Follow along with one of the recipes below!

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

1 (3 to 4 lb) roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper 

1 large bunch fresh thyme, reserve 20 sprigs

2 lemons, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

1 large yellow onion, cut into 2-inch chunks

4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

1 heart of celery, tops removed, cut into 2-inch chunks

Optional vegetables (fennel, turnips, or parsnips)

Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (for convection ovens, use 350 degrees F). 

2. Remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out. Then remove any excess fat and leftover feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken before stuffing the cavity with thyme, 2 halves of a lemon, and all of the garlic.

3. Squeeze the other lemon over the top of the chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and celery in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, the reserved thyme, and some olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top. 

4. Roast the chicken for 55 minutes, the internal temperature comes to 165 degrees, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Then remove the chicken and vegetables from oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables. 

Chicken Soup

Ingredients

6 cups Roasted Chicken stock

1 to 2 lbs of Roasted Chicken

2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

2 celery stalks, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

3/4 cup white rice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Kosher salt

Directions

1. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and bay leaf to the broth, bring back to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are about half cooked (they will still have resistance but be somewhat pliable when bent), or for about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice (to keep it from sticking to the bottom), and cook until the grains are al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, when the carcass and bones are cool enough to handle, pick off the meat, and shred it, using a fork, into bite-size pieces.

3. When the rice is done, add the meat to the broth and simmer until warmed through, or about one minute. Stir in the parsley, and season with salt to taste. Best served hot!