This roasted chicken is very simple to make and produces wonderful results. The idea is to use this chicken to create another recipe, chicken soup, which can be found as Recipe 5 in the Gluten Free Living series. This chicken can be used as a main dish as well.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, approximately 3 lbs
• 1 cup chicken broth (check ingredients to make sure it’s gluten free)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 2 large cloves of garlic, very finely chopped
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 tbsp red pepper flakes

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Rinse chicken thoroughly with cold water, inside and out.
3. Place chicken in the centre of a medium to large roasting pan. Pour water into pan, then pour the chicken broth over the chicken, into the pan. This will help the spices stick to the chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken. Put one chopped garlic clove into the water and spread the other chopped clove over the chicken. Sprinkle half of the red pepper flaked over the chicken and the other half in the water. Last, put half of the chopped onion (technically 1/4 of an onion) into the water. Carefully place the other half on the chicken, spreading evenly. Once everything looks good, cover it and place it in the preheated oven.

   
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4. Cook covered on bottom rack for 35 minutes. During this time DO NOT open the oven or open the lid on the pan. Everything will be fine in there. After 35 minutes bring the chicken out of the oven. Use a large spoon to gently baste the chicken. You want to make sure the seasoning doesn’t get knocked off by basting it too hard.
5. Return to oven and cook another 20 minutes, still covered. After 20 minutes baste carefully again.
6. Return to oven, uncovered now, for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, baste again and return, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes.

By now your chicken should be cooked through and nice and brown on the top. To make sure it’s cooked, use a meat thermometer. Chicken needs to be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken sit for 15 minutes before carving. This is absolutely necessary because as the chicken sits, the juices will redistribute, making it juicy and tasty.

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Read the next recipe in the series which will use the roasted chicken to make some delicious chicken soup.