As a serious watch is screaming my name using a loudspeaker.... the need to save arise today...
Today I am making Roast Chicken 101... meaning Roast Chicken for dummies la...
The ingredients.
A whole chicken.
Carrots, celery and onions for the "mirepoix"
Garlic.
Corn kernels.
Bacon.
Mushrooms.
Lemon.
Potatoes.
Roughly cut into chunks the mirepoix ingredients and lay it down in a roasting tray.
Peel the garlic and throw it in whole.
Throw in the mushrooms.
Half the potatoes and put in in the tray as well.
Clean the bird, season with salt and pepper.
Poke holes in the lemon with a knife and stuff it in the cavity.
Place the bird on top of the mirepoix.
Lay down strips of streaky bacon on top of the bird.
Reason? I am lazy to baste the chicken every 20 minutes to keep it moist.
So, with the strips of bacon there, the natural lard that will drip from the bacon will baste the chicken for me...
And you will end up with strips of crispy bacon to go with the roasted potatoes as well.
Preheating the oven to 240 degrees Celsius.
When the oven is heated to the right temperature, chuck in the whole tray and lower the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius. Roast for 80 minutes...
This is where I go watch TV and just let the oven do the work...
After 40 minutes... the house smelled like roast chicken...
Bacon is getting crispy and secreting lard to moist the chicken...
Bed of veggies getting browned.
Done!!
Separate the potatoes and bacon in one plate and the chicken in another.
Remove the lemon.
Time to cook the sauce.
With all the stuff that's left in the tray, just put the tray on top of direct heat and scrape off the good stuff that's on the bottom of the tray.
Move all the veg to a corner.
Add a tablespoon of plain flour into the liquid and once the flour gets into contact with the oil, it will create a "roux" which is a thickening agent for sauces.
Add 2 cups of water and keep stirring.
Then use a sift and transfer the liquid to a smaller pot while separating the veg....
Season to taste....
While the sauce is simmering and the corn kernels steaming.
The chicken is rested enough.
Cut the drumstick and wing using a knife.
Use a thong to tear out the rest of the meat from the chicken.
If it cooks just right, the meat will just fall when you apply pressure...
Easy job.
Throw the carcass and keep the meat... DUH!!
All done!!!
Meat is all there.
Potatoes and crispy bacon.
Steamed corn kernel.
Chicken gravy.
My portion and a portion for my wife.... and 2 smaller portions for the kids (no pics)
Ngam ngam hou...
15 minutes later...
Happy when I hear my daughter telling me "Pa, this is nicer than Kenny Rogers"
And I will answer... "Ahhhhbuttthen?"
Damage.
Chicken rm12.00
Vegetables rm7.00
Lemon rm1.20
Corn kernels 4.90
Bacon rm9.50.
Total only rm34.60 and I still have half a bag of corn kernels, potatoes and vegetables left.
Not bad.
MIGHT be doing roast rack of lamb next week if I am not lazy.
