Cooking Chicken

Alright so this is embarrassing as hell but I’m almost thirty and have never cooked a whole chicken before tonight. I hate raw meat and the idea of handling a whole raw chicken seemed gross and unnecessary for any recipe that looked appealing to me. Also, whole chicken takes longer to cook than I can usually allot for a weeknight meal.

That being said, last weekend when I saw that the amazing Imperfect Foods was offering a pasture raised spatchcock chicken, I was intrigued. I decided that since the gross parts were done already and it would take less time to cook, I’d give it a shot. Imagine my surprise when I ended up with a whole chicken because Imperfect Foods had sold out of the spatchcocked chicken. (No shade on them, I LOVE their offerings. Shit happens.) I panicked and then I did what any Southern Woman does when she’s lost in the kitchen and called my Mom. Thanks to FaceTime with my Mom and my Bonus Dad using his cell phone he caught the whole debacle on video.

If anyone thought that I had my shit together before this video they’ll know the truth now. I gagged and laughed my way through cutting up and breaking down that damn chicken. I even saved the back bone to make stock for gumbo.

Once I recovered from the laughing, the rest was a breeze. The recipe I used is very loosely based off of this one from The Pioneer Woman. She actually tells you how to cut up the chicken but I needed Mom for moral support and to make sure I didn’t slice off my finger or something. I used different veggies that I knew would cook at about the same rates as those she uses in her version. The produce (sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and mushrooms), some seasonings, and poultry are all from Imperfect Foods. (They aren’t a sponsor I’m just a huge fan.) It was the best damn chicken I’ve ever cooked and I’m super proud of myself for learning a new skill. Now The Hubs is talking about getting me chickens so I can raise and cook my own. That’s still way too much for me but at least I’m no longer intimidated by the idea of cooking a whole chicken.

Here’s to trying new things! Onward and upward!

Oh and be sure to use my reference code if you check out Imperfect Foods so we can both save $10 on our orders. http://imprfct.us/v/diana_1145