Time: 2 ½ hours cooking; 4 – 8 hours brining

“And I think to myself… what a wonderful world” as I sit at the table and enjoy some rosemary brined chicken with vegetables, smothered in gravy… I like brining my chicken as it keeps it moist longer and that way, we have leftovers for lunch sandwiches! This recipe only requires one roaster to clean up afterwards (in addition to a pot for gravy)… you won’t go wrong with this recipe and if you try brining, you will likely try it again… enjoy your day!

Music selection: Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World

Ingredients (double the recipe below if making two chickens)

One chicken(s), whole

½ c salt

¼ c sugar

1 lemon or 1 orange

3 cloves garlic, cut in half

Bunch of sage or rosemary

4 potatoes

5 carrots

1 onion

½ head cabbage

Garlic powder

Salt

Pepper

Gravy Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter, melted

2 – 3 Tbsp flour

Instructions:

Fill pot or large ziplock with salt, sugar, lemon, garlic, sage/rosemary and water. Mix well. Add chicken and fill container until chicken covered. Let sit in brine for 4 – 8 hours. Pat dry.

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Preheat oven to 350°F. In large roasting pan, brush with olive oil or butter. Peel and cut up potatoes (quarter), carrots (in large long pieces), onion in 6 -8 chunks and cabbage in 6 slivers. Place in bottom of roaster and dust with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

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Fill chicken cavity with lemon, garlic and thyme/rosemary – if you have extra, add to vegetables for extra flavour. Place chicken on top of vegetables and then brush with oil and dust with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Cover roasting pan for 1.5 hours and then remove lid.

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If you do not have a roasting pan lid: Take 4 pieces of foil and bunch it up over vegetables up to chicken, but not on chicken – the foil will keep steam in so you steam vegetables and they don’t burn, but also keep in juices for gravy. Roast in oven for 2 – 2.5 hours – check to ensure chicken is fully cooked to 165 deg C. Note: a small chicken may only take 1.5 hours, but the vegetables may still need to cook a bit longer. In that case, take the chicken and cover it in foil and let it rest while the vegetables cook (covered with foil) for another 20 minutes.

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Remove chicken and vegetables. Strain juices and make gravy.

Gravy:

Melt butter in bowl in microwave. Mix in flour to make smooth paste.

Take chicken and vegetable juices (strained) and place in pot. Turn heat to medium and as it begins to boil, whisk in the flour/butter paste. Mix constantly until thickened. Adjust taste with additional salt/pepper. Serve over vegetables.