Roasted Chicken with Lemon Thyme Pan Gravy

Well I screwed up.  I forgot to take my chicken out of the freezer on Sunday to defrost so I could cook it for tonight's dinner.  Not being one to worry about such things, I decided to just adjust my approach to roasting my chicken and my cooking time.  Instead of cooking the chicken in an open roaster for about an hour at 400 degrees, I put it in my dutch oven, lid on, with a little bit of olive oil, some herbs, potatoes, onions and preserved lemons, put it in the oven and hoped for the best.

Well I got the best.  After about an hour of cooking time, my chicken was defrosted and up to 60 degrees and well on its way to becoming dinner.  It just goes to show you that most mistakes can be corrected or at least mitigated.  If you didn't mess up like me, the chicken would normally take about an hour.

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Thyme Pan Gravy

1 large roasting chicken
2 tablespoon olive oil
5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence
Salt and pepper to taste
1 preserved lemon, cut into eigths (a regular lemon is ok but you will need more salt)
2 bay leaves
2 lbs mini white potatoes, scrubbed with skin on
1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a large Dutch oven.  Add chicken, rub with additional 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper.  Cover chicken with preserved lemon pieces.

If cooking from frozen, place pot in the oven, cover with a tight fitting lid, and cook for approximately 1 hour.  After the 1 hour cooking time, add the chicken stock, potatoes and onions and return to cook for approximately 1 hour, or until an instant read thermometer reads 180 degrees in the thigh joint.

If your chicken is defrosted, place onions and potatoes around the chicken, and add thyme sprigs, bay leaves and chicken stock to Dutch oven, and cook uncovered in the pre-heated oven for approximately 1 hour, or until an instant read thermometer reads 180 degrees in the thigh joint.

Remove chicken and potatoes from pot and allow to cool slightly.  Cut chicken into 8 pieces for serving.  Use the cooked potatoes as they are or go on to make Super Easy Smashed Potaotes and Roasted Asparagus.

Lemon Thyme Pan Gravy

1 cup pan drippings and stock from Dutch oven

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup cold water

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2-3 sprigs thyme

Roasted lemon pieces from Dutch oven

Pour stock that collects in the bottom of your Dutch oven through a fine sieve to remove onion pieces and lemons, then put into and gravy separator to remove fat.  Wash Dutch oven, and return stock to the pot, leaving the fat layer in the separator.  Add in chicken stock and thyme.  I added back in the onion pieces and lemon pieces for extra flavour.  Bring to a rolling boil.  

In a separate small bowl, whisk cold water and flour together to make a slurry.  This will thicken your gravy.  Be sure to whisk well to ensure there are not lumps.  Whisk slurry into stock and return to a boil.  It is only once the sauce reaches boiling that the thickening power of the flour will be realized.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat to remove any trace of flour taste.   Serve over chicken.

Justin's Junior Chef Bloggette - Chicken Cacciatore

Hi!  My name is Justin and I am 10.  I like to cook in the kitchen with my mom.  Sometimes we bake, sometimes we make dinner but my specialty is making gravy.  And I have knife skills!  My mom and I have decided that once a week we will make dinner for our family together, and try out a new a easy recipe that is fast and doesn't cost a lot.  I think when I am older I am going to make these kinds of simple meals for my family.

Tonight we made Chicken Cacciatore based on a recipe by Massimo Capra.  He is a chef in Toronto at a restaurant called Mistura and he has a crazy moutstache!  We didn't have all the ingredients for the recipe so we just put in what we had and it was awesome!

My mom has a secret that uses in dishes like this - she keeps the rinds from pieces of parmesan cheese and freezes them, then she adds them into dishes like this for extra flavour.

Here's what you need:

3 chicken quarters, skinned and cut into pieces (or 8 skinless chicken thighs)
1 medium onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 box button mushroom, cut in halfs or quarters depending on how big they are
1 can tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
rinds from 2 pieces of Parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large non-stick frying pan, add oil and brown chicken on both sides.  Add garlic and onion and continue to sauté.  Add sliced peppers, sliced onions and mushrooms.  Pour can of chopped tomato over and combine.  Add oregano and bay leaves and Parmesan rinds.    Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, making sure the chicken is falling off the bone.  Right before you eat, be sure to take out the bay leaves and Parmesan rinds.

