Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables

It's time to get practicing on roasting birds to get ready for Thanksgiving.  Chickens use the same method and make a beautiful presentation so if you aren't feeling quite up to par on your turkey skills, these are a great way to gain that confidence.  Go ahead, volunteer to do the turkey this year!

Get fresh whole chickens so you don't have to deal with the thawing. The veggies are a "whatever is on hand" sort of thing, so if you have onions (quartered), squash (small chunks), apples (halved or quartered), or small carrots available those would be delicious with these flavors too.  I happened to have a bottle of Apple Beer handy so I used that and it tied everything together.  Roasting the veggies with the chicken means only one dish to clean afterwards and no mashed potatoes needed as a side dish.  Bonus: Save the chicken carcass to make stock and freeze it!  Chicken stock gives many holiday dishes that extra oomph of flavor and it's always better when homemade. 

As always, thanks go to my local farmers for many of these ingredients - chicken, yams, potatoes, tomatoes, salt (woot for Salt Lake!), rosemary, and parsley. 


Photo coming soon. 

Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables

INGREDIENTS
Whole Chicken, raw (5-6 lbs)
2-4 Yams / Sweet Potatoes
2 Tomatoes (optional)
1-2 Potatoes
1/2 cup beer (or other liquid such as apple juice or water)
4-5 Tbsp Salt
Ground Pepper
1 tsp Rosemary
Sprinkle of Garlic Powder
Sprinkle of Parsley Flakes
Big sprinkle of Oregano

DIRECTIONS
1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
2. Put the chicken into a roasting pan and pour the salt over it, getting salt on as much of the bird as possible.  It seems like too much but it isn't.  This is the secret to perfect skin and moist meat!
3. Let sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the veggies into large chunks, about twice bite-size.  Pre-heat oven to 425.  Arrange veggies around chicken in roasting pan.
4.  Sprinkle herbs and spices over chicken and veggies.
5.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 375 for one hour or until the chicken juices run clear and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  (Use a meat thermometer to be certain, and take it out as soon as it reaches this - hotter just makes it overcooked)
6.  Arrange on a platter and serve with pride!

Crockpot Coconut Ginger Chicken (Moved to SomeplaceThatsGreen.com)

The spring days are warming up (a little) and it is tempting to spend more time outside and doing some refreshing spring cleaning instead of cooking.  Crock pots aren't just for winter!   This is a bit like a curry but does not have curry in it.  Dinner becomes as fast as making rice to pair with it and maybe a side of colorful veggies. 

The original recipe is from Simple Bites.  I adapted it to use frozen chicken breasts, so it takes less prep time, which I'm a big fan of since prep time often overlaps with "get ready for work" time and I don't want to get up earlier than I have to.  Actually, most of the prep work can be done the night before.  There is plenty of room for variation on the vegetables - I like peas.  Potatoes make it feel a bit more stew-like, so if you want the focus to be on the chicken, leave out the potatoes.  If you do add these, make sure to use Russets, which hold together better with the long cooking time; yellow potatoes turn to mush. 

Are you ready for some delicious comfort food?  This recipe has moved over to my new website at Someplace That's Green, please check it out!

Coconut Ginger Chicken with Jasmine Rice

Crock Pot Jambalaya

I'm a little late for the official day of Mardi Gras but it is always the season for Jambalaya, a spicy meat/rice stew that's a delicious traditional New Orleans dish.  There are endless variations including chicken, sausage, shrimp, even alligator!  The important keys are the trio of onion, green pepper, and celery.  (Now where can I find alligator in Utah?...) 

I did some reading about the dish and ended up with a recipe of my own since none quite matched up with what I had on hand.  This is turkey sausage; not quite as pretty as the Andouille sausage (dark and spicy) that is usually used but it was tasty.  I used red chili pepper flakes in the Cajun spice mix instead of cayenne pepper and ended up adding cayenne too.  It has a nice kick but really needs the Andouille style sausage to be the right flavor.  Still, I'm calling this one a success!

I used a mix for cornbread - Bob's Red Mill gluten-free - and it was a great accompaniment.  For dessert, bourbon-praline ice cream.  Just needs a side of cooked greens and some jazz music and dinner is perfect!

Crock Pot Jambalaya

Crock Pot Jambalaya

INGREDIENTS
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
1 1/2 lbs sausage, sliced into rounds
2 cups chicken broth
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 medium white onion, diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 Tbsp Cajun spices*
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
Cooked white rice


DIRECTIONS
Layer the meat at the bottom of the crockpot, then everything except the rice on top.  Cook on low for 9 hours. Cook rice and mix into the crock pot so the rice soaks up the flavors before serving - OR pour over the cooked rice.  Serve with cornbread, green salad, and iced tea. 


*For the Cajun spices, I used the mix from Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network (click here to open it in a new window).  I prefer doing my own spice mixes instead of the store-bought ones; I know exactly what goes into it and if I have something I grew or made, then it's all the better.  This oregano was home-grown and kept in the old spice bottle.  :)

Here is the lovely spice lineup (well, most of it):

Cajun spice mix

Brown Gravy from Pan Drippings with Ale and Cider

The perfect accompaniment for roasted meat is gravy made from the pan drippings.  My favorite recipe, below, is from the 1981 Joy of Cooking book.  Besides, what else would you use the pan drippings for?  It's free gravy!  No preservatives and it goes with everything.  This works for roasted chicken, turkey, beef, pretty much any meat that gets roasted.

