Perfect Roast Chicken

Really. That's all there is to it.

Perfect Roast Chicken
 Not adapted at all from the amazing, Ina Garten.


 Ingredients
Inocoupon
1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken - I highly recommend organic. It is so choice.
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 bunch of Thyme plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halves
1head of garlic, halved crosswise
2 Tbsp. melted butter ( 1/4 stick)
1 large yellow onion thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks on a diagonal
1 bulb of fennel cut into wedges, tops removed
Olive Oil

1.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry.
3.Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic.
4. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
5. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
6. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. 7.Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Note: I highly recommend using a roasting pan that allows all sides of the chicken to be exposed, otherwise your skin doesn't get so crisp and golden. 

Jerk Chicken

Aubrey recently spent a week in Yellowstone backcounty equiped with a can of bear spray, some underwear, and a backpack full of dehydrated food ( there might of been some other items essential for survival, too.) He organized his meals by day in ziploc gallon bags. Cute, but certainly not appetizing. At least not my style of appetizing but, then again, I've never spent a week hiking 10 miles a day with 50 pounds on my back and no shower. I'm sure then anything would be tasty. 

Nevertheless, after a few days of making his own meals in a plastic pouch, he was missing me. I don't think we made it to the front door before he started a running list of all the meals I needed to make him asap. Before kissing me hello, he requested this jerk chicken... and, I get it. I would totally understand if this was his LAST meal request. This is some good chicken. And, it's really fun to place a plate piled with browned and juicy chicken  in front of a man who's just spent a week with three non-showered guys in a leaky tent. It's good to be appreciated.

Jerk Chicken

Gourmet, May 2002

There's no standard recipe for jerk chicken. Some are screamin' hot while others really allow you to feel the complex warming spices. Jerk chicken typically shows up in mid summer cookouts but I think it's great for early fall when I am craving some cinnamon and nutmeg. I used serrano peppers in this version but you can turn up the heat with habaneros or scotch bonnets.

For the marinade:

3 scallions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 to 5 fresh chiles ( Serrano, Scotch Bonnet, Habenero...your choice), stemmed and seeded
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


For the Chicken
Roughly 3 lbs of chicken, portioned- I used 10 drumsticks but you could use any combination of dark or white meat.

1.Add ingredients to a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.

2.Place marinade in a large Ziploc bag ( or, two bags if needed) and add chicken, shaking to coat. Sealm pressing out any excess air and place bag in a shallow dish ( to avoid any drippage.) Marinate for at least 2 hours and up to a day in the fridge.)

3.Remove chicken from fridge one hour prior to grilling.

For Gas Grill
Preheat burners on high, then adjust heat to moderate. Cook chicken until well browned on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust heat to low and cook chicken, covered with lid, until cooked through, about 25 minutes more.

For Charcoal Grill ( from Epicurious)

Open vents on bottom of grill and on lid. Light a large chimney of charcoal briquettes (about 100) and pour them evenly over 1 side of bottom rack (you will have a double or triple layer of charcoal).

When charcoal turns grayish white and you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds, sear chicken in batches on lightly oiled rack over coals until well browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per batch. Move chicken as seared to side of grill with no coals underneath, then cook, covered with lid, until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

Miami, OK has two main sreets, one McDonalds, one Wal-Mart, and four Mexican restaurants. I freaked myself out the first time I said, "Anywhere sounds good....except mexican." Needless to say, standard Mexican fare has worn on me. And, by that, I mean standard American Mexican  food which has been reduced to picking a number off of a combo menu. I needed to experiment with more interesting flavors. Enter Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce. Number one- these aren't swimming in some sauce only distinguishable by its color. Number two- I think these might actually be healthy. I adapted this from the orginal because I really didn't want to ruin all the healthiness by deep frying the tortillas. The result was fresh, light, and very different from my standard #23. Bonus: These are super easy to make.

