BEST sweet and sour CHICKEN ROAST

Finger Licking Delicious.
Sweet and Sour
Chicken Roast
with potatoes and carrots


Look what I made...another Chicken Roast...but, not just any roast...or by just any regular cooking method.

I'm so excited to share my latest Chicken Roast experiment.

I truly believe to have made my very best sweet and sour tasting roast ever.

Hubby must have muttered a few times...how tasty it was...

and how this one was 'THE' one who beat all the other contenders.

Was it the blend of ingredients...

the love and patience I put into it...

or the slow-cooking technique?It must have been a little from all of the above?!?

After having licked my last finger...(sorry for the vision...

but this was really too good for me to be polite at this stage)...

to make sure I wouldn't forget...I quickly jotted down everything I did.

This was definitely going to be a repeat.

So, how did my moment of glory come to be.

Let me backtrack a little.

A few evenings ago, I was honestly ragged from my day.

Thinking..."great, I bought a whole chicken... 
now what?  Do I freeze it for another day? "

Not really a fan of doing that sort of thing...
especially considering it would take practically 2 more
days to get it to thaw in the fridge.

My mind was going back and forth
on the decision of whether to
just stuff it in a pot
and make my very tasty  
chicken tomato soup...

or would I suck it up...
get myself psyched and just roast that bird.

In addition...
I did have some potatoes and carrots that were on the verge of calling it quits.

Alright...I finally convinced myself.
All the elements were in place.


Supper was going to be had much later since Hubby informed me...
of his slight over-time, hence, more time to get things done.

I just would never have imagined that of all suppers...

this one, was going to be the one!

What is it they say about the unexpected happening
when you least see it coming?

It came alright... a chicken that
yielded juicy, evenly cooked meat. 

Life is full of surprises.

Success...slam dunk!

I have made a few chicken roasts which have

mostly turned out fairly tasty...

however, there was always something I felt need improving.

I searched and tried many of the very popular recipes

venting themselves as the best ' chicken roast recipes '. 

Somehow, I always felt it was never tender enough

nor quite up to my taste bud standards.

Before sharing this wonderful recipe...

I think I should explain about the cooking technique I used in order to

capture the flavours and how it rendered the meat so incredibly tender.

The meat was falling off the bones...

just like when I make chicken soup.

I decided I was going to use a combo cooking style of:

 ' poaching ' and ' roasting ' all done in the oven.
I also went with three varied descending oven temperatures.

I was taking a chance on this one...

I don't really know what got into me to think of doing it this way...

I'm not complaining.  I guess my genius was subconsciously at work...

and " Holy Chickens "... she really turned out finger licking delicious.

Here’s just a few notes before detailing the following recipe.

. About the size of the chicken:  I bought a regular 3lb (1.5kg) enough for two people with just a little left over for a sandwich or salad. The usual rule of thumb is 1 lb per person.  I realize most recipes usually call for 3-4 lb., hence, you'll need to adjust your cooking time...give or take 15-30 minutes.
. Size and kind of dish:  To properly fit the chicken along with the veggies...you'll need to adjust the size of the heat- proof casserole dish.  I used a deep (heat-proof) oval 'corning ware' dish with a cover.  Any 'Dutch oven'* pot of good quality will do fine.

. I also used a blender to put most of my ingredients together so that the sauce would be smoothly mixed.  However this step is not absolutely necessary.

SWEET n SOUR

finger licking delicious

CHICKEN roast

with Potatoes and Carrots

Cooking time: about 2hrs.

serves 2 persons +

Equipment: Heat-proof dish with lid...' Dutch oven ' * style pot

Click HERE to get a PRINTER version

INGREDIENTS:

(American / Metric measures)

. 1 whole Chicken (about 3lb /1.5kg.)

...MARINADE liquid blend:

. 1/4 cup (50 ml) apricot or peach jam

. 1/8 cup (25 ml) Ketchup sauce

. 1/8 cup (25 ml) frozen orange concentrate

. 1/8 cup (25 gr) grated fresh ginger root

. 1/2 cup (20 gr) flat parsley leaves

. 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) water

...SEASONING:

. 1 + 1/2 Tsp. (5 ml + 2.5 ml) sea salt

. 1 Tsp. (5 ml) garlic powder

. 1/2 Tsp. (2.5 ml) each:

dried...basil, oregano, rosemary, sage and tarragon

...VEGETABLES as side dish:

. 4 oven potatoes (medium size)

. 2 carrots (large size)

PREPARATION:

Pre-heat oven at 425F/220C/Gas7

Position oven rack at the very bottom level

. In a blender...mix all the LIQUIDS together and set aside.

. Peel and slice the vegetables in reasonably medium sized pieces.  Place and spread them throughout the perimeter of the heat-proof dish.

. Rub the extra 1/2 Tsp. (2.5 ml) salt into the chicken's cavity and place it (breast-side down / wings tucked under) in the middle of the oven dish.

. Pour the LIQUID mix slowly over the chicken and vegetables.

. Sprinkle the seasoning over the whole preparation and rub the chicken's skin.

. Place the dish with lid cover and into the oven.

. Begin the cooking process at 425F/220C/Gas7 for the first 30 minutes.

. Take the chicken out to turn it around in order to finish with the breast side up.

. Take this opportunity to jiggle the vegetables around in the juice and pour some liquid over the chicken.

. Put the chicken back into the oven for another 45 minutes as well as turning down the oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4.

. For the last 45 minutes...lower the oven to 300F/150C/Gas2 ...and take the cover off so that some of the juices can evaporate and the chicken will get its golden crispy glow!

. Basically, when you're coming towards the end of the cooking time...slowly test if the chicken leg slightly detaches itself. This is a very good indication of doneness and tenderness.

Take it out of the oven and serve right away.

Admittedly, due to the variations of cooking temperature...

the chicken may be in the oven a little longer than you're used to. 

I promise, the results are well worth your patience.

Enjoy your meal and flavourful wishes,

Foodessa

* If using a 'Dutch oven' style enamel pot like a 'Le Creuset' for example:

You should keep in mind that the heat generated by a 'Dutch oven' style pot will cook your meal faster due to its capacity of retaining heat much more than a glass pot like a 'Corning ware' style dish.  Therefore please adjust this recipe by shaving down approx. 6-10 minutes off EACH stage of the cooking process.  You'll have to maybe do a little experimenting of you own on this one.  Nonetheless...I'm sure the results will be close enough to relish this scrumptious chicken roast.

The following ARTICLE and RECIPES...may also be of interest:

. Food 101: CHICKEN 101 - Let's LEARN more ABOUT what we EAT

. Recipe: SOUP Sunday_CHICKEN TOMATO potage soup
. Recipe: Simple Stupid Salt CHICKEN roast