Last week we talked about how to properly cook a steak and I’m really happy with the responses I got. People seem to like meat talk. So to continue in that vein let’s talk about the first white meat… chicken. I’m not talking about some chicken breast you buy at the supermarket; I mean a whole damn chicken.

I know, I was scared at the notion too, but you can actually feed yourself for days with this. So let’s get down to business. Take a whole chicken that’s cleaned and has all the insides removed. Some people like to keep the giblets for gravy but, frankly, I haven’t taught myself how to make gravy yet, and with this recipe you’ll have a juicy chicken so you won’t need gravy.

You’ll need some butter and my favorite herb, rosemary. Also, I try to choose “better butter”. By that, I mean butter that doesn’t have any GMOs. It is a little bit more expensive but a better choice for your health. Take enough butter to cover the chicken and but it in a bowl and add the rosemary, pop it in the microwave to melt it a bit. Once melted take a basting brush and paint the whole chicken with the butter. Make sure to get under the skin too. The meat will stay nice and juicy. Now that the chicken is ready, it’s time to put stuff inside it.

Take one apple and a half of an onion and cut them up and put them in a bowl. Next, take a cinnamon stick or two and crumble them up over the apple and onion. Run a little bit up water over the mix and pop in the microwave for five minutes. Your house will start to smell amazing. After it’s done microwaving, spoon the mix into the chicken. You’re now ready to cook the chicken. Make sure you’ve preheated the oven to 350º F. Put the chicken into a baking pan and add some water to the bottom of the pan. This is another way to keep the chicken moist. Don’t add too much, you don’t want to drown your meat.

The whole chicken, depending on size, should take about one hour and a half to cook. After every 30 minutes, spoon the liquid that’s gathered in the pan over the chicken. Remember the objective is to keep the meat as moist as possible. In the last 45 minutes or so, you can add your vegetables. I usually go for carrots and potatoes. Cut them up and throw them in the pan. To check if your chicken is done, cut into the breast. If the juices run clear, the bird is done. Enjoy!