Easy roast chicken, using the most minimal of ingredients and techniques, has found its way into our kitchen more than once in the past month. When time is limited, as it has been for our family lately, nourishing foods become ever more important, and while we strive our best to eat well and to celebrate the bounty of summer, keeping time and effort to a minimum is key. So we opt for easy recipes and simple ingredients that take little time to prepare.
For this easy roast chicken, we use the most minimal of ingredients: just olive oil, salt and pepper and a bit of stock or wine. When so few ingredients are used, it's essential that those ingredients you do use are of the best quality you can afford. A good pasture-raised chicken can average between $12 and $25, and while the initial price point might make you balk - especially if you're used to the prices of conventionally raised birds which often sell for as little as $.79 / pound at the local grocer.
Buy a pasture-raised bird.
Pasture-raised chickens are raised outdoors with free access to a natural diet of bugs, grubs and sprouts. Fresh water, clean air and an optimal diet ensure that their meat is richer in nutrients - particularly fat soluble vitamins like vitamin E and vitamin A. Moreover, the flavor of the birds is richer and more pronounced than that of conventionally raised birds and, when making an easy roast chicken of only the simplest ingredients, the flavor of a pasture-raised bird can truly make the dish.
The active preparation time in making an easy roast chicken is likewise, minimal. Pasture-raised birds, because they're more active than conventionally raised birds that our confined to battery cages or overcrowded chicken houses, tend to have tougher meat. For this reason, pasture-raised birds are best suited to long and slow cooking methods. While slow-roasting a chicken at low temperatures before increasing the heat to achieve that lovely golden-colored skin may take extra cooking time, it does not require additional active preparation time. So make this easy roast chicken when you know you'll be at home with plenty of time to allow the bird to slowly cook through, but still wish to put minimal effort into your supper.
Maya says
I’m assuming you would have mentioned if your clay baker was soaked prior to placing the chicken inside. Maybe this is why your photo shows a beautifully-browned bird on all sides, and why some commenters here found their chicken sitting in it’s own juices. For the record, could you please clarify whether or not you soak the clay baker? Thank you.