Roast chicken was a part of the menu (also mac and cheese, green beans, with cupcakes and ice cream for dessert) for Easter dinner, but this dish can be easily prepared and eaten any time of the year (ham is my usual meat of choice, but I received one just a month ago; it was thoroughly consumed and used in a variety of meals.

By the time Easter rolled around, I was “hammed out.” Therefore…..).

Preparing and cooking a roast chicken depends on how many you’re feeding and how much you want to “fix it up.”

Here’s what I did:

A 4-and-a-half or 5-pound bird was perfect for three people (my brother, my mother, and me). Make sure the label or tag says roaster, roasting chicken, chicken for roasting, or some variation. The general rule of thumb seems to be 20 minutes for every pound.

I cooked my nearly 5-pounder for technically 2 hours; I say “technically” because I actually cooked it for 90 minutes, then turned off the oven but left the bird in the oven, to cook further using the residual, or already built-up heat.

Before any cooking, I:

Preheated the oven to 375 degrees F (some say 350 F , but I think 375’s the best; you know for sure the entire bird’s being cooked thoroughly).

If possible, tuck the wing tips under, instead of leaving them out (prevents the top of them from being overdone). If this is not possible, don’t worry about it (you can still eat the wings; just skip the tips if you have to).

Check for gizzards and the packet (or packets) of chicken livers tucked inside the bird and take them out.

I do either one of two things with these: Cook them alongside the bird, or boil them down in water for 20-30 minutes, drain the water, then add them to chicken gravy and cook down a bit further with the gravy (know there’s also gravy and other things you can do with the pan drippings, basically the chicken fat and water. I don’t. What do I do? Drain it. If I use any, it’s just a dash added to chicken gravy. It’s because, to my particular taste buds, all I’ll taste will be grease. G-R-E-A-S-E.)

Season and/or Marinate. This is the fun part for me (besides eating the bird). And here’s where I do use some oil (or grease, if you will). I always lightly coat the roasting pan with cooking oil (any type’s OK). This keeps the chicken from sticking to the pan and prevents super cleaning on your part.

Now some say you should lightly coat the bird throughout in cooking oil. I’ll leave that up to you, as a matter of personal preference.

If you’re going to use seasonings and/or marinade, you won’t really need it.

If needed, I’ll take a paper towel (or two) and lightly pat it dry.

Then:

I love to use apple cider vinegar (two tablespoons) as a marinade base. Pour over the chicken, then get your hands in and massage the entire bird (inside and out) with the cider vinegar.

I’ll then use a combination of:

A few drops of Italian and Catalina (or French) salad dressing

A dash of regular black pepper

A dash of garlic pepper (or garlic powder, garlic salt, or a few cloves of garlic)

A dash of lemon pepper

A dash of Italian seasoning

Mix all together, pour over the chicken, then message that entire bird again (or you can just add the apple cider vinegar to the abovementioned combo).

Now pop that bird in the fridge and let it sit for at least 1-2 hours, longer, or overnight (time permitting) until you’re ready to cook.

Please Note: The above-mentioned ingredients are just a few of the many variations I use; there’s an abundance of options.

Or you can simply cook the chicken “as is” (though the flavor’s greatly enhanced by adding seasonings and/or a marinade).

The five-pounder provided enough servings for 2 days; the second one was cook-free!