Eat like a King, Spend like a Pauper

Eating cheap should not look like it! This week I got a little too lazy with dinners and I was really struggling with coming up with a menu plan that would feed us for cheap. Just as much as I wanted to swear off chicken forever, it truly is the cheapest thing I can make right now and one of the easiest. So I decided I just needed to make chicken a little more fancy. For only $5 you can get a pretty decent sized whole chicken at your local supermarket (mine happened to be Safeway today) and I thought roasting it would be something tasty and that I have not done in a long while. The great thing about roasted chickens is that not only do they look and smell fantastic, but how yummy is a roasted chicken?! The answer to that would be: Very yummy. There is nothing easier than quickly popping a chicken in the oven and just walking away while it roasts to perfection. There are a few things I have learned from my work as a volunteer in a community kitchen and working at the frat house.

1. Butter! Soften some butter and spread it all over the skin and under the skin to make it crispy and delicious. If you smear in some herbs with the butter then that is all the yummier. It is much easier to spread the butter if the chicken is dry
2. Dry rubs are awesome. I have one from Tyler Florence that I still use to this day and everyone always loves it. I even thought of jarring it and giving it away as Christmas gifts...
(recipe will follow)
3. If you are low on stuff to flavor your chicken with, try this... cut up an onion into quarters and slice an orange into thin rounds. stuff the cavity with the onion and slide the orange slices under the skin. Whatever orange slices are left, stuff into the cavity as well. Season the whole chicken with salt and pepper and viola! Seasoned :) The orange slices will also keep it incredibly moist.
4. Don't forget to baste, it makes all the difference
and last but not least,
5. Gravy is super easy to make so there is no excuse! If you roast a chicken you must make a gravy! Drain the chicken juices into a pot and simmer to reduce. In a different pan melt some butter (a Tbsp or 2) then add a little handful of flour and whisk to make a pasty looking little somethin-somethin. Then pour in your liquid and whisk until thick. And there you go! Add salt to taste and serve with your chicken. Sooo yummy!

Serve your chicken with some roasted potatoes and maybe a small salad on the side. All together you might spend $10 on the whole dinner. And the leftover chicken will serve as some sort of wonderful dinner tomorrow!

...

Spice Rub for Chicken

• 1 cinnamon stick, chopped in pieces
• 8 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

in a pan, toast the cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds. Grind the seeds in a spice grinder. Add the rest of the ingredients. mix well

this is enough spice for 1 chicken. You can make a lot and keep it in a mason jar. Use it as a dry rub, or for a wet rub, add the juice of 1 lemon and some olive oil until it makes a paste. I have made it with and without the brown sugar. I think it is optional and I actually like it better without. As with all cooking, experiment and make it your own!

(spice rub is adopted from Tyler Florence, Food Network Chef personality)