Chicken Enchiladas in Tomatillo Sauce

Adapted from Simply Mexican by Lourdes Castro

Serves 3-4

1 lb (about 3) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves of garlic, slightly crushed
1 onion, halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano ( I only had ground and it seemed to work fine)
1/2 tsp. salt ( plus more to taste)
2 cups Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
3-5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
Black pepper
9-12 fresh corn tortillas ( this really depends on how full you stuff 'em)
Cilantro sprigs for garnish
1/3 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese
1 cup mexican crema (OR, you could do like I did and thin out some sour cream with milk)
Optional: shredded iceberg lettuce for garnish

First, poach the chicken. Add chicken, garlic, one onion ( 2 halves), bay leaves, oregano and 1/2 tsp salt to a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil. Decrease heat and simmer ( low boil) for 35 minutes until chicken is done. To check, just slit the chicken and make sure it's no longer pink and the juices run clear.  Allow the chicken to cool in it's broth and when it's cool enough to handle, shred the chicken by hand or with two forks, pulling apart all those delicious fibers.

Note: You can prepare the chicken the day before. Just keep refridgerated.

Next, saute the second onion that you sliced in 1 tbps of oil. Toss in the shredded chicken when the onion is soft and translucent. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the 2 cups of tomatillo sauce over medium heat. Also, prepare your tortillas by lightly pan frying ( 1 tbsp oil per two to three tortillas) the tortillas in a flat skillet until golden but still pliable.

Assembly:

To build the enchiladas, you need your serving platter or individual plates on hand. To assemble, fill a tortilla with the chicken and onion filling ( about 1/4 cup each) and roll, placing the seam side down on your plate. Once you have placed as many as you like on your platter or plate, top with heated tomatillo sauce and finish with crumbled cheese, mexican crema ( or thin sour cream), and sprigs of cilantro. Serve shredded lettuce alongside if you choose.

The Worst Mexican Ever Series: White Chicken Chili

It's time to be real... It's time for you to see what I make when the camera isn't snapping away...

It's time for you to see that my cats get on my countertops.

This is White Chicken Chili- pure canned goodness. I'm sorry I've been hiding it from you.

I like to make myself believe I'm too cool for canned goods but, I'm not. I don't make my own stock and I've never refried a bean. Someday I'll get there...maybe. Taco Bell makes some mean canned refried beans...

I've been eyeballing this white chicken chili recipe at Simply Recipes for some time but can't bring myself away from my new standby. Authentic? Probably not. Amazing? Totally. Friends from work serve this at parties and potlucks and I finally got the recipe. I almost always have ingredients on hand and it makes up in ten minutes.

Since I'm going full disclosure here, you'd better look at this:

You try to resist giving them a little canned chicken juice. Now you know.

One more thing... I have trouble following recipes exactly. You see that can of diced tomatoes up there? That was supposed to be a can of Rotel. I didn't catch this until I already added it so I diced up some leftover pickled jalepenos I had from making this and added crushed red pepper. It came out awesome prompting Aubrey to proclaim my "homemade version" to be the best ever.

Truth is good.

White Chicken Chili

1 can of Great Northern Beans

1 can of Rotel ( hot, mild, whatever. Or, diced tomatoes and add your own peppers.)

1 can cooked chicken breast

1 can corn

1 package white chicken chili mix

Optional Garnish-

Sliced Scallions

Sour Cream

Grated Cheese ( I use jack or colby jack)

Special Equipment: Can opener

1. Add all ingredients to a big pot. Bring to a low boil and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve on tortilla chips and garnish as desired.

Chicken Potato Burritos

When I was younger, "What's for dinner?" became synonymous with "What type of burrito are we having tonight?" My mom is master inventor when it comes to burritos and when I was 14, she out did even herself. The year? 1999- The summer of the burrito. Along with the standard rice or beans, we had peanut butter and jelly burritos, hot dog burritos, even thanksgiving dinner burritos. Recipes? Hah! My friends came to dinner just to see what my mom could fit inside a tortilla.

I've since abandoned the hot dog burrito and occasionally make the corned beef hash burrito but just one invention has found it's way into regular rotation at our home....it is the chicken and potato burrito.

It took me forever to work up the courage to make this burrito. It's just one of those untouchable meals from your childhood that you can't make better than your mom, you know? I've added a few ingredients since it's humble beginnings but I gotta say... it still tastes better out of mom's kitchen. In the spirit of her free filling nature, I've provided you a rough guide to burrito heaven.

Chicken Potato Burritos

(Makes 8 hefty burritos)

Ingredients ( add more or less of anything depending on how you like it)

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

4 largish potatoes, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

Dark Chili Powder

Cumin

Lawry's Season Salt

Minced Garlic

1. Brown chicken in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in garlic and seasonings to taste.

2. Add onions and bell pepper and potato. Season a bit more to taste.

3. Cover and reduce heat to low. Leave covered for 15 minutes. When you open it, potatoes will be soft and starting to brown. Let's observe a moment of sizzle.

