Did you buy a whole chicken and plunk it in the freezer? Good. Unless I'm cooking a bird the same day I buy it, I put it in the freezer. Schedules change, meal plans are derailed, and a dozen things can interfere with giving a whole chicken the TLC it needs to become a wonderful dinner. If the blessed day has arrived to cook chicken for dinner, here's how.

Make sure you have handy:

--a sharp knife
--cutting board
--one orange, or one onion
--can of cooking spray


If you froze the bird, place the rock-solid thing in a Pyrex dish the MORNING OF THE DAY BEFORE you want to cook it. This will give it enough time to thaw completely, and safely. DO NOT thaw frozen meat on the kitchen counter. Doing so gives bacteria a free and fertile playground.

Once thawed (or if you just brought it home from the supermarket), open the package in the sink, and pour the juices out. Take all the doodads out of the bird's cavity. I'm not much for chicken organs and usually just toss these, but heart and liver can be cut up and later added to gravy if you like. Take a large zip lock bag, toss the chicken neck into the bag, and the bag into the freezer. You now have a repository for chicken bones and parts. (You'll be using this later.)