Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
I am one of those people who never minds paying full price for a good roasting chicken, and that is because, with all of my years of cooking experience, I have mastered the art of making my chicken pay for itself.
How do I do that you might well ask, and today I am going to show you how. Let me set the scenario.
You've cooked your Sunday Roast Chicken, fed it to the family, and have cleared up all of the dirty dishes and pans. You may even have stripped the carcass of all of the meat and are sitting there staring at the empty bones. You feel like throwing them away, and maybe you do, or maybe you carefully wrap them up and stick them in the refrigerator, where, just a few days later, you end up tipping them out because you failed to use them when you should have done.
To my way of thinking a good roast chicken is something which can give to you again and again and again. I always, ALWAYS get at least three meals from my roast chickens. It's just a matter of thrift, ingenuity, and planning.
I don't mind spending fifteen or twenty dollars on a good fat roasting chicken because I know that in the long run that chicken is going to help me feed four people at least three meals. Even at twenty dollars, that amounts to roughly six dollars and a few cents per meal. Probably even less than you will pay for a pound of hamburger.
Today my goal is to show you how to eke as much out of that Roast Chicken you thought was so expensive that you can. With only a few simple steps you, too, can make your chicken pay for itself!
STEP ONE - This begins right at the store. Buy the largest, fattest, best chicken that you can afford. I usually buy one that is at least 2 1/2 to 3 pounds in weight. I like free range chickens, because I think they taste better, and I like to support good animal husbandry. I will also buy an organic, or free-from (no anti-biotic) chicken, and air-chilled if I can.
STEP TWO - Roast your chicken using a reliable recipe that will give you optimum flavor, without drying out the bird. I can highly recommend any of my Roast Chicken Recipes. I know I am a bit biased, but, my goal here in the English Kitchen has always been share the best with you.
STEP THREE - Prepare plenty of sides to serve with your chicken. In my home it is usually potatoes or rice of some sort, and two to three vegetables. Sometimes I even roast the vegetables with the chicken. That way when it comes to serving up your chicken, you can be generous with the sides and serve smaller servings of the meat and nobody will feel that they have been cheated.
I can highly recommend the following sides:
Of course, you don't have to make all of your sides fancy. Plain steamed vegetables are always good, just don't be stingy with any of them. Let your family and or guests fill up on the vegetables, not the chicken. A good GRAVY also helps.
This way you can give each person a reasonable serving of the roast chicken without going over the top. Aim to eat only half of the chicken on the day you roast it and then you will have the remainder to use on another day.
STEP FOUR - When you are stripping your chicken after the meal, set aside a good amount to use for another meal, such as a casserole, salad or sandwiches, hot or cold, or even a pot pie. You don't need a lot of chicken to put in a pot pie and if you have been careful enough to make LOTS of gravy, your family won't even notice that their pot pie isn't loaded with chicken.
Don't strip the bones down until they are bare, leave some meat on them. I usually save the wings and then the whole carcass with a fair amount of meat on it to make soup. It's okay if you don't feel like making soup right away. Simply wrap the bones up tightly and freeze them for later on in the week.
Here are some really fabulous ways to use up some of that cooked chicken meat:
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STEP FIVE - Use those bones and the carcass to make a delicious soup. It's not really hard to make a basic stock or delicious chicken soup and your family will always appreciate it. Even if you only use the bones to make a delicious stock and then freeze it, you have created the barebones of a fabulous risotto or a soup, and they will not have gone to waste.
Here are some of our favorite chicken soups:
There is a wonderful old saying that when you eat a pig you should eat everything but the squeal, I would like to switch that out to say when you eat a chicken you should eat everything but the cluck! I think that if you follow my tips and suggestions, you can feel proud that you have done just that, using up every scrap of the yard bird and in the most delicious ways! Effectively, you have actually made your Roast Chicken pay for itself, and in these modern times when money is tight, don't we all need to be able to do this?
I'll be back tomorrow with something new!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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This fabulous sheet pan supper is hearty, healthy and sized just for one person! Filled with flavor it makes a perfect midweek supper for the singleton, although certainly you could double, triple, or quadruple it to feed more people if you wish!
