An easy week night meal that looks like you cooked all day.

Sssshhhhh, don’t tell your family, but here’s an easy chicken entrée that looks liked you cooked all day. A whole roasted chicken cooked in a cast iron skillet that is flavorful, tender and juicy inside…with a savory, crispy skin outside that just begs you to pick at it when no one is looking!

Simple ingredients are all you need to start your dinner

All you need are a few simple ingredients to achieve a magical looking bird. Of course you need a whole chicken (mine was about 3 pounds). Then you need…salt, pepper, garlic powder, olive oil, minced garlic and a bunch of thyme (fresh or dried). Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil. Season the chicken inside and out with the salt, pepper and garlic powder (add paprika if you would like). Use however much you of the seasonings that you and your family like, just sprinkle them evenly. Then put a tablespoon of minced garlic inside the chicken and stuff in a bunch of thyme. Set the chicken aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

(be sure to wash your hands often when touching raw chicken and make sure you don’t transfer the raw chicken touches to your seasonings or counter etc.)

Break out the cast iron skillet to cook the chicken

Get out your trusty cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, go get one! Or ask Santa Claus for a seasoned one for Christmas*! Seriously, this is just one of many dishes you can make in it. Put the skillet on a burner over high heat. Get that skillet screaming hot! Remove skillet from the heat and drizzle with olive oil-just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. There’s lots of fat in chicken skin, so you don’t want your chicken swimming in grease. Place the whole chicken into the skillet. Hear that sizzle? It’s music to Mama’s ears! The bottom of the chicken is already cooking. Now immediately put the cast iron pan with the chicken into the hot oven. Set the timer for one hour.

*I’m partial to the Lodge brand of cast iron skillets. Here’s a link for them…https://www.lodgecastiron.com/seasoned-cast-iron

Accompaniments to complete the roasted chicken dinner

Now that the chicken is cooking, time to make something to accompany the chicken. If you’re feeling ambitious, peel and make mashed potatoes and a vegetable. Feeling less ambitious and would prefer to have a glass of wine and put your feet up while the chicken cooks? Then make instant rice and a salad. Or grab a package of instant buttery potatoes and premade packaged or jarred chicken gravy and a bag of steamable frozen vegetables. Just add a pat of butter, a splash of milk and some fresh herbs to spruce them up a bit. Your secret is safe with me. Trust me, the chicken will be the star!

Add more ingredients to the whole chicken if you’d like

Could you make the chicken fancier by adding more ingredients? Oh sure you could. But trust me, this is perfect as is-my husband went crazy for it. If you want to add more, then choose to do so on an evening when you have more time. You can fill the cavity of the bird with assorted herbs like parsley, thyme, rosemary, chives, sage and bay leaves. Or fill the cavity and surround the chicken with onions, carrots and celery. If you would like, add quartered or sliced potatoes around the chicken inside the pan, . Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper and drizzle them with olive oil. They will all cook in the same one hour time frame as the chicken-provided the pieces aren’t too large.

The finishing touches as the roasted chicken rests

Once the hour is up, remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes. Cover it with a foil tent to keep it warm. Set the table or finish up the side dishes to your bird. Carve the chicken and present the pieces on a platter or take the whole bird to the table and watch your family oooohhhh and aaahhhhh!! Carve and serve tableside if you’d like. You can’t go wrong with something this easy. Enjoy!

Frugal tip, be sure to save the chicken carcass

You can enjoy the leftovers (if there are any) the next day. Make a cold chicken salad by adding celery, onions and mayonnaise (nuts, grapes and or apples if you’d like). Or make hot chicken sandwiches with pieces of chicken, bread and leftover gravy. Most of all, remember to save the chicken carcass and be sure to make a batch of homemade chicken stock for chicken soup or to flavor other dishes later! Here’s a link from the last time I made chicken stock…

https://www.facebook.com/frugalanddelicious/posts/1117008052010265

Thanks for reading along and supporting Frugal and Delicious. I appreciate you!