Ok, so I took the advice to buy a whole chicken and cut it up to make several different meals.. only problem is.. Ive never cooked a whole chicken before! Help!

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Mommy to Bailey 10/02, Brooke 9/04, & DJ 6/06

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LOL!

Wash it off, check the inside cavity for guts (remove them - they will be in a bag or loose if they are there). Pat dry.

I put "Poultry Seasoning" and Lemon Pepper on mine - any seasoning like that would be fine. Sprinkle it on the skin, front and back, on the legs etc.

Put in a casserole dish that it fits in, and pop it into an oven at 400 for about an hour. Poke a knife inbetween the body and the leg, and the juice should run clear. If they are red, then keep cooking, check every 15 mins.

That's about the simplest you get. You can get more ambitious, jush search for recipes of "whole chicken". The main thing is making sure the juices are clear - that Mr. Chicken is done.

I have on I cooked yesterday, we ate the breast. I'm going to pull all the meat off, make shredded BBQ from that, and probably throw the carcass in a crock pot and make broth and then make some dumplings.

HTH!

Whole chicken is easy...

As the first responder said...wash it in cool water and pat dry. Check the cavity for the little bag of giblits and the neck, remove and discard. Put it in your roasting pan, breast side up. I tuck the wings underneath and tie the legs together, but you don't have to do that. I melt some butter and using a pastry brush, brush it all over the outside and then I salt and pepper it, inside and out. I don't usually use a lot of different seasonings, we just like basic roast chicken. Sometimes I stuff the cavity with onion junks, or pieces of lemon if I'm feeling 'fancy'. Sometimes I use fresh herbs, esp during the summer. LOL

I roast at 450 first for about 15-30 minutes and then reduce the heat to 375. I baste every 30 minutes with the pan juices. I *think* it's about 15-20 minutes per pound (unstuffed whole chicken), but you might want to google that...

I use a meat thermometer in the breast (want 170) and check it when I think it's about done...then I pull it out and cover it with foil and let it rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

I usually don't save the chicken carcass, I make stock with a whole chicken (tastes better)...I just watch and when they're cheap and on sale, I buy 'em!

Enjoy your chicken!

Thanks!!!! We'll see how it goes... sounds easy enough.

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Mommy to Bailey 10/02, Brooke 9/04, & DJ 6/06

Check out my scrapbooking blog!
http://nevillland.blogspot.com/

Too funny Ember - I just bought one this weekend while grocery shopping for the 1st time ever. They were soooo cheap!

Let me know how it goes. I thought Happymom cooked her's in the crockpot - that may be an option too.

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Yep, I put mine in a crockpot with a can of cream of chicken soup.

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~Happiness is a large family~

Another question... can you freeze the cooked meat after ...you cook it? lol

and if you boil the meat off the bones after you are done...strain the broth and freeze it too for future gravey and soup

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Mommy to Bailey 10/02, Brooke 9/04, & DJ 6/06

Check out my scrapbooking blog!
http://nevillland.blogspot.com/

This one I know....YES!

We do this with our turkey each year for soups, stews etc.

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I was wanting to know how to do this as well. I printed it off. I plan on buying a whole bird and trying it this weekend. Thanks for the great question.

Yes you can freeze the cooked meat.I do it in baggies and mark it for 1 cup or 2 cups so I know what I can use it in.The meat you can't make broth out of it after it is already cooked.What you can do is add extra water while baking it and keep that broth after straining it or you can take the bones after it cooked and put it in the crockpot with what ever veggies you have.Here are some you can use a carrot chunked up,onion chunked up,celery chunked up and then I always add in some chicken boillion cubes for added flavor.Then cook it on low all day in the crockpot from morning till dinner time to get a nice tastey broth.Stain it and keep it in a bowl on the counter till cool then put in bowl or baggies,mark it and freeze it.

What are you planning on making with it?

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*Wife to Rick since (14 years)*
~Mom to 2 boys Dakota 13 & Ryan 9~
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~Month~Budget~Spent~
February~400.00~380.35(under 19.65)
March~400.00~419.65(over 19.65)
April~400.00~395.94(under 4.06)
May~400.00~391.53(under 8.47)
June~375.00~373.13(under 1.87)
July~375.00~365.62(under 9.38)
August~365.00~363.24(under 1.76)
September~355.00~292.74(under 62.26)
October~345.00~345.00(even)
November~350.00~352.81(over 2.81)
December~340.00