Roasted Chicken

I like to cook a large meal on Sundays to ensure that I will have some leftovers to reuse throughout the coming week. Since I work fulltime, being able to put together dinner quickly Monday through Friday is a requirement with my small children. One of our favorites is super easy and really not time consuming at all. I like to use a large chicken (6 lb) or two smaller ones (3.5-4 lb) so we have enough leftovers...my husband likes to sneak late night meals out of the fridge when there is leftover chicken. :o)

Preheat your oven to 375°

Whole chicken with giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
5-10 & 1 more cloves of garlic just smashed slightly
1 small-med onion quartered
Cajun seasoning
Black pepper
1/4 C. melted butter

To "slightly smash" your garlic you just take the unpeeled clove and lay it on the cutting board and pound the side of your knife blade over it with your hand. This will remove the skin and break open the clove. Sprinkle a little Cajun seasoning and black pepper (not too much here) into the cavity of the chicken and then add the onion and 5-10 cloves of garlic. If you choose, you can tie with kitchen string the legs and wings to the body of the bird, I personally don't, I just tuck them under nicely when I put it in the pan, but if you like yours tied, now is the time to do that. Then coat the outside of the chicken with more Cajun seasoning and a little black pepper patting it in. Place the bird in your roasting pan, breast side down and if you didn't tie the legs and wings down, tuck them under to secure them that way. The actual cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken. The chicken is done if the legs move easily in the joint but the breast temp needs to read 165°-170° and the thickest part of the thigh 180°.
2.5 to 3 pounds - 1hr to 1hr 15min
3.5 to 4 pounds - 1hr 15min to 1hr 45min
4.5 to 5 pounds - 1hr 30min to 2hrs
5 to 6 pounds - 1hr 45min to 2hrs 30min

About a half hour into the cooking time take your last clove of garlic and put it in a bowl with the butter and pop it in the microwave to melt the butter and infuse the garlic flavor. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter now and then again about 20 minutes before it is done. Let the chicken rest out of the oven for about 10 minutes to redistribute the juices, carve and enjoy.

Once we are done eating, I like to go ahead and finish removing the remaining chicken from the carcass and put some aside for chicken sandwiches to be used for lunches and then chop a couple of cups worth for a quick dinner later in the week. It is easier to remove the meat while the bird is still warm than it is to do it out of the fridge when you need it. When I cook a 6+ lb bird, I normally have an additional couple cups worth of chicken that I chop up and freeze to be used up to 3 months later.

This recipe also works great out on the grill using your rotisserie! Mmmm... chicken out on the patio with some cool iced tea on a hot summer evening. Oh, I am ready for winter to be over!!!

*Note that Cajun seasoning does have a lot of salt content in it so there is no need to add any additional salt and it is a little spicy so watch use with tender stomachs, but even with my little ones, I am able to put it all over the bird and not have any problems, but you can just use salt and pepper if you prefer.*