Rosemary Baked Chicken

OK, I have to admit that this is more of a product-endorsement than posting of the easy-peasy recipe I used.

First of all let me say that the summers in Chattanooga have turned out to be a lot hotter and more humid than I ever imagined.  On top of this, our home is a newer home which has the open-concept kitchen/living room/dining room and really high ceilings.  A wonderful, comfortable home except in the summer.  Our AC runs continuously and never gets to a comfortable temperature during the day.  Even with having the darker film put on all of the windows and keeping all the blinds shut during the day, I could never get the temps under 80 degrees.  Needless to say, the bulk of my summer menu has been salads and grilled items.

But sometimes, you just want to spend the day in the kitchen using your oven!  I missed out on making a lot of dishes I wanted to make the last few summers simply because I didn't want to heat up the house any more than it was already (bake a potato?  Forgetaboutit!!!).  I had been watching demos on the Nu-Wave oven for quite a while and that I'd give it a try.

I've been experimenting all week on a bunch of different type of baked/warmed items.  I've not been disappointed in any of them and best of all: it doesn't heat up the kitchen!!!  Also, you're cooking in a lot less time, using a lot less energy, and you can even cook frozen chicken/beef/pork/fish from frozen without having to thaw first!  Another plus, if you have a crowd over for the holidays or special occasions and run out of oven space, you can use this to cook additional dishes.  I can see this becoming an essential piece of equipment in my kitchen.

I bought mine from QVC for two reasons:  they always have a payment plan so you can make 3 or 4 payments (the oven costs under $100), and you can try it for a month and if you don't like it or if it doesn't work for you, you can return it, no questions asked.  I love that.  So if you're not sure, give it a try.  The most it will cost you is return postage.

So back to my recipe.  At least once a week, I make either a chicken or roast for the dogs.  After fiddling around with something different everyday this week, I decided to cook the girls' chicken in the Nu-Wave.  But I wanted to "fancy-it-up" a bit to see how a cooked chicken for people might turn out.  It was incredible.  Way better than a whole chicken cooked in a conventional oven.  Even the breast was tender and juicy.  It browned beautifully and had the crispy skin.

You could definitely cook this in your oven, just adjust the time to cook the chicken throughout.

ROSEMARY BAKED CHICKEN

1 (4 to 5 pound) chicken
2 Tbsp dried rosemary
3 tsp minced garlic
2-3 tsp EVOO

Mix together the rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.  Loosen the skin on the chicken by using a chopstick, the handle of a spatula, or your fingers.  Slide the rosemary mixture between the meat and the skin.

If using the Nu-Wave, place breast side down.  Cook for 30 minutes and then turn the chicken and cook for another 30 minutes.  Done.

If using a conventional oven, there are many temps/methods you can use to roast.  You can start at a high heat to brown the chicken and then lower the temp until the chicken temp reads 165F.  Or start at 350F and cook for 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.  Google "How Long to Cook a Whole Chicken" for more specifics.