4. Raise heat to medium-high and brown until you have all those delicious brown bits. Serve in warm tortillas with cheese, salsa, and... and...and... I like mayo on it, okay? Feel free to go with sour cream like Aubrey but I'm pretty sure the entire country of Belgium would support me.

I'd love to hear about meal inventions from your past... Seriously, I can't be the only one with a mom who made bologna and cheese burritos can I? Anyone? Anyone?

Test Kitchen: Dijon Chicken

I decided to start a new test kitchen series where I will make recipes solely out of cookbooks I already own. You see, I have a vast library of cookbooks because I’m a sucker for food photography and anything food related. Plus, I’m pretty sure my mother-in-law buys them in bulk for my Christmas gifts. No complaints here….just a lack of utilization. No more book neglect from this foodie.
Well, I didn’t get off to a great start using said library…instead, I grabbed a magazine I had saved for some reason from 2002: The Better Homes and Gardens Special Publication for 100 Comfort Cooking Recipes. I probably saved it because that sticky roll was winking at me.

I haven’t exactly set the rules for this Test Kitchen business… I suppose I should have to follow a recipe exactly out of my stash but, rules are made to be broken. So, recipe 25 out of 100 was for Chicken with Pasta Primavera. It called for roast chicken and vegetables over thin spaghetti and all in this mustard sauce. The mustard sauce was appealing and I already had the ingredients on hand. Plus, I really like mustard. And, I really like Dijon. All those people staring into the mustard shop like it, too, but I'm not a dork like that. I drool from across the street.

Anyway, thus was born Dijon Chicken and I think it already has a devout following in my house (which is a testament to it’s yumness since I made it like a day ago.) Basically, I just smothered the chicken in the mustard sauce before roasting. That’s it. A no brainer!

Dijon Chicken ( Adapted from Chicken with Pasta Primavera- Better Homes and Gardens Special Publication, 2002)

Serves 2 ( assuming you eat 2 ½ chicken drumsticks a piece, I’ll probably make 6 next time…awkwardness, ya know?)

5 Chicken drumsticks with skin on
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard ( Pardon me, will you pass the Grey Poupon?)
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ tsp dried oregano, crushed
¼ tsp. celery salt
¼ tsp. dried thyme, crushed
A pinch of kosher salt (or, whatever, I just prefer my salt more coarse for this)
Fresh Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix mustard, oil, oregano, celery salt, and thyme together.
Smear it all over your chicken in a baking dish roomy enough for the legs not to be touching.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 minutes.

I like to broil mine for about 2-3 more minutes to get browned, but that’s because browned bits rock my world.

For a quick side, I made some roasted red potatoes which are a cinch. Just quarter some red potatoes into bite size wedges, coat with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, season to taste and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. I seasoned with rosemary, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika (for a color boost…a trick I learned from Kay in the Netherlands.)

In the last 7ish minutes of baking time, I sautéed some asparagus in extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper in a frying pan. Put everything together and you have yourself instant comfort food pretty enough to even be company food! See, I saved that magazine for a reason, after all.

Chicken and Stuffing for Jen

Jennifer, my Colombian sister and bff from Cali, is a fairly high maintenance woman. She will settle for no less than the best. She’s a name brand junkie and she’ll probably laugh that I said “name brand” instead of “label.” She also gives me instant advice on anything I need to buy, from face moisturizer to under eye concealer…way cool. I like to remember that it was yours truly who first introduced the girl to makeup when we were in middle school, but hanging on to that fact has only become more and more lame over the years. Where she got the looks, I got the cooks. Sadly, my diva’s idea of cooking is very similar if not identical to re-heating.

She emailed me last Friday with a craving for her all-time favorite meal that my mom used to make us when we were little…chicken and stuffing. Delicious and incredibly simple, I’d forgotten that little miss high-class knows how to eat the good stuff. Chicken and stuffing is not company food. It’s not pretty. It’s practically all the same color. BUT, it’s “stick to your ribs” delicious and, if you swap out for low fat versions of all the ingredients, it won’t necessarily stick to your hips either!