Hearty and full of flavor it is a simple meal that the whole family is sure to love!
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Not only is it simple and easy to make, but it is also very healthy and filled with plenty of delicious colors, flavors and textures.
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Everything cooks altogether . . . roasting in a hot oven so you end up with beautifully crispy tender, an yet lightly caramelized carrots . . .
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Perfectly roasted and caramelized Brussels sprouts. Oh, I do so love a roasted Brussels sprout, don't you? These are beautifully done.
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Even the potato wedges are cooked to perfection. Crisp and golden brown on the outsides, and fluffy and meltingly tender inside.
This is a recipe I downsized and adapted from one I found on The Feathered Nester. I thought I had taken out a chicken breast to cook, but it ended up being two boneless skinless thighs.
Scratch plan "A" and move to plan "B."
.JPG "Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SHEET PAN CHICKEN THIGHS WITH VEGGIES for one
There is nothing extraordinary here. Just everyday simple kitchen ingredients.
For the vegetables:
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick sticks
- a handful of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2 tsp light olive oil
- garlic powder, onion power, dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste
- a pinch of sweet paprika (for the potatoes)
For the chicken:
- 2 small boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tsp butter
.JPG "Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies")
At the end of the day you can use whatever vegetables you have in the house and that you enjoy. For me it happened to be carrots and sprouts. Broccoli would work well as would cauliflower or green beans. Zucchini would work well.
You could use sweet potatoes, turnips or butternut squash as well. Just make sure that you cut your vegetables all the same size and allow for extra cook time for the harder vegetables. Some vegetables take longer to cook than others. Rutabaga or turnips are ones which take a bit longer.
Small wedges of cabbage would also be very nice, onions, etc. Really the world is your oyster when it comes to choice!
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I used very simple seasonings for my vegetables and my chicken. You could vary on these of course. If you want a Tex Mex kind of a result, use typical spices such as cumin, coriander and chili. A squeeze of lime juice would be lovely squeezed over the chicken at the end in this case.
Today I used only onion and garlic powders. (Make sure you use powders not salts.) I also used some dried thyme on the vegetables and my own homemade Bell's poultry seasoning mix on the chicken.
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You could use chicken breast meat instead of the thighs, but do bear in mind that they will not take as long to cook, unless your breast is particularly thick.
If your chicken breast is quite thick, beat it to an even flatness between two sheets of plastic cling film. I would do this anyways just to make sure that everything cooks evenly.
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If you wanted to you could brush the chicken with some sort of sauce prior to cooking and throughout the cook time. BBQ Sauce, Honey Mustard, Maple, Honey, etc. Again go with what you enjoy.
Today I left them plain with just the seasonings and a pat of butter to help and keep them moist.
.JPG "Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies")
HOW TO MAKE SHEET PAN CHICKEN THIGHS WITH VEGGIES for one
Nothing could be quicker or easier! If you have all of your vegetables prepped ahead of time, it goes even faster.
Preheat your oven to 425*F/ 220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Toss your vegetables together in a bowl along the oil. Lay the vegetables (individually) out onto the baking tray, sprinkling some paprika on the potato wedges. Sprinkle the remaining seasonings overall.
Lay the chicken thighs on the baking sheet. Keep them rolled up to begin. Top each with a slice of butter and then season with some, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
.JPG "Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies")
Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Using a spatula turn your vegetables over. (If some appear done, remove to a bowl and then return at the end of cook time to heat through. Depending on the size of your sprouts, they can cook faster than the carrots and potatoes.)
Open out the chicken thighs and roast everything for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through (juices will run clear), and your vegetables are done to your liking.
Serve hot.
.JPG "Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies")
I really enjoyed this hearty and yet very simple meal. After all the hustle bustle of December, it was nice to be able to enjoy a meal that wasn't labor or planning intensive!
My carrots were crispy tender, the sprouts melted in my mouth, the potatoes were perfectly crisp, and that chicken was cooked to perfection as well. I needed nothing else!
