Recipes for chicken and vegetables

The following recipes are a collection which uses chicken and roasted vegetables. We even have a couple of recipes which use pomegranate. Our pomegranate trees were severely affected by the -15 degree frost we experienced a few weeks ago, unusual for Spain, but becoming more and more frequent every year. We do however love out roasted vegetables. A wood burning pizza oven is ideal for roasting vegetables, but you can roast them quite satisfactorily in a normal kitchen oven.

Roasting, and Learning by Doing

A funny thing happened while I was researching the topic of “roasting” for this week’s Back to Basics series. I came to the realization that sometimes, you just have to learn by doing. Last year when I thought I’d have time to write an ebook, I looked up instructions for roasting vegetables in several cookbooks. I was amazed at the variety of cooking times and temperatures.

Yesterday, when I was looking up how to roast a chicken, I discovered much the same thing. I had to laugh out loud when two of my most treasured reference books by respected authors contradicted each other. For example, Keys to Good Cooking had the following piece of advice:

Don’t truss the legs–trussed legs look neater but take longer to cook through, and longer cooking times make it even more likely that the breast will be overcooked.

Whereas Ruhlman’s Twenty had this to say:

The most common reason people end up with a dry and flavourless breast is that they fail to address what is happening in the cavity of the bird. If the ends of the legs are not tied together in front of the cavity or if the cavity is empty, hot air swirls around the cavity of the bird, cooking the breast from the inside out. To prevent this, you must truss the chicken.

Baste, don’t baste. Tent, don’t tent. Cook in a covered stone crock, cook in a frying pan. The one thing they all agree on is not to rely on a pop up timer (which just tells you it’s already overcooked) and to bring the meat to room temperature before cooking. Other than that, sounds like it all boils down to your own preference. My husband prefers to cook his in his Smoker Roaster Grill, as I described in How to Roast a Yardbird.

Regardless of the particulars, roasting DOES provide a delicious, easy way of cooking meats and vegetables, as I’ll share throughout the week. Again, the point of this series is not to give exact advice on how to work with a particular ingredient or master a particular skill, but to encourage you to stretch your cooking comfort zone and to try it–there’s no better way of learning than by just trying it and seeing what happens.

Roasted Chicken with Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

1 (3-4 lb.) whole chicken
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
salt
pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon honey
Gravy:
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons Wondra Flour
1/2 cup water
Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes
6 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cream

To prepare the chicken, first rinse the chicken inside and out and pat it dry. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. In the bottom of a roasting pan, add the onion, celery, carrots and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Place the chicken on a rack over the vegetables in the roasting pan. Place in a 350 degrees F oven. Cook for about an hour or until cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, baste it with the pan juices periodically. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, take the other 1/2 cup of chicken broth and mix it with the honey and brush it over the chicken. When cooked through, remove from oven, let stand a few minutes before carving and serving.

To prepare the gravy, place the roasting pan over a burner set to medium heat. Add one cup chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Strain the liquid into a saucepan and discard the veggies. Mix together the water and Wondra flour in a separate bowl, then add it to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the gravy thickens.

To prepare the potatoes, start by boiling the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, take the garlic cloves and toss them with the olive oil then wrap them in foil. Place the foil packet in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add the butter, cream, salt, pepper and roasted garlic and then smash the potatoes with a potato masher or large fork/spoon. You want it to be smooth but with some chunks in it still.

Whole Chicken in the slow cooker

Another great set it and forget it meal!
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chicken stock

Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken. In a small bowl, combine the spices. Rub a little olive oil on the outside of the chicken and then rub spice mixture onto the chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (optional)

When ready to cook, put chopped onion, carrot and celery in bottom of the crock pot. Add chicken and chicken broth. Cook on low 4-8 hours.

Crispy Crunchy Fried Chicken

My version of this classic fried chicken recipe. Comes out so crunchy and crispy!

