Who's Chicken Now?

I attempted a roast chicken for dinner tonight, maybe the fanciest-sounding thing I've ever cooked completely by myself.

I had been thinking all week about how to prepare this little beauty, but I figured that, for my first time, the safest route would be to follow the instructions on the wrapper. First step: remove the neck and giblets. OK, easy enough. I had watched my mom prepare enough Thanksgiving turkeys to know that was no big deal. (You know, I always wondered about that, though. They cut the bird's neck off, put it inside the bird, and then tell you to take it out? Weird.) So I cut the package open from the bottom, and...

What...? They're loose?!?!!?

The giblets were just sitting there, hanging out of the...well, bottom. So I picked up the whole thing, turned it upside down, and let them all fall out in big, squishy chunks. Gross!

But wait a minute...where was the neck? It didn't fall out with the giblets, so I took a peek inside (wow, this poor chicken was violated in so many ways). The neck was still inside! Along with some more giblets! So I psyched myself up a little and rolled up my sleeves. (I can hear my friends now, "No...you didn't..." Oh, yes, I did.) I reached right in there and pulled everything out.

Bad little chicken. At least turkeys have the decency to keep the neck and the giblets in a neat little package. Geez.

A little seasoning salt, black pepper, and olive oil, and into the oven it went; two hours later, the pop-up thermometer told me that my little friend was ready. Lemme tell ya, all that grief was worth it. It was soooo juicy and delicious! And really not that complicated...aside from that giblet thing. I'd definitely do it again. At least I'll know what to expect from here on out!