So, it turns out, Jen is pretty easy to please. Of course, I’ve known that all along… 15 years of this and we’re still going strong.


For you, my love!

Chicken and Stuffing

2-4 chicken breasts ( basically, enough to fill a 9x 13 inch baking dish)
1 large can of cream of mushroom soup ( swap for 98% fat free for a good time.)
1 cup of sour cream ( or, light)
1 cup Stove top stuffing
1 cup hot water
Lawry’s season salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place chicken in baking dish and season with Lawry’s season salt. Bake 15 minutes each side covered with foil.
3. Meanwhile, mix soup and sour cream together. Set aside.
4. Mix stuffing and cup of hot water together. Set aside.
5. Carefully remove chicken from oven and top with soup mixture. Smear it around so it blends with the chicken juices and everything is well covered in it.
6. Evenly sprinkle the stuffing on top of it all.
7. Cover with foil, bake 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until desired brownness of stuffing.

8. Devour with a side of mashed potatoes. Oh, and if you’re wondering if your eyes can still see color, garnish with parsley. Ta Da!

Yakitori

Yakitori is literally translated from Japanese as "Grilled bird." Appetizing, no? Seriously, I could eat this bird any day of the week. It's sweet and nutty with a spicy aftertaste that provides just enough complexity to make me forget that I'm eating something remotely healthy.

I found this when I was looking for anything BUT nutritious meal ideas...I was searching through recipes from P-Dub! ( If you're willing to contribute a substantial amount of your income to Land-O-Lakes, check out The Pioneer Woman Cooks. It is so choice.)

Lucky for me, I found Kay, a guest blogger for P-Dub. She's from The Netherlands! Since my experience in the Netherlands has always been, umm, nutritious, I figured she could hook me up.

Here's Aubrey having a healthy snack in Amsterdam...

It's probably pretty lame that I got my first Japanese cooking lesson from Dutch Girl Cooking » but, I've got to start somewhere....

Yakitori ( adapted from "Dutch Girl Cooking" at kayotickitchen.com)

1 pound chicken fillets- cut up in skewer sized pieced...about 1 inch

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup mirin (don’t panic: you can substitue 1/2 white cooking wine and 3 tbsp extra sugar)

1 tsp grated ginger (Sorry, I used ground)

2 garlic cloves

Drop of sesame oil (Seriously, just one drop!)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Optional- Green onion...you have many decorative options here...

1. Add everything but the onion and the chicken into a small sauce pan and bring to a low boil. Simmer until it thickens up like a syrup.

2. Assemble chicken pieces and onion on your skewer in whatever pattern strikes your fancy. I used three cut pieces in between each hunk of chicken. Kay made double skewers with whole green onions joining the two together. You have the option to go as far as your creativity will take you but just get those bird chunks on the stick.

3. Baste the skewers with the syrup marinade and place on a heated grill. If at all possible, use a different grill than the one you see used up there. Once it touches food, it doesn't like to give it up. It's like Aubrey in grill version. Apply more marinade as desired. Cook through.

Serve with rice. That's it! Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore Stew

When it's flippin' freezing outside, nothing is better than a rich, savory stew. I was gonna make a glorious Belgian Beer Braised stew I just discovered but, if you can believe it, we were out of beer. Hmmmm.... so, after a quick search on Simply Recipes Food and Cooking Blog ( a great resource for amazing recipes), I found Chicken Cacciatore. Same ingredients as the Belgian Beer stew except you swap wine for beer and tomatoes for broth. I can handle that. I'm all about swapping things in my recipes. Allegedly, this hunters dish was originally intended to be made with game, but evolved into a chicken dish when Italian wives still had to make dinner when their hubby's came home empty handed.

Since I was feeling stew, I mixed things up a bit further to make it less of a meat entree and more of a one pot meal. I love the rustic quality of this dish...it's so textural and full of interest. The great thing is, you can totally add in whatever vegetables you may have and it will still be awesome.

So, without further ado:

Chicken Cacciatore Stew ( Adapted from Simply Recipes, which was adapted from Food and Wine) * My changes noted in orange!

One 3 1/2 pound chicken, cut into pieces ( I used 4 chicken thighs, with bone skin on)

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onions
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup white wine
2 cups peeled and chopped, firm ripe tomatoes (or canned plum tomatoes in their juice) I used a can of diced tomatoes that didn't quite reach 2 cups so I added broth to make up the difference. BEEF broth... no need to get all matchy matchy...use what you have!)

