“SITTING PRETTY” ROASTED CHICKEN – Ladies who online

It’s been months since I started working from home. Although it’s partly convenient that I save so much time with travel and dressing up, it is a whole new era of multi-tasking! With a daughter doing distance learning in one corner of the house, and a husband who’s equally occupied with workload, my usual 8-5 has never been more challenging. So during the week, I rely not on the quick and easy, but the “cook on its own” quality type of food. There’s nothing more helpful than a dish you can cook and forget about (without fear!). I call this my Sitting Pretty Roasted Chicken not only because the cooked chicken looks so pretty, but I can literally just sit around (doing office work, etc.) while cooking it.

INGREDIENTS:

 1 whole chicken (approx. 1 kg)

Salt and pepper

Garlic Powder

2 pieces sliced lemons

1 piece peeled and sliced onions

10 cloves peeled garlic

Dried parsley (or thyme, or any herb you prefer)

1-cup water

Vegetables (optional for roasting)

METHOD:

Step 1: Rub the outside of your chicken generously with salt, pepper, dried parsley, and garlic powder. You can also add in any additional spice you prefer. Put 1 piece of sliced lemon and 5 cloves of garlic inside the chicken cavity.

Step 2: For this step, the goal is to cook the chicken through. You can use either a slow cooker (leave overnight) or a pressure cooker (for at least 20 minutes). In my case, I used my Instant Pot. Pour a cup of water, and then add in the remaining lemon pieces, cloves of garlic, and the sliced onions. I use the strainer that comes with the Instant pot to serve as a “throne” for the chicken. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cooker for 20 minutes (this is when you leave and not worry about it as there will be an alarm when it’s done).

Step 3: When the pressure-cooking is done, release the pressure and pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Let the chicken cook for just about 10 more minutes in the Instant Pot. It will be easy to take the chicken from its “throne” and transfer to a baking tray. You can add in vegetables you prefer. Broil the chicken for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on your oven). Set a timer when you do this and leave again!

Step 4: Invite your colleagues (aka family members) for lunch and then serve.