roasted chicken party!

What makes you feel like a Domestic Diva? For me, it's roasting 8 pounds of chicken breasts, then shredding & freezing the extra meat to create delicious dinners for my family. I do this every week or two & it gives me a head start on a few "busy night dinners".

After roasting, I freeze the chicken in 3 cup ziplocs, which is a great size for our family. I can easily put together a chicken pot pie, chicken chili, chicken garlic pizza, wild rice & chicken soup, chicken fettuccine alfredo or Mark just pulls some out of the freezer for a quick protein hit if he needs it. (He warms it up first!) The possibilities are endless & with the roasted chicken, half the work is already done.

You can season this up however you'd like. Today, I used kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, dried thyme leaves, fresh chopped rosemary, garlic powder & a few shakes of cayenne pepper.

I completely understand the "I-only-buy-boneless-skinless-chicken-breasts" philosophy. I like it that way too & I buy it boneless, skinless for things like stir-fry, fajitas, chicken parm, etc. But bone-in, skin-on is soooo much tastier for roasting. The chicken turns out more flavorful, tender and moist than the boneless variety. And, oh, the smell in your house will be divine! I roast mine low & slow but you can crank up the heat for a shorter cooking time. The skin will keep it tender if you don't overcook it.

This post is more of a cooking method than a step by step recipe to follow. You can use whatever herbs & spices you like. I keep them versatile so that the roasted chicken is nicely seasoned but can be used in almost any cuisine.

Roasted Chicken

I used 8 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
several shakes of cayenne pepper

1. Mix desired seasoning. Place chicken breasts on baking sheet, pat dry with a paper towel. Rub seasoning on front & back of chicken but mostly UNDER the skin.

2. Bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours or until meat thermometer measures 165 degrees.


3. Discard skin & pull chicken from bone Shred and freeze the extra chicken as desired.

 And I almost forgot to mention the cup of liquid gold that is in the bottom of the pan after you roast your chicken. Chill it so you can easily skim off the fat & freeze it in a separate ziploc with your chicken. Add the whole cupful of stock to the next thing you make that calls for chicken broth (like the chicken pot pie linked above) & you'll be boosting the flavor by about a kajillion times! You don't get that with boneless, skinless!


I'm thinking Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken Chili!