My first roast chicken from 2009.

Mrs. Hoose here!

When I first met Jerod, boiling water was a challenge. Over the years, I’ve acquired a few skills. I’ll be sharing some of my tips with you.

Here is one that we will be using over the holidays….

Whole chickens used to be something I shied away from, until I figured out a fool-proof way to make them. Just like turkeys, they should thaw a full day in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds. Once the chicken is thawed enough to take the giblet pack out, I remove it so the bird can thaw faster. My favorite way to bake chickens is like this –

• Put a cast iron skillet in the oven, put a tablespoon of butter in the bottom of the skillet, and preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Season bird inside and out and truss the legs.
• If desired, cut up an apple and onion and place inside the bird.
• When the oven comes up to temperature, grab the skillet and swirl around the butter so it covers the entire skillet.
• Place bird in skillet breast side down and turn the oven back to 450, then continue baking. For the last minute of cook time, flip the bird over and bake it for 15 minutes at 500 degrees.

The chicken should bake for 15 minutes per pound, and the last 15 minutes are always done at 500 with the breast up. For example, a 5-pound chicken will bake for an hour at 450, then will bake for 15 minutes at 500. Perfectly brown and crispy chicken every time! No dry bird. No messing around with a meat thermometer. Best of all, no risk of people accidentally eating raw chicken.

Remove from the oven. After cooking, let the bird rest for at least 15 minutes. This works out well, as I can prepare most sides in that time frame. I have found that the Ove-Glove and similar products help a lot with this recipe, as cloth oven mitts don’t provide nearly enough protection.