.JPG "Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies")
If you are interested in additional smaller sized recipes for the singleton or couple, you may want to consider the following:
LEMON & GARLIC CHICKEN FOR ONE - This recipe is for a delicious moist and well flavored chicken breast which marinades for a time in a delicious tenderizing marinade and then is simply roasted to perfection in a moderate oven. As simple as it is this marinated lemon garlic chicken breast is truly delicious! Fabulous served on a bed of cooked orzo or rice.
DEEP DISH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE FOR ONE -Crispy edged and gooey centred. This is best eaten warm, and I have a personal preference for vanilla ice cream with this, rather than anything else. So dangerous that you might even want to share it rather than eat it all on your own.
Yield: 1
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
This quick and easy sheet pan supper is delicious and healthy and yields enough to feed one person generously. Simply double or triple the amounts to feed more people.
Ingredients
For the vegetables:
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick sticks
- a handful of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2 tsp light olive oil
- garlic powder, onion power, dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste
- a pinch of sweet paprika (for the potatoes)
For the chicken:
- 2 small boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425*F/ 220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Toss your vegetables together in a bowl along the oil. Lay the vegetables (individually) out onto the baking tray, sprinkling some paprika on the potato wedges. Sprinkle the remaining seasonings over all.
- Lay the chicken thighs on the baking sheet. Keep them rolled up to begin. Top each with a slice of butter and then season with some, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Using a spatula turn your vegetables over. (If some appear done, remove and then return at the end to heat through. Depending on the size of your sprouts, they can cook faster than the carrots and potatoes.)
- Open out the chicken thighs and roast everything for a further 10 to 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through (juices will run clear), and your vegetables are done to your liking.
- Serve hot.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
It is not often when we think of Pot Roasting that we think of pot roasting a whole chicken. Usually, we will pot roast a joint of beef or pork, or even lamb, but not chicken, and I wonder why that is.
We are not averse to stewing chicken pieces, or fricasseeing them, but it hardly ever seems that we will do a whole chicken. Its a shame really because the end result is always tender moist and delicious.
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True, we will not get the crisp skin which is usually associated with a roast chicken, but we aren't really supposed to be eating the skin anyways. What you sacrifice in flavor from a sticky crisp skin, you more than make up for in flavor with a perfectly cooked moist and delicious chicken!
This also smells delicious while it is cooking and the gravy you end up with is more than to die for! This has to be one of my favorite ways of preparing a whole chicken. I guarantee you will fall in love with it also!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE POT ROASTED CHICKEN
You may think that some the ingredients are a bit unusual but trust me when I say they totally work!
- 1 TBS sunflower oil
- 1 medium sized roasting chicken (about 4 pounds in weight)
- 6 ounces (175g) bacon lardons or chopped thick sliced bacon
- 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 8 small cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
- 1 cup (240ml) of good quality apple cider
- 2/3 cup (180ml) of good quality chicken stock
- 4 small eating apples
- 3 1/2 TBS butter, softened, divided
- 2 tsp sugar
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 1/2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
- 2 TBS heavy cream
- 1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
You will want to use the best chicken that you can afford to buy. I often stock up on air chilled organic chickens when they are on offer. I will buy several and freeze them. I like the "free from" chickens which have not been fed antibiotics.
Having said that however, just buy the best that you can afford to purchase.
By eating apples, I mean an apple that is one which you enjoy eating out of hand. Not a cooking apple. I like Pink Ladies myself, but a golden or red delicious apple also works very well. You really just want a sweet eating apple that you would really enjoy eating on its own.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
By apple cider you can use either hard cider or apple cider that has not turned. A sparkling apple juice, or a cloudy apple juice. All work well.
I don't drink alcohol so never have it in the house really, so I just use a good cloudy refrigerated stye of apple juice, or fresh apple juice as it is also called. Don't worry it won't make the dish too sweet and actually works very well with all of the remaining ingredients to make a really delicious gravy!
The recipe calls for bacon lardons which is just cubed thick slice streaky bacon. If you cannot get that, just use regular streaky bacon, thick cut, if possible, chopped.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
It may sound complicated, but it's really a very simple dish. If anyone knows me, they know I don't do complicated if I can possibly help it.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Place the oil into a small flameproof casserole or roaster (with a lid) which is large enough to fit the chicken snugly.
