The Best Chicken Things: Part One of Two

I've done it.

I made a chicken soup that was better than my Mother's (sorry Mom).

I wanted to try something completely different this time when tackling the weekly pot to sustain me through the work week. I do curry all the time, and the classic chicken soup can get really comfortable, really quickly. If this is what comes out of trying something new, you'll be lucky to eat the same thing twice out of my kitchen.

First though, let's start with the chicken.

Roasting chickens has become one of my favourite Sunday activities. I love every part of it - from rinsing and patting it down to ripping of pieces of crispy skin when it's fresh out of the oven. There is something unspeakably comforting about the smell and ritual that comes with roasting a bird. I had no idea how impressive it was until I cooked one for some friends at school: "What do you mean? Like, gravy and everything?"

You have to start with a good, plump bird - organic is a must, it's worth the extra dollars.

(Check out Jamie's Fowl Dinners on youtube - never eat farmed fowl again!)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees while you are prepping the chicken.

Rinse the chicken, inside and out, and remove (but don't throw away) the giblets (usually just the neck, sometimes the heart or kidney or lung) and pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Put the giblets in a small sauce pan and cover with cold water (about a cup) and keep on medium low heat. Don't be grossed out by these little nuggets of flavour. They are the backbone to the gravy; they provide the foundation for the drippings to do their magic gravy business on.

In a blender, food processor or bowl, mash up 1/2 cup soft butter, 4 cloves garlic, 2 small chilies, and whatever herbs you like.

Line your roasting dish with thick slices of onion, skin on is fine, chopped carrots and celery. Drizzle a little olive oil and a couple teaspoons of water on top. Make an even surface so the chicken sits just right.

Crispy skin junkie like me? The secret lies in the separating the skin on the bird from the flesh, allowing the air to get in between and really crisp it up.

Oh! It just so happens you have a smooth creamy butter packed with flavour to smear in between.

There are two sections on top of the bird, one on either breast, that the skin will lift up easily in. There is a piece down that middle that won't come up, keeping the two sides separate. Grab a handful of the butter and mash it under the skin, really rubbing it into the meat and getting into every curve of the bird. The skin on the legs will come up too, but be careful because it rips easily.

I like to rub the top of the skin down with the extra butter, salt and pepper the top and a little drizzle of olive oil.

I also really like to roll a lemon around, slice it in half and stuff it in the cavity. The flavours in the cavity are up to you: quarters of onion, garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs...get creative.

Pop the chicken in the oven and roast for half an hour, then turn the oven down to 350. Every so often (30 minutes) take the chicken out and using a long utensil, tip it up so the juices run into the roasting dish. These essential juices will be the base for the gravy.

I'll just say, cook it until it's done, because honestly, I have no idea how long they take. It totally depends on your oven, the chicken, where you live...

When you poke the leg of the chicken and it runs clear, the legs wiggle easily and it looks done, it probably is. But use a thermometer if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Take the hot lemon out of the cavity and save for people to squeeze over the chicken.

Pour the contents, veggies and all, of the roasting dish into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, turn down to medium low heat and add a couple tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly. Cook it for a couple of minutes to lose the flour taste. Now's the time to add the 'giblet broth' that has been simmering all this time. Add a little at a time, remembering that the flour will thicken it.

Strain, smashing all the veggies against the sieve to get every last drop of perfect flavour out and then return to the saucepan. Simmer until it's as thick as you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour on everything.

No big deal, just a perfect roast chicken.