No, you haven’t lost track of time.  It’s not yet November nor Thanksgiving time.  It’s chicken time at our house, though!

We are crazy and we like to name our birds.  We have had Bernadette the Bird, Betty the Bird, Matilda, and, most recently, Margaret.
Whole, roasted chickens are certainly not my favorite.  I much prefer breasts (don’t read anything into that).  I am fully aware that a whole chicken is inclusive of the breast meat.  For some reason, though, grilled breast meat on its own has an entirely different and much preferred flavor for me than when oven roasted and incorporated into the whole bird.
To appease my taste buds, though, we often use one of two delicious oven-roasted chicken recipes…inventions…flavor combinations…inspirations.
Since it’s still citrus season, Margaret was cooked with a ginger-citrus “infusion” of sorts.  By rubbing the home-made citrus and garlic paste beneath the skin, a delicate flavor and aroma transpires with an outcome of delectably moist meat.  I served her with roasted Brussels sprouts as well.  You can never go wrong with either kale or Brussels sprouts, in my opinion.  Staples – Necessities – Favorites.

Ginger-Citrus Oven Roasted Chicken

1 large whole, organic chicken
1 organic lemon, zested and quartered 
1 organic orange, zested and quartered
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
sea salt

Thoroughly rinse and pat-dry the chicken – whatever you may name her…
Combine citrus zest, garlic, ginger and salt, to make a paste.  Using some dexterity, rub this paste beneath the skin of the raw chicken, making sure to reach any and all areas.
Insert quartered citrus inside the bird cavity.
Liberally salt the outside of the bird skin.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for anywhere between 45 minutes and 90 minutes, depending on the size of your bird.  I like my birds to be cooked to about 168 degrees.

**I don’t have a roasting pan with a proper rack.  To compromise, but to also add a bit of flavor, I thickly slice an onion and layer the thick slabs to form a base “rack” for the chicken.  The onion provides a little extra flavor “infusion,” but also serves to elevate the bird from her natural juices.

Carve.  Enjoy.  Savor.

**These photos are definitely NOT my own.  I thank Whole Foods Market, The Clothes Make the Girl for The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat.  Ever, and good old stock photography.