Day 21: Roasted Chicken with all the fixings!

I love Sundays.  Even though I only cook for Randy, myself, a 2-year-old, and an 8-month-old who is just starting to eat what we eat, I still go all out on Sundays whenever I can.  I just love the idea and feel of coming home from church to a nice, big Sunday dinner.  (My grandmother always made it clear that "dinner" was Sunday noontime and "supper" was at night.) :)  Randy and I want more kids and one thing I look forward to is gathering all the family around for Sunday dinners--hopefully even when they're all moved out with families of their own.  Most of my extended family has stayed close, and I hope it's the same for our family as it grows.

I make a roasted chicken pretty often on Sundays.  I make it with citrus and herb and Randy loves it so much that I haven't messed with my recipe at all since I started making it this way a few years ago.  He once told me that he "wouldn't mind" if I roasted a chicken every Sunday.  My response was, "Oh, how nice of you to give me permission." ;)  It's actually not that hard, the biggest job, I think, is the clean up afterward.  But I make it whenever I need chicken stock for future recipes, so that's fairly often!  I also make chicken salad with the leftover chicken.  Look for my recipes for stock and salad in a future blog--probably the next time I make a chicken in just a couple weeks!

I also use Sundays as my day to make a baked good for the week; either a sweet dessert or a breakfast item.  This morning I made cranberry orange scones with icing.  I only iced some of them because I plan to use the leftover scones for a stuffing recipe later this week.  It's gonna be good!   I'll start with my recipe for the scones, followed by our Sunday dinner. (Although it was supper today since Randy had a luncheon after church!) ;)

Cranberry Orange Scones (Ina Garten)
(makes 14-16)

4 cups plus 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 TB baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp orange zest
3 sticks of butter, cold, diced
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg + water for egg wash
1/2 cup plus 2 TB confectioners' sugar
4 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix all of the dry ingredients (except the extra 1/4 cup of flour!) and the butter.  Mix on low until the butter is the size of peas.  (It's important to use cold butter and to NOT let it mix in fully--the cold butter "peas" in the dough will turn into air pockets in the oven, leaving the scones light and flaky.)  Combine the eggs and cream and pour into the batter while mixing on low speed.  Combine the cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour.  Fold into the dough.  While the dough is still lumpy, dump it out onto a well-floured surface to knead into a ball.  Roll it out to 1-inch thickness and cut 3-inch circles out of the dough to place on the prepared sheet pan.  When all the scones have been placed, brush the tops with the egg wash.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Allow the scones to cool, then mix the confectioners' sugar and orange juice for the glaze.  Drizzle on top of the scones.

 
Citrus-Herb Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken
1 onion
1 lemon
1 orange
fresh thyme plus dried thyme
fresh rosemary
fresh parsley
1/2 stick of butter, softened
salt, pepper
chicken stock or water

Preheat the oven to 400*.  Remove the gizzards from inside the chicken and empty any liquid.   Rub the softened butter all over the skin of the chicken.  (After washing your hands, of course) peel the onion and quarter it.  Zest the lemon and orange over the chicken.  Cut them in half and juice 1/2 of each over the chicken. Then cut the citrus halves in half.  Place a quarter of the onion, lemon, and orange inside the chicken.  Place the rest of the pieces around the chicken (you can stuff pieces under the skin for added flavor if desired, but after
having it with and without, I don't think it's necessary.  Chop the fresh herbs and sprinkle them over the chicken.  Place a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary inside the chicken as well.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Fill the pan with water or chicken stock 1-2 inches and place in oven.  Bake at 400* for 30 minutes.  Then baste the chicken and drop the temperature down to 275* and continue slow-roasting.  Baste every 30-45 minutes.  Depending on the size of the chicken, it will take 4-5 hours to slow-roast.

I serve with mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, biscuits, and homemade gravy.
Here's my gravy recipe:

Melt 2 TB butter in a small saucepan.  Add 2 TB flour and cook 1 minute.  Add about 1-2 cups chicken drippings.  (If you are using 2 cups of drippings, use more flour!)  Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, whisking continuously.  Once it bubbles, drop the temperature down to low and simmer.  Add a little bit of milk or light cream.  Season with salt and pepper.  The gravy should be nice and thick by now.