Roast Chicken and Gravy

Normally, I never roast a chicken, instead, I just go to the grocery store and buy a lightbulb chicken.  You know those already cooked rotisserie chickens at the deli counter.  However, I got it into my head that I should roast a chicken at home -- it's nice to have some leftovers and I could make some soup as well.

I don't always think things through.  My left hand has been in a cast for three weeks, so I'm pretty much used to what I can do easily in the kitchen and what I can't.  Yikes.  There is a new item on the difficult list now.  I managed to get everything completed without major incident, but it may be a while before I something like this again.  The cast and a hot oven are not really too compatible.  I'll be back to using the toaster oven instead.

On the 'up' side, making all this effort worthwhile was the gravy I made with the drippings.  Wow.  Yum!
(Ross)

Roast Chicken
5 lb Whole Chicken
1 cup Chopped Onion
4 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
1 cup Fresh Mushrooms (sliced)
2 tbsp Flavoured Oil -- I used an orange infused olive oil.

• Remove innards from the cavity of the chicken  and place them in the bottom of the roasting pan.  (After you take them out of the little bag of course -- I almost missed this step)
• Rinse the bird, pat it dry, then place it in the pan breast up.
• Pick the rosemary leaves off the stalks and mix them together with the mushrooms and half the onions.  Use this mixture to fill the cavity.
• Sprinkle the remaining onions over the top of the bird and then drizzle the oil over it.
• Cover and bake at 375 for about an hour and a half.  Check it every 20 to 30 minutes to make sure it doesn't over cook.  Remove the cover for the last 20 to 30 minutes in order to brown the breast and legs.
• Remove from the oven (easier with two working hands), cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

Now the fun part ....

The Gravy

• Remove the chicken from the roasting pan.  Remove the onion/mushroom mixture from the cavity and put the mixture back into the roasting pan.
• Add freshly cracked pepper.
• There should be at least an inch or so of drippings/juices from the bird and the stuffing.  Put the roasting pan on the stove and bring the juices to a boil.
• Carefully sprinkle 2 tbsp all purpose flour over the juices, stirring them in as you go.  I find a whisk very handy to prevent the flour from lumping.
• Let the flour cook for a minute or two until the juices start to thicken.
• As the mixture thickens, slowly add 1 cup of skim milk, about an ounce at a time, stirring continuously.
• Keep stirring the gravy until it reaches the desired thickness.
• Some people pour their gravy through a sieve to remove any lumps and bits of meat.  Personally, I like it straight from the pan instead.  I can't wait to have leftover gravy on either biscuits or french fries!