Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

The weather is KILLER right now in Nashville, high 70s/low 80s all weekend and week long. Nature is as excited about graduation as we are. The only downside of the beautiful weather is that I end up doing things like going 10 miles on foot over the course of the day and then being in pain. So, today i'm forcing myself to enjoy the outdoors only from locations that I drive myself to. Rest days in general are apparently crucial to effective exercise, injury prevention and health - yes, this is something I just recently learned. Considering myself still new to this whole health and fitness thing, I thought you just work out as much as possible, varying cardio and strength. Once I was experiencing a lot of pain in my hip and googling a lot about it, is when I figured out that I was completely overdoing it. I kept reading and come to find out, you don't build muscle or burn fat as efficiently if you don't allow your body recovery or "rest days." Yet, the thought of having to observe a rest day and being inactive in this beautiful weather gives me early on-set cabin fever. The newest issue of SHAPE Magazine has a fitness plan that builds in active rest days, suggesting a 30-60 min walk on these days. Like I said, I am still learning but here are links to some articles about these "recovery periods" SHAPE, Active.com/Running, Wellbridge.com. 

Ignore my grubby comp

Unfortunately, my hip is killing me today so I have to sit still (well, i'm not counting Barre). To compensate, I'm writing this post from this awesome pillowed room of a coffee shop with floor to ceiling windows and trying to brain storm other non/lightly-active outdoor activities. So far I've got picnic, sunbathing, reading in the park, outdoor shops, patio cafes and that is about it - suggestions? Side note - this is a vegan coffee shop, Atmalogy, while I feel sad for them not having enjoyed bacon & eggs for breakfast like I did, they have hit the nail on the head with the atmosphere of this place and also their house chai, made with almond and coconut milks. 

On to the food: 

Shelley

Cam

Meet my friends Cameron & Shelly. 






Okay, many of you, including my mom, are probably in uproar and please don't go PETA all over me because I named my whole chickens before cooking them, but there is something really caricature-ish about a whole raw chicken that just requires it (Pioneer Woman agrees). Not to mention, eating animals isn't a sin, our ancestors have been doing it for thousands upon thousands upon thousands of years - circle of life, hakuna matata, etc. I will caveat this with my having been converted to cage free, grass-fed, pastured, local, humanely raised meat sources. Watch Food, Inc., the corporate farming system is not hakuna matata. Additionally, "you are what you eat" is a real thing and the nutrients and feed and chemicals and environment in the animal you eat are the same ones that are going to go inside your body. Bottom line - I would rather give up a few more drinks at the bar for a free-range chicken. 

Anyway, cooking an entire chicken is one of the easiest and best decisions I have ever made - not to mention cost effective. In an earlier post, I mention the ease of making a big batch of shredded chicken in the slow cooker; well, this one-ups that. A pack of three chicken breasts at Publix costs the same amount as a 4.5 lb chicken. The only downside is breaking down the chicken and sucking it up about the bones. I am pretty sure America is the only country that gives a rats ass about having their meat come to them raw and deboned. Obviously if you are making chicken nuggets, bones are not helpful, but for general chicken purposes, cooking the whole chicken should be fine (or debone it yourself). 

I know, I know, you're like but, I am just one person, what am I going to do with an entire chicken? EVERYTHING. First, you're going to eat it hot out of the oven, white meat, dark meat, whatever combination you like - feeling a wing? go for it. Next, you are going to remove all the rest of the chicken from the carcass, you're going to make chicken salad with some of it, mix some into your favorite pasta dish, make chicken pot pie - basically any chicken dish you can imagine is one step closer to being done. Then, you are going to take that carcass, stick it in your slow cooker or a large stock pot and make chicken broth or "bone broth" if you are super hip with food trends. Finally, you're going to freeze some of that chicken, because honestly nobody wants to eat chicken all week long. At the end of the process, you are going to feel rustic, accomplished and stupid for paying for boneless skinless chicken breasts your whole life.

So how to do it? There are two essential components - to get the (1) outside golden and crisp while keeping the (2) inside juicy and flavorful. Then, you just stick it in the oven on 400-425 middle rack and roast for an 50 min-75 min, when the internal temperature reaches 165. 

For the outside - I have tried it two different ways - the Pioneer Woman way (a la Cameron), slathered in a butter/garlic/herb mixture and the simple way, just coated in olive oil, salt and pepper (a la Shelley). If you are big into eating the skin of the chicken - obviously crisply roasted butter/garlic/herb skin is going to be your way to go, but if you're looking to be less of a fatty, the olive oil way works beautifully and gives you a more basic chicken to work with in future recipes. For the latter - Step 1: take chicken out of packaging. Step 2: pat chicken dry with paper towels. Step 3: set chicken in roasting pan. Step 4: coat chicken all over in olive oil (I used 2 tbsp at most) with basting brush or your hands (wash them) if you don't have one. Step 5: sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

For the inside - Stuff the cavity of the chicken with lemons sliced in half, herbs, garlic, butter whatever suits your fancy. The lemons seem to be the non-negotiable, because they both keep the cavity lifted, impart subtle flavor, keep the chicken juicy, and are great for squeezing on top of the chicken. Everything else is mix-and-match, get creative optional. I generally will do lemon, garlic and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme. 

When your chicken has finished cooking, set it on a pretty platter and remove your lemon and herbs from the cavity, placing them on the platter with the chicken for presentation. That's nice for a moment, but then you're going to want to eat. Now, you can google how to carve the chicken (or click here), or you can do it the Pioneer Woman way and just hack away at it until you get what you're after. Figuring out how to break it down is a much more visually rewarding method, but sometimes its just too hard. 

So, next time you are wanting to grab those boneless skinless chicken breasts, compare the price to the whole chicken, think about how many chocolates you could get with the difference and roast yourself a whole chicken.