One of the most common, most delicious and easiest to prepare ‘Sunday type dinners’ is roast chicken. It’s hard to think of a more comforting and appetizing aroma and I’ve got to tell you… it’s really easy to prepare. All you need is a good looking three or four pound whole chicken, some of your favourite veggies and your kitchen work horse, a ten inch cast iron frying pan. If you prefer, a good quality, oven-proof non-stick pan works in stead.

Two key Veteran Moves combine to add ease to prepping this great meal. First, slice a lemon in half and stuff the well-seasoned inner cavity of your chicken with it locking several sprigs of fresh herbs between the two halves. This will add terrific flavour to the juices this chicken will release as it cooks. Second, preheat the pan in the oven first. Cast iron is a great cooking medium because the heat is distributed so evenly and consistently. But, it heats up slowly and unevenly and so it’s best to put it in your oven to preheat before adding your chicken. Just be careful removing it from the oven and have everything ready for the pan so you can get everything back into the oven as quick as possible.

You’ll find dozens of recipes for roasting chicken in a cast iron pan and each will have a unique seasoning mix. Up to you but, for my money, some salt, pepper, olive oil and some fresh herbs and lemon are very hard to beat and soooo easy! Also, the veggies you choose really are up to you but choose mainly root vegetables like potatoes, parsnips, turnips, beets, onions and beans which can take the heat while the chicken gets up to a safe internal cooked temperature.