My mom ate hers with sautéed rapinni (blech) but we had ours with pasta.  Yummy.

Southwestern Tortilla Soup with Chicken

Well it is official.  We had snow in Toronto on Sunday.  Now, it didn't snow much or snow for long, but snow is definitely snow, and that signals the beginning of serious soup season for me.  There is definitely something soothing and comforting about eating a bowl of hot soup on a cold day, especially on a Saturday or Sunday for lunch.  I admit I have a bit of a thing about soup as a main course for dinner, even with sandwiches, but I find that concept easier to digest (haHa!) than the whole breakfast for dinner thing.  That one I do not think I will ever truly understand.  Why would you want bacon, eggs and pancakes for dinner...that one just escapes me.  Anyway...tonight is soup for dinner.

Food historians seem to agree that the origin of the word "soup" comes from "sop" and relates to the concept of soaking, or sopping, up.   Soup is probably as old as the history of cooking itself and has evolved in both sedentary and nomadic cultures, rich and poor cultures, and is the meal of the healthy as well as the sick.  Soup = comfort.

I do love all kinds of soup...Minestrone is a family favourite, esp with T-Rex and the Teen.  I like Chinese Hot'n'sour Soup (one of the few ways I like tofu) and I make a really nice Asian inspired Carrot with Ginger.  I like fish chowders - both  New England and Boston style.  And I like cold soup in the summer, like Gazpacho from Spain or a Purred Cucumber Soup with Yogurt.  I even made a cold soup a few summers ago with watermelon.  I have yet to try making Borscht, but maybe that can be a project for another weekend..  And French Onion soup, Vichyssoise...oh and Boulibase....mmmm.  I haven`t made that one in a while either.  Basically what I am saying is that the combinations are endless, and well... I love soup.

So today`s soup is my quickie version of Southwestern Tortilla Soup with Chicken.  When I say quickie in this context what I mean is quick to put together with few ingredients.  This soup can be made on the stove top with equally good results, but I do like the concept of just putting a few ingredients in my slow cooker and walking away for several hours to come back to a wonderful lunch, or leaving for work and coming home to dinner ready made.

Southwestern Tortilla Soup with Chicken

1 large chicken breast (I put mine in frozen)
1 jar of your favourite salsa (I used Presidents Choice No-name Medium Salsa)
1 carton chicken or vegetable stock
1 can creamed corn (This is the secret ingredient, trust me!)
half a can of black beans or kidney beans
6-8 corn flour tortillas
Your choice of toppings:  avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, etc.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except tortillas, in the slow cooker and stir.  Set to high if you want lunch within a few hours, or low for all day cooking.  That`s it.  If you have a can of green chiles that is a nice addition or even a chipotle.  As our kids were eating this, we went just as is.

Before serving, using a knife or scissors (a la Nigella) cut tortillas into long strips.  Toast under the broiler or in a toaster oven until crispy.

To serve, place a pile of tortilla strips in the bottom of a large soup bowl.  Ladle hot soup over top.  Sprinkle with your favourite toppings and serve.

Thanksgiving Part 2: Maple Brined Turkey

The first thing I would recommend when brining a turkey is to actually read the entire recipe a few days in advance of undertaking the process.  Sadly, I didn't do this and now I have realized that it it really a two part process.  First making the brine and cooling to room temperature, then secondly adding in more water to the brine to actually brine the bird.  Whoops!  Oh well, guess I'll just have to go with it....here's the brine recipe I will be using:

Canadian Maple Brined Turkey:

11-15 lb fresh turkey

1 cup kosher or sea salt (we used sea salt)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp mulling spices

2 tbsp Epicure's Maple Spice Fruit Dip Mix (got this with the brining bags)

2 whole apples cut into quarters

16 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until salt and sugar have dissolved.  Bring water to a boil, then cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

I must say the brine looks beautiful and autumnal and smells absolutely amazing thanks to the mulling spices. 

