Asian Roasted Chicken

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I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween...and entire October for that matter.  It is the most wonderful month of the year...but, I might be slightly biased in that it's my birthday month aaaand marks the beginning of my favorite season, fall.  Plus, after October the best holidays of the year are right around the corner, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And today actually marks the beginning of my favorite holiday of the two, Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving because the true focus is more on family and being together without that stress and anxiety over gifts, which Christmas can bring.  Luckily, both holidays have tons and tons of delicious comfort food.

Speaking of comfort food, I had a landmark experience in my kitchen this past Sunday.  I roasted an entire chicken for the first time ever.  I know, weird, but true.  I've either (solo and/or assisted) cooked the Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys and hams for years, but never roasted a chicken.  David asked me if I knew how to de-bone a chicken, to which my response referred to having carved up a turkey previously.  I knew there were minor differences, but a bird is a bird...for the most part anyway.

I decided to try out a recipe in my Cooking Light cookbook.  Of course, a recipe for roasted chicken would be in a healthy cookbook, haha!  I followed this recipe pretty closely, since it was my first time...minus the green onions at the end.

Asian Roasted Chicken
Cooking Light (click here for their printable)

1 (3-pound) broiler-fryer chicken
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 cup (2-inch) sliced green onions

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. 

Combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and broth in a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag.

Add chicken; seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 to 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving 1/2 cup marinade.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place chicken, breast side up, on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone.

Bake at 375° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until thermometer registers 180°. Cover chicken loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes for chicken to reabsorb juices. Discard skin.

Add 1/2 cup reserved marinade to drippings in pan (you'll have about 1/4 cup drippings), scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Pour marinade mixture into a small saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in sesame oil. Cut chicken into quarters. Drizzle with sesame mixture.

Sprinkle with onions (or not, like me).

I really enjoyed this recipe, it had a nice, mild flavor; not overly intense.  David wasn't as enthralled.  But, then again, it's a roasted chicken...not his favorite manly-type meal.  For leftovers, after I had removed all the meat from the carcass and shredded it, I added some mayo turning it into a type of chicken salad.  I ate that within a tortilla for lunch and really enjoyed that as well.  I probably won't be rushing to make this recipe again super soon (I'll want to try a few other roasted chicken recipes first), but I'd definitely say it was good and would be worth you trying out...if you're into roasted chickens, that is.