Roasted Rubber Chicken

By Tonya_Speed

NUTRITION per serving: 364 Calories; 23g Fat; 30g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 141mg Cholesterol; 132mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 2 Fat. Points: 9

Ingredients

• 1 (5- to 6-lb.) roasting chicken, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 medium stalks celery, cut into pieces, divided
• 2 medium onions, quartered, divided
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces, divided
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup water

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from savingdinner.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Remove giblets from chicken cavity, saving the neck; rinse chicken and pat dry; place 1 celery stalk, 1 onion and 1 carrot inside the cavity. Place chicken in a roasting pan and sprinkle it with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
While chicken is roasting, place 1 celery stalk, 1 onion, 1 carrot and the chicken neck in a 2-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid; cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Drain liquid into a bowl and set aside, discarding chicken neck and veggies. This liquid will be used as additional stock for the gravy.
Depending on the size, it should take about 1 1/2 hours for the chicken to roast. When done, the leg will move easily in the socket. Remove it from the roasting pan and allow it to rest on a cutting board while you make the gravy (keep the chicken warm).
To make gravy: Pour the pan juices into a bowl to cool and allow the fat to come to the surface. You can speed up this process by putting the pan juices into the fridge or freezer, then you can skim this nasty stuff off and throw it away. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine flour and water into a smooth paste—no lumps allowed!
Return the defatted pan juices to the roasting pan, add the neck broth and bring to a boil; deglaze the pan by scraping up all of the browned bits from the bottom and sides of the roaster; add the flour/water paste and, using a wire whisk, whisk like a crazy lady over a fairly high heat until your gravy starts to look like gravy. Remember: You want all those yummy browned bits from the bottom of the pan integrated into the gravy—that’s what gives it flavor. When nice and brown and beautiful, remove from heat; check for flavor and salt and pepper to taste if necessary; pour into a gravy boat and keep warm.
Serve carved chicken and gravy with old-fashioned mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and steamed baby carrots.
Remove every fragment of meat from chicken carcass and store in refrigerator or freezer for later use. Cover and refrigerate chicken carcass for later use.