by Tierney O'Hara

Created on: July 25, 2009   Last Updated: August 23, 2011

Ah, witness the poor, cold, featherless chicken, jaundiced and naked, sitting on a platter. You've rinsed it and removed the giblets and any big pockets of fat and are now deciding what next.

What next indeed?

You have so many choices as to how you can cook this chicken and turn it into a delicious dinner. There is no best way to roast a chicken. and a quick look at these

recipes will show you a variety of delicious ways to prepare and cook a roast chicken. Chicken has a mild flavor that makes it go well with a variety of ingredients so you can roast a chicken with many subordinate flavors - from spicy hot peppers to sweet apricot preserves.

What you should ask yourself is how much prep work do I want to put into this meal and what flavors or cuisine am I yearning for? Do you feel like a light, rice side dish or a pile of buttery mashed potatoes? Do you want to cook it with stuffing or without? Do you want to oven roast it, or roast it in a big Dutch oven, or maybe even inside a hot grill?

When you answer these questions, you will find out what's the best way to cook the chicken you have sitting on your kitchen counter ready to be spiced, herbed or glazed to your liking.

Some days you might want the whole enchilada so to speak. If so, stuff the chicken and make a gravy, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. If you want that mini Thanksgiving dinner feeling, pop open cranberry sauce and invite a friend or two for dinner.

Other times you might want a quick dinner and want to save some of the lovely, tender chicken meat for other recipes. When that's the case, make a raft of celery and carrot sticks and place your chicken on the raft.

Fill the cavity with aromatic herbs like rosemary or thyme and cut a lemon in two and stuff that in the cavity. If you like garlic, throw a few garlic cloves into the pan or maybe cut up an onion if you're so inclined. You can baste chicken with dry vermouth, but even beer can be a nice basting fluid if dry vermouth is not available as can chicken stock.

It's hard to mess up a roast chicken. It pretty much tells you when it's done: the juices in the pan are sticky and dark, the skin is browned and crisp and the meat juices run clear if you poke the leg with a knife. Or just jiggle the leg and it should practically fall off the bird when it's cooked well.

Whatever recipe you use to roast your chicken - just make sure you fill that cavity up with something!

You can stuff your chicken with fruits or nuts or bread dressing or rice or veggies and herbs - whatever you are in the mood for and the chicken will cook better and have more flavor.

So, put some of your favorite ingredients in and on that naked chicken and throw it in the oven at 350 degrees. You will have a most delectable roast chicken ready for you in no time at all.

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