Roasted Chicken with Ontario Vegetables and Gravy

"... Poultry is for the cook what canvas is for the painter." Jean Anselme Brillat-Savarin

Well, today we are talkin' roasted chicken! Yum! My friend Dana has requested a roasted chicken with roasted vegetables recipe, et voila! This week is probably a perfect week to roast a chicken, just cause the weather ain't so nice outside. I always love how roasting a chicken makes the house smell great and simply makes one's home feel cozy. Also, a single roasted chicken has so much to offer! You see, when one roasts a chicken it creates a gastronomic domino effect... Day one: roast the chicken, eat as much as you can! Day two: roast chicken sandwiches for lunch, salvage any meat for soup and the rest goes into the pot for stock. Day three: chicken soup. So simple! Of course, if you are not going to make stock, freeze the bones until you have time! Same with the stock; if you are not using it right away, freeze it for later. For me, roasting meat is the easiest of meals! I understand that it could intimidate people, but that's why I'm here to help! Chicken is especially easy and there are so many ways of fixin' up that bird, it's crazy!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Roasted Chicken with Ontario Vegetables
(serves 4)

1 chicken
3 cloves of garlic
a few sprigs, fresh thyme
bay leaf
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, scrubbed and cut into large pcs
1 stalk of celery, cut into large pcs
a hand full of mushrooms, left whole
potatoes, scrubbed and cut into large pcs or minis left whole
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

.set oven to 400 degrees
.pat your chicken dry with paper towels, place in a lightly greased roasting pan and rub with olive oil
.sprinkle with salt and pepper, also season inside the cavity
.stuff the garlic, bay leaf and a sprig or two of thyme inside the cavity, loosely tie the legs together
.place all of the roast vegetables into a bowl, toss with more oil, salt and pepper and some more thyme, scatter around the bird in the roasting pan, put in oven
*.roast chicken for 20 minutes per 500 grams, plus 20 minutes more (remember this rule!!)
.remove the pan every 30 minutes to stir the veg. until the chicken is done
.to test doneness of the chicken, either test with thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh (165 degrees), or poke with a skewer in the thigh and see if the juices run clear (if not, place back in oven for 10 minute increments, test until done)

Hmmm, wanna quick gravy recipe as well? Okay!

Chicken Gravy

2 Tbsp fat from the roasting pan
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups of water or chicken/veg. stock
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

.remove the chicken to serving platter and with a slotted spoon, remove veg., cover loosely with foil until the gravy is done
.remove the fat from the roasting pan and put into a small pot with the flour, whisk together and heat on low (this mixture is called a 'roux')
.place the roasting pan on the stove top on medium heat pour in the wine, water or stock and with a wooden spoon, scrape up the bits and simmer for a couple of minutes
.slowly pour this liquid into the pot with the roux, whisk and turn up the heat to medium
.simmer for a few minutes until thickened, season with salt and pepper

Carve the bird, serve with the veggies, gravy and the rest of that white wine! Delicious! I made this for Kev and I last night and we loved it! All I did was quickly saute up some Swiss chard on the side. Now, this gravy recipe is quite rustic with all those bits, but of course you could strain the liquid from the roasting pan before you add it to the roux! It's up to you! Dana, I hope you like this recipe, if you have any questions, just ask! Enjoy!