BUNDT PAN BAKED CHICKEN DINNER

GREETINGS FROM CARMELA'S CUCINA,

Are you looking for a really satisfying, yet easy winter meal? Then this is the recipe for you. Recently I was teaching at Nordic Ware and was telling LoAnn, the cooking class coordinator about and article that I had read about making a baked chicken in a "Bundt Pan." Before I knew it she was passing out a recipe that she had found on line. She actually said that she found about 30 recipes for cooking a whole chicken using this method, so if you don't like this one, then try some of the other recipes that you can get on line. And if you are like Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa you can make a different baked chicken for your whole family for a month.

With all of this cold weather we are having I decided to take the carcass from the chicken and turn it into soup. I will add a bit of the left over meat, add a few fresh vegetables and some frozen tortellini and have another cold weather meal for tonight's dinner. And nothing smells better than a roast chicken in the oven and nothing is easier than this recipe.

Buon appetito,

Carmela Tursi Hobbins

BUNDT PAN BAKED CHICKEN

1 whole 3-4 pound baked chicken
8 whole red or new potatoes
4 whole carrots chopped
2 whole yellow onions peeled and quartered
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons fresh poultry herbs finely chopped such as sage, rosemary and thyme
5 Tablespoons butter, softened
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees

Spray bundt pan with non-stick spray. Toss the potatoes, carrots, onions and celery together with the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Combine the fresh herbs and butter salt and pepper and spread the mixture under, over and in the cavity of the chicken.

Place the cavity of the chicken over the center post of the bundt pan, with the legs down and wings up. Tuck wings under the chicken to prevent burning.

Place bundt pan on top of a rimmed sheet to catch the drippings. Do this even if the center of your pan does not have an opening.

Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. The juices should run clear. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes and carve.

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen