The great thing about roast chicken is it's juicy homestyle taste. It's easy, too, when you follow the Kraft Kitchens' simple steps. All you need is 10 minutes to prepare, then pop it in the oven and you're done. We show you exactly how to do it, making the wait for dinner the hardest part of all.

Ingredients

1 roasting chicken (5 lb.)
1 bottle (250 mL) Kraft Signature Sweet Onion Vinaigrette
1 lb. carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
4 stacks celery, cut into chunks

Just Follow Our Simple Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using fingers or end of wooden spoon, separate skin from meat on both sides, being careful not to break skin.

2. Brush bottom of chicken with 1/4 cup of the dressing.

3. Tuck wings under chicken, carefully place breast side up on rack in roasting pan. Tucking the wings under the chicken prevents the tips from burning and helps balance the chicken better during cooking.

4. Brush or pour 1/2 cup of the dressing under skin and on the outside surface of chicken. Brushing salad dressing under the skin helps keep the meat moist and adds flavour, so you won't even miss the skin if you remove it before eating.

5. Mix carrots and celery with remaining 1/4 cup of dressing. Spoon into cavity.

6. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or until juices run clear when pricked with knife, and thermometer insterted at thickest part of thigh next to body registers 180°F. Let stand 10 minutes before serving, to let juices settle. Remove vegetables before serving.

Makes 10 servings.

Tips

• See our Chicken 101 article to learn more about purchasing and storing chicken
• The general rule for roasting one large chicken is to cook about 20 minutes per lb. at 350°F.
• If your are cooking for a large crowd, consider making 2 smaller chickens instead of 1 large one. This will result in more moist chicken breasts and will give you extra drumsticks. Do not double the cooking time for one chicken; simply increase it by 5 to 10 minutes per lb. See our Poultry Roasting Chart for more details.
• Use a heavy-gauge (metal) roasting pan that just fits the size of the chicken. If the pan is made of glass or is too large, the juices will spread out and burn.
• For a delicous extra, stuff chicken with your favourite flavour of Stove Top Stuffing. Simply follow package directions, allowing 15 minutes more cook time per lb.
• Serve with our Perfect Gravy.
• Make sure you wash and sanitize your hands, cutting boards, sink, all work areas and tools with hot soapy water before and after handling raw chicken.