Given the rising cost of food and my continued quest to eat more home-prepared meals (something that gets very tricky with so much going on during the week) I've recently started roasting a chicken on Sundays to ensure "ready made" dinner options no matter how late I get home. An added bonus is the fact that whole chickens tend to be less expensive per pound than their cut-up counterparts - and while on the surface they may look (and seem) a little less convenient than purchasing chicken breasts separately, you get a whole lot more hen for your buck when you opt for a whole one.

 

Plus, there's nothing quite so reassuring as the scent of roast chicken on a Sunday afternoon. It's the sort of thing that urges up deep-entrenched memories of Sunday dinners with my grandmothers and even great grandmothers. Or of afternoons spent playing in the garden until the rich, sweet smell stretched out of the house and under our noses...

 

Whatever it is, one thing's for sure. Roasting a chicken is as easy as pie - so easy in fact, I'm willing to bet roast chicken will quickly work its way into your go-to list. And once it's done (if you're cooking for just one or two), you've got a week's worth of meals at your disposal, from roast chicken sandwiches to chicken and salsa wraps, green salad with roast chicken...I could go on but you get the gist (and I'll come back to this later in the week). It's also superb as part of a special dinner for two.

 

 

 

If you're going to serve the chicken immediately, I love putting it on a good-sized wooden board and carving it at table - or if there's a crowd, letting everyone carve for themselves (if you're going for fancy, add a few rosemary sprigs and fresh lemon slices for garnish).

 

If you're saving it for later, simply wrap the chicken well in aluminium foil and refrigerate until you're ready to eat it. At some point - probably the first time you serve it - you will want to go ahead and carve all meat from the bones as it keeps better that way and also makes it a lot easier to throw together an impromptu salad, wrap, sandwich or what have you. And if you're feeling really adventurous (or just find yourself with an over-abundance of free time) you can freeze the carcass so you can use it later to make a stock for soups, stews and sauces.