Easy Roasted Chicken

This is how we like to roast our chicken.  It's super easy.  (Even if you have to touch the raw meat to do it.  Ick.)  We've been eating this roasted, flavorful chicken for a couple of years now.   I got the recipe on the internet somewhere years ago.  Sorry I do not know the source.

Mimi's Sticky Chicken

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 whole roasting chicken, about 3 pounds

1/2 onion

Combine all spices (first 8 ingredients) in small bowl.

Rinse chicken, inside and out. Drain well and then dry.  Rub spice mixture over skin and the inside of chicken.  If you rub it under the skin it will be even tastier!  Place in a plastic storage bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to roast, stuff cavity with onion. Place chicken breast side down in pan.

Roast uncovered at 250ºF for about 5 hours. Baste occasionally (if you remember...I rarely do) with pan juices or until pan juices start to caramelize on bottom of pan and chicken is golden brown.

It's that easy!  It always makes enough juices for plenty of gravy, too.

That's the recipe, though I don't use cayenne or white pepper.  Also, the chickens I use are typically bigger, but are still at the right internal temperature after 5 hours.  Always.

I am all about shortcuts. After roasting a chicken, we eat from it for a few days, but that first night I always put a couple cups of chicken in the freezer.  I try to have chicken in the freezer for those days when cooked chicken is needed in a recipe.