For this recipe I roasted a small chicken, generally following the Winning Turkey recipe from Thanksgiving.  It did not need thawing and I didn't have a ton of planning time so I put the salt on and let it rest on the counter at the same time for about 45 minutes.  This was enough to give it perfect crispy skin.  I stuffed the cavity with quartered onion and apple, and used apple juice for about a third of the cooking liquid. 

After roasting is when the gravy begins!  Carefully remove the meat from the pan.  That part isn't strictly necessary but it makes it a ton easier to get the drippings out of the pan without trying to tip the pan on its side while holding the hot meat in place.  Place the meat where it will remain hot.

Take out 2 Tbsp drippings and put in a small saucepan.  (Note, SAVE the rest, you will need them too) Using a wire whisk, blend in the flour until the mixture has thickened and is well combined and smooth.  Congratulations, you just made a roux! 

Cook slowly and stir constantly, while adding 1 cup of liquid: as much of the pan juices as possible, plus either milk, beer, stock, cream, or water.  I used 1/4 cup of Cutthroat Pale Ale (mostly for an excuse to open one) and the flavor blended perfectly with the apple-stuffed chicken.  Add an extra Tablespoon of flour to increase the total liquid to 1 1/2 cups - I really like gravy so extra is always good. Add spices to taste, if desired.  The spices will vary depending on what the gravy will be served with.  I didn't add anything extra for this version.

Continue to simmer while stirring until the gravy has reduced a little, then turn off the heat.  It will thicken as it cools. 


Brown Gravy from Pan Drippings with Ale and Cider
from Joy of Cooking, 1981 edition
Makes 1 cup


INGREDIENTS
Pan drippings from roasted meat (as much as is available, up to 1 cup)
1 to 2 Tbsp flour
Additional liquid to make one cup including the pan drippings: milk, beer, stock, cream, or water (enough to make 1 1/2 cups total if you want extra gravy)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Fresh or dried minced herbs
Grated lemon rind, etc.

DIRECTIONS
1. Remove the meat from the pan.  Place it where it will remain hot.
2. Take out 2 Tbsp drippings and put in a small saucepan.  Using a wire wisk, blend in the flour until the mixture has thickened and is well combined and smooth.
3. Cook slowly and stir constantly and stir constantly, while adding 1 cup of liquid: as much of the pan juices as possible, plus enough liquid to total 1 cup. Add spices to taste.
4. Continue to simmer while stirring until the gravy has reduced a little, then turn off the heat.  It will thicken as it cools. 

Thanksgiving Special: Winning Turkey

This recipe for a perfect roasted turkey has moved to my new website!  Please visit it at Winning Thanksgiving Turkey!

Pad Thai

It is a new and different experience cooking something when you don't know the end result.  I'm not talking about "will this recipe be good" results.  I had never tried Pad Thai or any non-curry Thai dish and would not recognize it other than knowing not to eat it (I have allergy issues).  What is it supposed to look like?  What is it supposed to taste like?  The strangest part was that at the end, I didn't know if it had come out well or not.  Most things you know when they are right.  Does it look like a cookie and taste good?  Success!  Does it look like something you've never seen and taste like nothing you have ever tasted?  Yes, but are those good qualities?

Thankfully my husband, whose birthday the Pad Thai was for, declared it great with a few minor recipe tweaks.  I made it without lime juice so that I could eat it too and was pleased to not be allergic to any of the other ingredients.  I've been avoiding limes for so long that I forgot what they smelled like.  Of course that is one of the best parts, so I've read, so I made sure to have a fresh one on hand so my husband could drench his in lime juice and beam with pleasure. I also learned a trick to enjoying it *almost* the way it should be: smell is very closely related to taste, so I can smell the fresh cut lime wedges and take a bite of Pad Thai, which is darn close to drenching it in lime juice and won't kill me.  Hooray!

The original recipe came from AllRecipes.com

Pad Thai
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS
16 oz rice noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces*
1/4 cup safflower oil (or vegetable or sesame)
4 eggs
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup grated carrots and/or bean sprouts
1/4 cup crushed peanuts or cashews (for serving)
2 green onions, chopped (for serving)
1 lime (for serving)

NOTE about the chicken: To use frozen chicken, cook it part-way until it's soft enough to cut to bite-size.  Cut up then use in the recipe as called for.

1. Make Noodles: Follow the instructions on the package of noodles for cooking. Finish cooking noodles before starting on the chicken. Rinse noodles well under cold water to prevent sticking together.

2. Make sauce: Mix together in a small bowl: vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, peanut butter, and paprika.
3. Cook chicken: Heat olive oil in a wok or large heavy skillet. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and chicken; saute chicken until browned. Remove from wok and set aside.
4. Heat safflower oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, stirring to break the yolks and half-scramble, and cook until firm. Stir in chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add cooked noodles and sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add carrots and mix for 3 minutes until they are warm; do not over-mix or the noodles break into little pieces.
5. Sprinkle crushed nuts and chopped green onions over the top and serve with a lime wedge.