Chuck decided that he was going to try to cook a chicken the way he would cook his ideal Thanksgiving turkey... no stuffing! It turned out fabulously. The most moist chicken I have ever had. Both of us were in complete awe of the finished product.
Here are all the recipes from dinner. Tomorrow I'll post what we did with the leftovers.
Oven Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
1 Whole chicken, about 4.5lbs
1 Orange, in large slices, peel intact
2 Carrots, cut into 2-3" pieces
3 Celery stalks, cut into 3" pieces
1 Small onion, cut into large pieces
1 Handful fresh parsley
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Olive oil
Directions
1: Take all of the goodies out of the middle of the chicken, rinse the bird and let rest on
a paper towel for about 15 minutes
2: Rub olive oil over entire bird, the cavity and the outside. Lightly salt and pepper
both the entire outside of the chicken and the cavity.
3: Stuff a little orange, carrot, celery, and onion in the bird along with the entire
handful of parsley.
4: Use the remaining orange, carrots, celery, and onion to cover the bottom of a baking
dish and place the chicken on top.
5: Place the chicken in the oven preheated to 400 degrees. Cook the chicken at 400
degrees for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 320 degrees. Cook the chicken
until a meat thermometer placed deep in the thigh reads 165 degrees and juices
run clear. Removed from oven, place chicken on a cutting board and tent with
tin foil to let rest.
Of course there was pan sauce...
Pan Sauce:
1/4 c. Chicken stock
1/4 c. Sauvignon Blanc (room temp) - poured this into a small bowl and refrigerated
the rest to drink with dinner
Pan juices from the chicken with fat separated out (get the tool to do this. It
ROCKS)
1 1/2 T Cornstarch
1 1/2 T COLD water
Warm the chicken stock, wine and pan juices over low heat. In a small bowl, mix
together the cold water and cornstarch. Slowly add the water and cornstarch to
the pan. The pan sauce will start to thicken when in reaches a simmer.
Tip from Chuck: The amount of water and cornstarch you use will depend on the
amount of juices the chicken produced. Start with a tablespoon of each,
you can always add more. If you add too much it will turn into a glue
ball. To turn back to pan sauce if that happens, add a bit of chicken
stock.
Chuck's Phenomenal Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
2 Potatoes, cut in half length wise and then into 1/2" slices
1 1/2 T Kosher salt
2 T Parmesan cheese
3-4 T Butter
Whole milk or cream, added until it becomes desired consistency
Directions
1: Put potatoes into a pot with plenty of water and bring to a boil.
2: Cook potatoes until they are fork tender, drain off water and let sit for a minute.
Add the butter and let sit for a couple of minutes. Add the Kosher salt and
cheese and mash, adding milk slowly until they are the consistency you want.
Lastly, we had a simple salad with mixed greens topped with a homemade vinaigrette.
Dijon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
2 T Red wine vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T Agave
Fresh ground pepper
Kosher salt
Olive oil
Directions
1: Mix mustard, red wine vinegar, agave, pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.
2: While whisking, add olive oil until everything comes together and "it looks like a
salad dressing."
And again, the finished product:
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