigerate them to use later.

If there is a pale-yellow chunk of fat on either side of the cavity, pull or cut it off and discard.

Hold the chicken under cold running water and rinse it inside and out. Shake off excess water and pat dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle the remaining 1H teaspoons of salt and H teaspoon of pepper over the outside of the chicken, rubbing them all over the skin.

Set the chicken, the breast side facing up, on top of some of the vegetables, with the remaining ones surrounding the bird.

Insert a dial-type (not instant-read) thermometer into the breast, taking care that the rod of the thermometer does not touch any bones.

ROASTING THE CHICKEN
Put the chicken in the center of the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

When the timer rings, remove the pan from the oven and, using a large spoon, turn over the vegetables that surround the chicken. Don't bother with the vegetables under the chicken.

Return the pan to the oven and set the timer for 30 more minutes.

After 30 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven to check for doneness. Insert the tip of a small paring knife into the meat of the thigh where it attaches to the body. If the juices that run out are pink, the chicken needs to continue cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes. If the juices are clear, it is done. The meat thermometer should show a temperature of 170 degrees F to 180 degrees F when the chicken is done.

Carve the chicken according to the instructions below.

Scoop the vegetables out of the roasting pan and onto a serving platter. Remove the fat from the pan juices.

Arrange the cut chicken pieces on top of vegetables, spoon some pan juices over the chicken and vegetables, scatter the 2 remaining rosemary sprigs on top, and bring the dish to the table for serving.

HOW TO CARVE A CHICKEN
Carving a chicken is a simple process that takes a little patience; it gets easier each time you do it. If your chicken truly is cooked enough, it should be easy to remove the meat. It's not a delicate process, though, so don't be shy about manhandling the chicken a bit. Wait until it has cooled just enough for you to handle it comfortably.

Set the chicken breast side up. Pull the leg and thigh back to expose the joint that attaches it to the body (have a little patience; wiggling the thigh section and pulling it away from the body with your hands helps).

1) Use a sharp paring knife to probe for the socket and cut through it, separating the leg and thigh from the carcass. Repeat with the other leg and thigh.

2) Use the knife to cut through the joint that connects the leg to the thigh.

3) Pull off the wings by gently twisting them away from the carcass. You may need the aid of your knife to separate the wings fully.

The breastbone runs along the top center of the chicken carcass. Feel for it with your fingers. Make a 3-inch-long slit along both sides of the breastbone. 4) Dig your fingers into one of the slits and peel the entire half of the breast meat off the carcass. Do the same to remove the breast meat on the other side. Slice each half of breast meat crosswise, making 5 or 6 slices per breast half.

Pick or cut off whatever meat remains on the carcass. Arrange the legs, thighs, wings, and meat on a platter and serve.