When ready to brine the turkey (which will be as soon as the brine has cooled off) we'll get out our large roasting pan and lay out the brining bag in it.  This will make transporting the turkey and its liquid in the bag much easier.  When ready, we will put the turkey in the bag, pour in the cooled brine, and then add and additional 16 cups of ice water.  The bag is then sealed and the turkey goes into the fridge until we are ready to roast it, which will likely be around 2:00 tomorrow afternoon.  With a 13 lb turkey it looks like it will take about 3.5 hours at 325 degrees. Before it goes into the oven, I will rub the bird down with a compound butter incorporating sage and 3-4 tbsp maple syrup to bump up the maple flavour a bit.

So that's it for the bird until tomorrow.  Before then I will have to look up what to do once it comes out of the brine, because my recipe seems to stop there.  Hrmph!   I am assuming you'd need to rinse the turkey off before it goes in the oven, but who knows right now.  I hate incomplete recipes!!   Like I said, it probably would have helped if I read the entire recipe over a few days in advance to avoid such little hiccups.  

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Addendum to yesterday's post:
I found the following instructions on Epicurious.com to help complete the recipe I posted yesterday for brining:

Once in the brining bag, turn the  turkey is breast side down in the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 12 and up to 24 hours. Turn the turkey 3 or 4 times while it is brining.  Remove the turkey from the brine. Discard the bags, brine, and any cured herbs or spices remaining on the bird. Rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey back in the roasting pan and refrigerate, unwrapped, for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. This resting period allows the skin of the turkey to dry a bit so it is crisp when roasted. 

Thanksgiving Part 1: The Brining Process

I've read a number of articles over the years about the benefits of brining one's bird but until now it was never a practical thing to do. It was mostly the need for the large brining vessel that threw up the biggest challenge and where to put the darned bird while it was brining. With the fridge in the garage and the purchase of brining bags, both of those obstacles have been cleared.

Doing a bit of research on the topic, I came across this little gem...."The first step in brining a turkey is selecting a bird which has not been brined." Well duh! Of course. LOL....what they really are saying is that if you purchase a commercially prepared turkey (the ubiquitous Butterball for example), then chances are it has already been brined in some format. Ok....that makes sense. So, step one is to buy a turkey that has not been commercially prepared and that is fresh.

There are two types of brining - dry brining and wet brining. I had no idea there was something called dry brining. Really dry brining is just rubbing the turkey down with a salt-based rub with a view to enhancing or imparting a particular flavour.

The type of brining I will be doing is the messier version - wet brining. Wet brining is the process of submerging the turkey in a solution of water, salt, sugar and flavourings, such as herbs, maple syrup, etc. The intent is to introduce moisture and flavour into the bird through osmosis (remember grade 9 science..). The process also breaks down, or denatures, the proteins in the turkey resulting in a more tender bird.

Wednesday: Chicken Tamale Casserole

Well real life is upon me. No time to cook and no time to blog. Good thing we cooked a lot of stuff on the weekend or we'd be in trouble. Manged to flog...errr.....provide a nutritious and delicious meal to my darling children (who are currently a couple of complainers!!!) of frozen mac'n'cheese which has been sitting in my freezer for such an emergency as today. Luckily we have enough roast, chicken, soup and pasta sauce made on the weekend to get us through until Friday.

Should I survive until Friday, I am thinking this recipe from Cooking Light looks good to use up whatever is left and a few things from the pantry and freezer:

Chicken Tamale Casserole - Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.


http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1854020

Monday Dinner - Rustic Chicken Mushroom Stew

Just went in the oven...

http://www.compliments.ca/en/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?ID=11810

Well the results are mediocre.  I guess that's what I get from picking a recipe from the Sobey's flyer but it looked good.

I ended up dumping in a glass of wine last night after I tried the cooked dish.  Really needed some help because "as is" it was bland.  I don't think I'll bother with this one again.



Used up:
1 frozen package chicken drumsticks
1 frozen package chicken thighs
misc. vegetables from the crisper
half used bag of farfalle pasta
misc. single and mismatched buns from the freezer