Circular Logic: Budgeting & Meal Planning

 One of my favorite tips for menu-planning is to shop the circulars (mailed advertisements) for seasonal & inexpensive foods. 

This past week Ralphs had a BOGO promotion on chicken--so I picked up two chickens.  I stashed one in the freezer and one was destined for beercan Chicken this week. 

*note: it takes about 24 hours for a chicken to defrost.  You will need to plan ahead.  Also, when it is defrosted, inside the cavity of the chicken there will be a small package (sometimes it's wrapped) of the organs; remove these before cooking.  They are totally edible, but usually, I just fry them up a little and give them to the dogs.  Everybody loves Beercan Chicken night!

All the ingredients.  So simple.

This recipe is pretty much exactly what it sounds like:  You plop an entire chicken (mine was about 5lb) on top of 1/2 a can of beer, slather it with the spices of your choosing (can't go wrong with Lawry's or Old Bay), and then bake it.  

Ready for it's rubdown.

We make it so often that we have a snazzy holder for the beer can that basically allows the chicken to sit up right in it's own juices as it cooks.  You don't really need this, but it makes handling the chicken, not to mention the clean-up, really easy. 

 

 

Two episodes of Indian Matchmaking later, you have a delicious bird ready for the table. Mine was baked at 475 deg. F for 1 hour & 15min.  

 

So good.  So easy.  Serve with something green & rice.

This dish comes with the added bonuses of:

1) making your house smell amazing,  

2) creating enough food for two people for a couple meals.  I usually reserve the chicken breasts & make Tacos for Two with one and adding the other to a salad or a pasta.  

And, if you have the inclination, 3) the carcass can be used the next day to make a lovely stock/bone broth.