Pat your chicken dry and season inside and out with some salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in the casserole and then brown the chicken in the heated oil on all sides. Once it is browned all over, remove to a plate and set aside.
Add the bacon to the casserole and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until golden brown. Toss in the onions. Cook and stir for a few minutes longer until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, for several minutes longer. Add the cider.
Cook over high heat at a vigorous boil until the liquid has reduced by two thirds. Place the chicken back into the casserole. Pour in the stock. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and then place the lid snugly on top. Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour. (The juices should run clear.)
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
While the chicken is cooking, peel, core and quarter the apples.
Melt half of the butter in a skillet. Add the apples and fry them for a few minutes until they start to brown. Turn the slices over and sprinkle with the sugar and nutmeg. Continue to cook for several minutes longer until they are nicely golden and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm
When the chicken is cooked through and tender, lift it out onto a large platter. Cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
Put the flameproof casserole over medium heat and simmer until the cooking juices are reduced and full of lovely flavors.
Rub the remaining butter and the flour together. Drop this into the reduced chicken juices, whisking constantly, simmering until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Whisk in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with additional salt and black pepper. Stir in the parsley and the apple.
Carve the chicken and serve on heated plates with some of that delicious sauce spooned over top.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
Just look at that gorgeous sauce and tender chicken . . . with its chunks of sweet apple, bits of bacon. This is a creamy and unctuously wonderful combination that is incredibly pleasing.
.jpg "Pot Roasted Chicken")
Pot roasting chicken not your thing? Perhaps you would enjoy these other roast chicken dishes:
BUNDT PAN ROAST CHICKEN - A whole chicken is roasted upturned on the stem of a Bundt pan, over some vegetables. The chicken bastes itself while it is roasting along with the vegetables, The end result being tender juicy chicken along with some incredibly delicious sticky roasted vegetables.
GRANDMOTHER'S ROAST CHICKEN & GRAVY - This roast chicken recipe is really a good one. It differs only slightly from my usual one. I do normally use lemon and thyme for my roast chickens, and plenty of butter, but I have also used garlic in the past. This recipe uses chopped lemon thyme. If you can't get that, then add a bit of finely grated lemon zest to the chopped thyme. A whole lemon is quartered and put into the cavity which helps to create even more flavor and moistness. Crisp skin. Tender meat. Delicious gravy, just what you would expect from Grandma!
Yield: 4
Pot Roasted Chicken
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 30 M
Ingredients
- 1 TBS sunflower oil
- 1 medium sized roasting chicken (about 4 pounds in weight)
- 6 ounces (175g) bacon lardons or chopped thick sliced bacon
- 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 8 small cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
- 1 cup (240ml) of good quality apple cider
- 2/3 cup (180ml) of good quality chicken stock
- 4 small eating apples
- 3 1/2 TBS butter, softened, divided
- 2 tsp sugar
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 1/2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
- 2 TBS heavy cream
- 1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Place the oil into a small flameproof casserole or roaster (with a lid) which is large enough to fit the chicken snugly.
- Pat your chicken dry and season inside and out with some salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in the casserole and then brown the chicken in the heated oil on all sides. Once it is browned all over, remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add the bacon to the casserole and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until golden brown. Toss in the onions. Cook and stir for a few minutes longer until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, for several minutes longer. Add the cider.
- Cook over high heat at a vigorous boil until the liquid has reduced by two thirds. Place the chicken back into the casserole. Pour in the stock. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil and then place the lid snugly on top. Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
- While the chicken is cooking, peel, core and quarter the apples.
- Melt half of the butter in a skillet. Add the apples and fry them for a few minutes until they start to brown. Turn the slices over and sprinkle with the sugar and nutmeg. Continue to cook for several minutes longer until they are nicely golden and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm
- When the chicken is cooked through and tender, lift it out onto a large platter. Cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
- Put the flameproof casserole over medium heat and simmer until the cooking juices are reduced and full of lovely flavors.
- Rub the remaining butter and the flour together. Drop this into the reduced chicken juices, whisking constantly, simmering until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. Whisk in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary with additional salt and black pepper. Stir in the parsley and the apple.
- Carve the chicken and serve on heated plates with some of that delicious sauce spooned over top.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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