Chicken in a Bag

While out running an errand, I had to fill my gas guzzler. Since it was raining, I went to one of two full service stations in the area, and, while waiting for the tank to fill, I noticed a new sign on a building across the street: "PASTRIES." Well, who wouldn't want to investigate? If the pastries turned out to be Twinkies and Ring Dings, I could always just buy a diet coke and leave, right?

Well, the pastries were wonderful. I spent the rest of the weekend resisting the urge to go drop another $20 there. My butt is happier because of it.
The pastries came in a plain, uninked paper bag. This led me to the perfect dinner idea:

CHICKEN IN A BAG

1 Oven Stuffer Roaster, 5 to 7 pounds
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, quartered
salt
paper bag

In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary, garlic and olive oil. Let it stand for about 30 minutes.

Clean out the chicken. Put the onion quarters in the chicken, lay the bag down in your roasting pan, and put the chicken in the bag. Carefully reach in and spread the seasoning mix over the chicken, and close the bag tightly around the chicken. Place in the oven, and roast at 325F for 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours, depending upon the weight of the chicken, until the juices run clean when it's stabbed. If desired, rip the top off the bag during the last half hour of roasting so the bird will brown better.

I didn't get a picture of the chicken when I took it out of the bag, but you can see from the carved mess on my platter just how moist this was. There was barely enough left over for Jeffrey and Ryan to make their lunches for the next day, so it was clearly popular.
And served with sour cream potatoes and veggies, this was a very hearty meal, perfect for a chilly, rainy night!