If you have been following my posts, you know that I have been on a mission to help people cope with inflation and the Trump tariff taxes. I have been writing about everything from making your own bread to saving on cleaning projects.

One of the expenses we all have to deal with is food. It is clear to just about everyone that eating out regularly is an avoidable expense, and that goes for fast food, too. But what to do if you feel insecure about cooking?

I have been posting inexpensive and straightforward recipes to demonstrate how easy it is to make food from scratch. This post does the same; it is one of the easiest recipes you can make, yet it looks like you spent hours preparing a fancy Sunday dinner. Come with me on this recipe journey! Today we are making roasted chicken with vegetables.

A friend of mine just told me that the $100 beef tenderloin that I usually buy for Christmas dinner is now $190! I had to catch my breath. At this time, chicken is still reasonable, with whole chicken selling for $1.46 a pound. Yes, you are paying for some bones, but that chicken carcass can become another meal by turning it into soup!

If you are starting your cooking journey, this is a good place to start, as preparation is straightforward, and it is a “set it and forget it” dinner that looks impressive.

One item that you may want to consider for many cooking tasks is a food thermometer. I have had mine for many years and I think it was under $15. This one is selling for less than $6 and it is an Amazon choice item. If you don’t want to buy on-line you can find food thermometers at any hardware or big box store. They take the guesswork out of cooking, and are a very worthwhile investment.

Today’s recipe will be roasted chicken with vegetables. Let’s start with the vegetables.

Chop up an onion and add it to a pot. I’m using a Dutch oven, which is ideal, but you could use any big oven-safe pot with a cover. If you don’t have one, you could use a baking dish with some aluminum foil to cover it.

Add to the pot some cut-up carrots and small potatoes. You could also use regular-sized potatoes that you cut up. These potatoes were thin-skinned, so I didn’t bother to peel them. Wash your vegetables in water first. Peel the potatoes if they are thick-skinned.

Add some cooking oil. I’m using avocado oil, but you can use any cooking oil that you have on hand. I used a couple of tablespoons of oil.

Sprinkled on some spices. Around one teaspoon of rosemary, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a big sprinkle of garlic powder. I mixed it all up so all of the vegetables were covered. If you only have salt and pepper, that’s OK too.

Now it was time for the chicken. You can use just about any spices that you like. Smear some cooking oil on the chicken and sprinkle salt and pepper on it (inside and outside). I added some smoked paprika and garlic powder, but there are many other options, including oregano or Italian seasoning. Here again, if you have only salt and pepper, that’s fine. However, some spices will definitely add some interest to the chicken.

Cover and place in a 375°F (190 °C) oven for 45 minutes.

Then uncover to brown, and continue to cook for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°F (75 °C). It is normal to go a bit over 165°F; that’s OK.

Remove the chicken and, after letting it stand for around 10 minutes, carve it. Carving isn’t hard, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. I hold the chicken down with a fork and use an 8″ Chef’s knife. You can use whatever you have.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the roasted vegetables. By the way, check to make sure that they are done by piercing some of them with a fork. If the fork enters easily, the vegetables are done. If they are still hard, continue to cook them, checking every 5 minutes until done.

Here is the complete meal. I added some steamed broccoli for color, and I’m also having a little of my homemade oatmeal bread. Delicious!

This was a nearly effortless dinner. Yet, it looked and tasted like I spent the hours making it. The leftover chicken carcass will be used to create a chicken soup in a day or two. I’ll even toss in the leftover carrots and potatoes (I’ll cut them up) into the soup. Why waste them, as they will add great flavor to the soup?

Consider making a roasted chicken. If you are cooking for one, you will have several dinners, chicken for sandwiches, and soup to boot. If you are cooking for a family, they will be impressed with your efforts.

Bon appétit!

Mike