Bacon Roasted Chicken

One day, a few years ago, I bought a whole chicken simply because it was such a good deal at the grocery store I couldn't pass it up.  I had never cooked a whole chicken before (especially when Costco sells them already cooked for like 5 dollars), so I went to the Internet to find a recipe for roasting my own chicken. 

When I saw this recipe I figured it had to be good... I mean what food wrapped in bacon isn't good??  I wasn't wrong. This chicken comes out so moist and delicious!!  Now I rarely ever buy a Costco chicken when I can make one at home that tastes so good. 

Oh and my husband, Jay, was the photographer for this recipe... he had a little fun taking the pictures...

Bacon Roasted Chicken
source:  All Recipes

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

about 8 slices of bacon

carrots - to stuff in the cavity of the chicken

toothpicks

kitchen twine

butter

salt and pepper

paprika

1 can of beef stock

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Wash the chicken and remove that bag full of nasty bits that my mom uses to make the most amazing gravy and that creeps me out so much that I don't even want to touch it.   

Fill the inside of the chicken with carrots.  You don't eat these, they don't really even cook, I think they just help the chicken stay moist.  

Tie the legs together and put the chicken in a roasting pan

Rub a pad of butter all over the chicken

Generously salt and pepper the chicken.  Then begin laying the bacon strips over the top of the chicken.  Use toothpicks to secure the bacon strips on each end.

I guess Jay got a bit bored during this step... when I uploaded the pictures, this is what I found....

Sprinkle some paprika over the bacon.

Then pour the beef stock (yes you have to use beef stock... I tried it once with chicken stock and the end result was not as good) around the chicken.

(Action sequence courtesy of Jay)

Put the bird in the oven for 15 minutes at 450 degrees

Take the bird out of the oven and baste it in the beef stock.  Turn the oven down to 350 and roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 180 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.  While the chicken cooks, baste every 15 minutes. 

Remove the bacon and roast the chicken for 15 minutes more to crisp/brown the skin. 

Ohh so good... we served this with steamed green beans and homemade sweet potato fries.