If you're not a fan of turkey or you just want a Thanksgiving dinner a
little more manageable for two to four people then roasting a whole chicken may
be the answer for you. I'm Tess and I will show you step-by-step how to
prepare and cook a Thanksgiving chicken. Stay tuned.
In my holiday recipe playlist
you will see I have lots of Thanksgiving videos for delicious homemade food.
Step-by-step instructions on how to brine and roast a turkey, how to make the
gravy, lots of side dish recipes and of course we can't forget the yummy desserts!
If you have a chance please take a look. They just might give you
some ideas for the holidays.
I am preparing the chicken very similar to
the way I prepare my turkey. You can brine the chicken but I'm skipping this
step to make it simpler.
I'm starting by making the seasoned butter rub. I have a half a stick of
room-temperature butter and I'm adding in a tablespoon of olive oil. This will
help make it more spreadable and give the skin a nice golden color. For the
seasonings I have 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper and you can
use black pepper, 1 teaspoon of parsley, 1/2 a teaspoon of poultry seasoning and
this gives a nice classic Thanksgiving taste, quarter teaspoon of savory or you
can use sage, quarter teaspoon of thyme for that earthy flavor and finally a quarter
teaspoon of garlic powder. You can use a spoon or fork to mix this. The idea is to
get it well mixed and incorporated.
These are the aromatics that I will be using to stuff the chicken and also make
a bed for the chicken to set in the pan. I have some herbs from my garden of
rosemary, sage, thyme and parsley. The vegetables are an array of onions,
carrots and celery. I have some garlic and we can't forget the lemon that gives
us a pop of brightness. With the seasoned butter rub and these aromatics combined
this will add a tremendous amount of Thanksgiving goodness and flavor.
I have my oven preheating to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I placed some of my veggies
and herbs on the bottom of a baking pan and the chicken will set on top so it
cooks more evenly. The remainder of the onions, lemon and herbs will be stuffed
inside the chicken cavity and again this is to help flavor and cook the chicken
evenly. I have an eight pound whole chicken and this will feed a good number
of people. You can certainly use a smaller chicken but I wanted some
leftovers for some recipes. I rinsed and trimmed the chicken and now seasoning
the inside the cavity with some salt. Now I'm stuffing everything inside the
chicken. I like to put the fresh herbs near the center but I just stuff it as
it fits. As the chicken cooks these aromatics will release a lot of flavor.
Once that is done I'm going to apply my seasoned butter under and over the
chicken skin. There is a thin membrane that connects the skin to the meat. Just
gently slide your hand under the skin and break or disconnect that membrane.
Try not to tear the skin and if you do it's not the end of the world.
I'm placing about a third of the seasoned butter under the skin and the other
two-thirds will be rubbed on the outside. I'm making sure I get the breast area
and also as far as I can reach on the legs. Just take your time. Finally giving
the outside a good rubdown with the remaining butter. This will melt to make
a nice golden crust and some awesome juices for our gravy.
I tucked the wings under the chicken and tied the legs together with twine and
again this is to help evenly cook the chicken. Finally I'm adding about a half
a cup of water to the bottom. The veggies and the chicken will produce some juices.
I will check on the chicken throughout the cooking and will add more if needed.
You will need about 2 cups of juices for the gravy.
The chicken is going into a preheated 425 degree fahrenheit oven for 1/2 to 2
hours. If you find the skin is getting browner than you like you can tent the
top with foil to prevent burning. It took the chicken 1 hour and 50
minutes to thoroughly cook. You want the internal temp of the chicken to be 165
to 170 and when you insert the meat thermometer you want it in the thickest
part of the thigh but not touching the bone. Remove the chicken from the pan and
let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting.
With the juices I made some chicken gravy and I'm serving with stuffing,
mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts. If you would like to see the recipes for
the gravy and stuffing you'll be able to find them on my Holiday video playlist.
The recipes for the mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts and more is coming soon.
The Thanksgiving chicken came out tender and full of flavor. All the seasonings
screamed Thanksgiving! A warm and comforting meal. If you don't like Turkey
then you may want to try Thanksgiving chicken. Stay tuned because I have lots
of recipes and ideas to come. Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday season. Take care
and enjoy!
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Much Love!