Lighten It Up

So I promised to be back with a recipe and to lighten the mood. Geesh, it got kind of heavy here. Ha! I am ashamed to admit that I am not a frugal poultry consumer. I will always buy the skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs that cost more before I would even think about looking at a whole chicken. Can we say MESSY? BUT I did buy a whole chicken back in....ummm...well September. She had a nice spot in my freezer and I kept meaning to cook her up but she just sat there. Finally I cooked her today and boy was I excited at how she turned out. The meat was oh so tender and yummy and it was so easy. Lesson learned...that whole chicken isn't as big a pain as I thought it would be. My next attempt will be to make homemade chicken stock from that nice carcass. Here is the recipe that I found on All Recipes and used.

Juicy Roasted Chicken
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste
1/2 cup margarine, divided
1 stalk celery, leaves removed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place chicken in a roasting pan, and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder. Place 3 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine around the chicken's exterior. Cut the celery into 3 or 4 pieces, and place in the chicken cavity.
3. Bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving.

YUM! Even the baby liked the tender meat. This will be happening again very soon. I have a Martha Stewart recipe for Lemon Roasted Chicken that I think I will have to attempt soon.