I never saw this coming. On Friday, I posted about roasting my first chicken this weekend. I almost didn't do it because of this experience on Saturday...
Yes- that's me with a live chicken named Maryanne! I fell in love with these chickens- they just chill in the backyard and are nothing but sweet! Having the knowledge that I was going to roast a chicken the next day (even though it was from a grocery store) was not sitting well with me.
Jeff and I had plans to go to The Beer Dabbler with our friends Elizabeth and Jay.
They have 3 chickens that produce eggs. When I told Elizabeth I was feeling queasy about tomorrow's menu she talked me down saying- Just make sure you buy a chicken that had a good life and was raised right!
I bought this chicken, thawed and ready for oven prep at Lund's yesterday. I followed the recipe, cutting off the fat around the tail and stuffing the bird with lemon quarters, garlic cloves and butter then seasoning the outside of the bird with salt and pepper...
I would like to tell you it was smooth sailing and went perfectly- but I had one minor snafu. When I checked the chicken after the timer went off, it seemed to be done. As Jeff carved it, I found I'D TAKEN IT OUT TOO EARLY! All the chicken parts went back in the oven- 10 more minutes- and the bird was ready! I won't make that mistake again.
All in all it turned out great! It was still juicy but would have been REALLY juicy if I hadn't had to cook it in pieces for that extra 10 minutes. I will be making this recipe again!
