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(c) Confident Cook 2010
1 whole, dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon each:
or use 2 teaspoons of your favorite Poultry Seasoning mix
Directions:
Thoroughly rinse chicken in water, pat dry. Trim off excess fat and skin. Coat chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage, thyme, marjoram on all exposed areas of chicken.
Cut ends off onion. Cut in half from top to bottom. Cut onion into 12 chunks. Wash celery, cut into 5 or 6 large pieces, keeping the leaves.
Place flat roasting rack into bottom of roasting pan. Spray rack and bottom of roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray. Distribute onion and celery (including leaves) on bottom of roasting pan. Add bay leaf to water. (Discard the onion, celery and bay leaf after baking) Arrange chicken pieces on rack, skin side up. Pour water into roasting pan.
Put pan into oven and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and cook until internal temperature of a chicken breast reaches 170 degrees or a thigh reaches 185 degrees. Test this with an instant-read thermometer. The exact amount of time necessary will vary depending on the accuracy of your oven’s thermometer and the size of the chicken pieces.
If you do not have an instant-read thermometer, the estimated cooking time is 15 minutes per pound of chicken. Test a piece by piercing it with the tip of a knife and when juices run clear, the chicken is done.
Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving. If you serve it right out of the oven, it will be dry and tough.
Use the juices to make an easy and delicious gravy. Serve with side dishes of mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. Add a green vegetable or salad for a really great, simple and easy dinner!
(c) Confident Cook
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