Comfort food...roast chicken

Everyone has a favorite food or a favorite meal. I could never pick just one growing up, especially when I started cooking. It used to be lasagna. As I've grown older it has turned into roast chicken with stuffing, creamed corn (my creamed corn that is), mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce (the jelly).

This is how I put together a yummy and moist roast chicken. I should mention that my methods work for turkey also.

Take your chicken or turkey and remove the giblets. I don't eat any of them except for the liver so I save that and cook it in the pan with the chicken. At Thanksgiving I cook all the giblets to use them for gravy.  Wash your chicken thoroughly and place it in your roast pan.

I have learned to stuff mine with fresh vegetables (celery, carrots, and onion...very fragrant) and I swear that's the key to keeping the bird moist. I also surround the bird with veggies and then I pour either vegetable stock or chicken stock in the roast pain so that it's about an inch high. Next comes my marinade. It changes every time...slightly. This time I started with a half cup of olive oil. I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground rosemary, 1 teaspoon of ground thyme, 1 teaspoon of ground sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and 1 Tablespoon of parsley. Stir it well and then pour it evenly over the top of the bird.

Roast the bird covered in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes per pound. The last 15 minutes roast without the lid so that the skin can crisp up.