Roasted Whole Chicken

I have never made a whole chicken before and was kinda afraid. They were on sale for 99 cents a pound so I decided to give it a try. I found this recipe from Allrecipes.com and it is the easiest and best tasting chicken I have ever eaten. I know the recipe sounds too simple and needs something else, but trust me, it doesn't need anything. I took the chicken out of the oven and photographed it, cut into it and decided it needed to cook a little longer. When it came out it was a bit more golden brown than the pictures below.

Oven Roasted Chicken:

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon garlic powder, or to taste
1/2 cup margarine, divided
1 stalk celery, leaves removed
1 medium onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place chicken in a roasting pan, and season generously inside and out with seasonings. Place half of the butter/margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine around the chicken's exterior. Cut the celery and onion into pieces and place in and around the chicken. Bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving.

Chicken Taco Soup

I found this wonderful recipe from Mrs. Sac's Purple Kitchen. Her recipe uses the crock pot but mine had stuff in it already so I made it on the stove. It was a super yummy recipe that even my husband liked (he doesn't like my soups). It is definitely a keeper! :)

Chicken Taco Soup:

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a soup pot and place on the stove. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Add chicken breasts and combine with other ingredients. Set heat on low, cover, and simmer for 1-2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.