Sleepy Sunday Roast Chicken

Summer slowly wraps up here in Seattle. These last few weeks have been busy ones. Between friendly outdoor gatherings to enjoy these last sunny moments, or dog emergencies and of course regular life stuff, I can say we are tired. It is on Sundays that I always fully realize this. I try to spend Sundays in the store not doing any type of actual business work. No paperwork, planning or organizing. I try to catch up on a book or a mindless tv show between customers as I think about how to make the upcoming week successful. Today I feel like napping on the counter and cannot stop thinking about how nice it would be to sink into my soft cool pillow. 

It is these sleepy moments when it would be easier to put something bad into my mouth for dinner that roast chicken comes in handy. Roast chicken conjures up memories of crispy skin, moist meat and a type of salty goodness that is pure heaven. How to get this kind of roast chicken is a mystery to most. They think it will be hard or take to long. They are worried about flabby skin and overdone dry breast meat. 

I have the perfect solution. Simple and easy this roast chicken recipe will leave you with the perfect meal for those sleepy Sundays and some to spare. 

You will find no vegetables here, no herbs under the skin, no oil. trust me - this is going to be amazing. My goal is to not add anything to the chicken or the cooking that produces steam or moisture. We want crisp skin!

Roast Chicken

• 1 whole roaster chicken - at room temperature
• kosher salt 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, placing a rack in the lower part of the oven.

Take your chicken and remove the organ meat and neck if stuffed inside the cavity (If you have a dog around - hand out that chicken neck like it is a prize. Great for Fido’s teeth). Rinse chicken under cool water - inside and out. Dry with paper towels and place into a roaster or shallow baking pan. 

Use some kitchen twine to tie his legs together. 

Grab your kosher salt and sprinkle heavily over skin front and back and inside the cavity as well. I good dose of salt is important for the crunchy skin you are looking for. 

Place your chicken in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn down to 350 and roast until temperature in the thigh is 155-160 degrees. If your chicken starts to get too brown, tent a piece of foil and loosely place it over your chicken. 

Remove your chicken from the oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before carving. 

And here you have a super juicy, flavorful roast chicken for dinner and leftovers for lunch! Enjoy!

last minute dessert

Spur of the moment dinner guests make for a fun night. Something easy for dinner like pasta and a salad. Add some bread and wine and there you have it. I really like to have something sweet to end the night. On this night I had strawberries in the house. First thing that came to mind was Strawberry Shortcake. I knew I did not have time to bake so I thought I would check out my local store and see what options were available in the bakery. 

I was really happy to find mini angel food cakes. So cute and perfect for individual desserts. 

I sliced up the strawberries, added some mint from the garden and a little sugar to sweeten. I let them sit throughout dinner so they could get all juicy. 

Then I spooned them over the little angel food cakes and topped them with some fresh whipped cream. 

Really easy and really delicious!