Once-a-Week Roasted Chicken

At the Nugget where I do my grocery shopping(which by the way is the sweetest grocery store I've experienced--honestly, I like it better than Trader Joe's,) a whole, free-range chicken is less expensive than two pre-packaged chicken breasts. Which is part of the reason why I have been making this roasted chicken recipe. Who wouldn't want a couple wings, legs and thighs thrown in too?
Anyway, I try to prepare it once a week (actually, last week I made it twice for some friends who just had babies,) and I use the leftover chicken for making chicken salad for lunch and then I use the carcass to make about 6 cups of chicken broth. If you're willing to get your hands dirty, this is well worth the effort, I think.
I made it tonight for supper, and I timed myself : from start to finish the prep for this recipe took me approximately 12 minutes, which includes stopping to wash my hands three times of chicken yuck in between picking up Charli's spatula for her that she dropped.
Add a loaf of 5 minutes-a-day Artisan Bread (see previous post) and some leafy greens tossed with:
1 part balsamic vinegar to 2 parts extra-virgin olive oil
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

--and you've got a fairly quick, simple, yet healthy and delicious meal.

Roasted Chicken
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil, leaving a large overhand on the short ends.

Rinse with cold water one boiler/fryer chicken, 5-6 pounder, after removing gibblet bag and neck bone.
Rub the outside surface of chicken with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Rub the inside of chicken with kosher salt.
Stuff the chicken with the following: (I mix them all up in a bowl and then stuff'em in)
6 whole garlic cloves
6 lemon wedges
half of a small onion cut into 6 wedges
3 tablespoons salted butter cut into small pieces.

Bake uncovered for 1 -1 1/2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. The skin should be a nice, golden brown color. After one hour, if the chick still needs to roast longer, lightly place a sheet of foil over the bird to keep the skin from getting too crisp for the remainder of the cooking time.
(Good luck carving the gunner, I still haven't figured that part out yet...)


How to make Chicken broth from Roasted Chicken

After removing all of the chicken meat from the carcass, put the bone remains, along with the "stuffing" (i.e. garlic and onions...remove the lemons) in a large stock pot.
Add 6 cups water and one bay leaf. You can throw in some chopped carrots if you have 'em.
Simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 hours.
Remove carcass and strain broth.

Transfer broth to freezer bags and allow to cool before freezing for future use in soups.

(My Own) Chicken Salad
Combine in a large bowl:
Left over roasted chicken meat (1 1/2-2 cups), chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 granny smith apple, chopped
2 Tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup pecans or almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup canned pineapple, drained and chopped
Equal parts of real mayonnaise and Miracle Whip (depending on how firm you like your chicken salad...I start with a 1/4 cup of each and go from there.)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serve on croissants or with crusty bread.