Mahogany Roast Chicken

I've never made a whole chicken before. Actually, I've never made a whole any-type-of-bird before. And let me tell you, I was terrified! Just the part of the recipe that says, "Remove the giblets and neck from chicken"....

ummmmmm??

What if you do it wrong???

How do you know you got it all??

Well, let me tell you, it actually comes in a handy little bag that makes it nice and easy to know (who was the genius that thought of that)?! The only mistake I made...I tried to take it out the wrong end so it got a tad bit messy. But it worked out, so I'm no longer terrified of whole birds.

Anywho...back to the actual recipe. The glaze on this was absolutely wonderful, and with the exception of the time (more on that later), this was a very easy recipe. The chicken was juicy and cooked just right! The skin was crispy, while you couldn't get enough of it! As usual, I substituted seasoned salt & pepper for regular (which I noted below), however, you can always switch it back. Just a preference for me! This is one of my longer recipes to date, but if you have all day on Sunday, it doesn't take up a lot of your time. Just a lot of time being loved in the oven!

PS...LOOK AT THE GORGEOUS LOOKING CHICKEN!!!! (If you can't tell I'm a bit proud with my first bird experience)

Mahogany Roast Chicken-adapted from 100 Best Chicken Recipes by Good Housekeeping

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Serves 4

• 3 1/2 pound whole chicken
• 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dry red wine
• 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove giblets and neck from chicken; reserve for another use or throw away. Rinse chicken inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle seasoned salt and pepper on outside of chicken.

Place chicken, breast side up on rack in a small roasting pan. Roast chicken for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, vinegar and wine until sugar is dissolved.

After chicken has roasted for 45 minutes, brush with 1/3 of the glaze. Turn oven to 400 degrees and roast chicken, brushing with glaze twice over the next 30 minutes. Chicken is done when a meat thermometer reaches 175 degrees. Transfer to a platter and let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, remove rack from roasting pan. Add water to pan; heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring until browned bits are loosened. Serve chicken with pan juices.