Whole Chicken Fryer Casserole

4 servings

 Here’s another easy, financially economical and healthy chicken veggie dish for a busy mom or dad to make. It’s also easy for a single person who comes home to weary to really cook and also wants some good left over’s for the rest of the week.  The 3.5 lb. fryer coast under $7 at Atkinsons’ and the veggies I used didn’t cost that much and actually were what I already had in the frig.  I used a large round deep Pyrex casserole dish and it baked at 375F in an hour and a half.  It was delicious and will easily feed 4.  It’s a breeze to assemble and I warrant that the kids will like it as well.

Ingredients:

1. One 3.5 whole fryer chicken
2. One 8-oz pre-packaged fresh  brown or white sliced mushrooms
3. 1 Zucchini cut in half and then cut the halves in half so you have 4 long pieces
4. 2 peeled carrots cut in huge chunks
5. 2 celery ribs cut in huge chunks
6. 4 Green onions—cut in chunks
7. Fresh basil—place some in the chicken cavity and more within the veggies and if you wish a bay leaf to put in the veggies.
8. 4-8 cloves of garlic—unpeeled or peeled—left whole—put one or two in the chicken’s cavity
9. 1 large tomato cut in chunks
10. Any other veggie you have and think might go well including parsley, etc.
11. S&P to taste
12. Up to 3/4 C. olive oil

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
2. Smear or spray some olive oil all over the inside of your dish.
3. Place the veggies in the dish and mix well with some S&P to taste and some olive oil as well.
4. Place whole rinsed and pat dried chicken which has some basil and garlic cloves in the cavity on top of the veggies and pour more olive oil on it.  Then S&P it to your taste.
5. Place in oven and bake for about 1.5 hours.

I served this with rice and if you wish, a green salad on the side.  Desert? I had some of my homemade no-churn Mango Ice Cream only I had put fresh blue berries in it which turned out very yummy.  I  now am almost never without some sort of version of this ice cream in my freezer.  Enjoy!!!!