3 small bay leaves for added fun.

Method to the madness:

1 Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Push the onions to the side. Add the garlic and chicken pieces, skin-side down. Cook until the chicken skin is golden brown, then turn pieces over and brown on the other side. (Ummm, apparently I don't know how to do this. All of my skin stuck. It made for nice brown bits in my new dutch oven! Thanks Mom!)

2 Season chicken with salt and pepper, on both sides. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes (and broth! Oh, the bay leaves, too!), lower the heat and cover the skillet with the lid slightly ajar.

3 Cook the chicken in the simmering liquid, turning and basting from time to time. Cook until the thighs are very tender and the meat is almost falling off the bones, about 40 minutes. If the stew ever starts to dry out, add a couple tablespoons of water.

4. Remove chicken and shred meat off the bone. Discard bones in a way that your cat won't sniff them out because they secretly want to be dogs. Return shredded wonder to pot.

Serves 4-6 ( My version served two with leftovers)

WAIT! Hold the phone! I'm not quite done. You see, I wanted to use up some new potatoes but didn't want them to get all soggy and starchy in the stew. So, I quartered them, and coated them in some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, rosemary, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and paprika ( special color trick.) 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. Serve with stew. They were amazing in there.

Aubrey's comments: " Add this to the circuit!" Will do, love. Will do.

Go Green Chicken Sammies

Okay, so I made this amazing sandwich and it must be repeated!! It was the definition of freshness and zest. Aubrey and I ate the whole meal in silence just marveling at this delicious creation. It's from Rachel Ray Everyday Magazine May 2008. I have a pic but it was too much green to handle. * (UPDATE: This pic represents how I felt eating this... slightly exhausted and a little out of it. It's powerful.)Seriously, make this.

Recipe (with notes)

Serves 4 ( I cut it in half)
2 tbsp. evoo
1/3/ cup chopped cilantro ( I probably still used this much just for 2)
2 scallions, finely chopped (yeah, I used white onion...it was still yum)
2 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme ( I used the dry stuff)
Grated peel of one lime plus juice of 2 limes ( worth it...for sure)
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce ( I didn't have any so I mixed some cayenne pepper with malt vinegar until it looked a little bit like tabasco)
S &P
4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 deli slices of pepper jack cheese
2 avocados
1 small red onion ( yeah, I used white again... still good)
1 small plum tomato, chopped
2 jalepeno chiles, seeded and chopped ( Okay, this is essentially pico de gallo... Aubrey made a huge batch with even more cilantro)
1 clove of garlic, grated ( I used the minced stuff)
Juice of 1 lemon ( what? I think I forgot this...)
4 buns or crusty rolls, toasted
1 head green leaf lettuce
Tortilla chips ( we used baked tostitos!)

Okay...
1. Combine evoo, cilantro, scallions ( or whatever), thyme, lime peel, half of the lime juice, and hot sauce in a bowl. Season with S&P and throw chicken in there to get marinated for like 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill to medium high. Then, do like I did and combine the pico stuff with the garlic, avocados, and the rest of the lime juice ( this is where the recipe says to mash the avocado with the garlic, red onion, tomato, lime juice, and lemon juice with some salt.)
3. Grill chicken until cooked through and melt a slice of cheese over the top.
4. Serve on the toasted rolls with lettuce and guacomole. Serve with chips.

SO GOOD. That's all I can say.

P-Dub Dinner

One of my favorite bloggers is The Pioneer Woman (http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/) or, as I like to call her, P-Dub. P-Dub selflessly expresses her love with tons of butter and bacon grease to her cowboy husband, Marlboro Man. Turns out, bacon is a good expression of love to any man. I made "Marlboro Man's Second Favorite Sandwich" for dinner tonight and received approximately 112 bacon-grease kisses. I didn't take a pic because I was too busy devouring it but this is a very close approximation to mine. To feel a little better about all that bacon and cheese, I made an herb salad with fat-free dressing to go with it ( baby steps to health here).

The complete recipe can be found here:http://thepioneerwomancooks.com/2007/06/marlboro_mans_s.html

So, was it as delicious as it looks?

Aubrey gives it his top smile rating. Aww, my heart soars...