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Downright Delicious Roasted Chicken

Take it from us, you'll make these often--our Foods staff does.

• Spicy Chicken-Rice Bowl
• Savory Baked Chicken

At our table, we never shy away from telling it like it is when tasting recipes. (Sound familiar?) So, it was only after some lively scrutiny that we deemed our new roasted chicken recipe ideal for cozy meals in '08. Our Test Kitchens pros offer up all their tips to ensure perfect results. And, for good measure, they came up with an equally great-tasting next-day dish using the leftovers. Tasty start for the coming year, don't you think?

On Another Night
Have Spicy Chicken-Rice Bowl on the table in 35 minutes with smart planning. Bake two Savory Baked Chickens in the oven at once (you don't need to adjust the bake time). Serve one, and shred the second for this dish. Let chicken stand 30 minutes or until cool enough to handle. It will come off the bone easily, and you get less fat because it's still melted. Freeze shredded chicken in a zip-top plastic freezer bag up to four weeks.

Roasted Chicken Hints
• To get flavor into the meat and not just on the skin, lift up the skin and rub the garlic mixture right on the chicken. Keep disposable plastic gloves on hand for this prep step.
• To prevent the skin from shrinking while cooking, use wooden picks to hold it back in place over the breast meat.
• Yogurt acts as a marinade to tenderize the chicken and make it moist. It does inhibit browning, though, so be sure to wipe excess yogurt from skin and coat with cooking spray.
• Tie the ends of the legs together with kitchen string. This will help the chicken hold a better shape while baking.
• Bake on a wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined pan. It's all about not letting the chicken lounge in the drippings. Use a broiler pan with a rack, or place a rack in a pan that has at least 1-inch sides, such as a jelly-roll pan.

"Downright Delicious" is from the January 2008 issue of Southern Living.

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