Ingredients

* 1 whole chicken, cut up
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 cups buttermilk
* 4 cups shortening
* 1-2 teaspoons salt
* 1-2 teaspoons pepper
* 1-2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
* 1-2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
* 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1-2 teaspoons onion powder
* water, to cover chicken

Directions

1. Place chicken in a bowl and cover with water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
2. In another bowl, combine the flour and spices. Mix well.
3. Pour the buttermilk into another bowl.
4. Heat the shortening in a heavy skillet to about 300 degrees F.
5. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and drain the water, pat the chicken dry.
6. First dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then into the flour mixture. Be sure to coat the chicken well with the flour mixture. Then dip the chicken back into the buttermilk and back into the flour for a second coating.
7. Fry the chicken 3-4 pieces at a time in the hot shortening. Cook for about 10-12 minutes on each side.
8. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and put it in a 200 degrees F oven while you cook the remaining chicken.

Chicken with Pomegranate

Pomegranates:

• After opening the pomegranate by scoring it with a knife and breaking it open, the arils (seed casings) are separated from the skin and internal white supporting structures (pith). Separating the red arils can be simplified by performing this task in a bowl of water, the arils will sink and the white structures will float to the top. The entire seed is consumed raw, though the fleshy outer portion of the seed is the part that is desired. The taste differs depending on the variety of pomegranate and its state of ripeness.

• Providing 16% of an adult’s daily vitamin C requirement per 100 ml serving, pomegranate juice is also a good source of the B vitamin, pantothenic acid, potassium and antioxidant polyphenols. Overall, however, pomegranate is not a significant source of nutrients.

Chicken with Pomegranate Recipe:

2-3/4 pound fryer chicken
3 tablespoons shortening
3-1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup fresh pomegranate juice
3 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Prepare chicken for frying. Saute chicken with poultry seasoning in shortening until light brown, set aside. In a large pot saute the onion in 3 teaspoon butter until golden brown. Add tomato sauce and saute for a few minutes. Add water, remaining seasonings, lemon juice, and pomegranate juice. Cover and let cook on low about 35 minutes. Taste the sauce and add sugar if needed. Arrange browned chicken pieces in the sauce, cover and let simmer 20-25 minutes. Serve over white rice.
Serves 6.

Pomegrnate glazed chicken thighs

1 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. Rinse chicken pieces; pat dry. Place thighs on a roasting rack in an oiled roasting pan. Brush chicken lightly with oil; sprinkle with salt, thyme and pepper.

Roast, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, and juices run clear. While birds are roasting, prepare pomegranate glaze. Place juice in a small saucepan; sprinkle with a dash of salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Set aside. When chicken is done, brush them liberally with some of the juice glaze. Roast 5 minutes more. Serve.

Of course you can make the glaze with fresh pomegranates, but I always find it easier to use a bottle POM Wonderful juice!

Roasted root vegetables

4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4-6 baby turnips, peeled, cubed
4-6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 or 2 large parsnips, peeled, trimmed, and cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices
1 medium onions, trimmed, peeled and halved, each 1/2 cut into quarters
1 large beet, peeled and cut into thick wedges
1 whole head garlic, separated into cloves, unpeeled
2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, sage, or thyme
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put all the vegetables and the herb sprigs in a large baking dish. Season well with salt and black pepper, drizzle generously with olive oil, and toss them with your hands to coat them evenly. Put the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Oven roasted vegetables

2-3 red potatoes, cut in half, then quartered
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4 inch pieces.
1 head broccoli, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, chopped
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
handful, chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange all the vegetables in a large baking dish or sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season, to taste. Toss well to coat. Place on middle rack of oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then stir. Roast another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Serves 4-6

Roasted baby red potatoes with parsley

2 lbs small red potatoes, cut in quarters
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large baking dish, combine all ingredients and toss well so that all the potatoes are coated. Place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp and tender. Toss the potatoes half way through to evenly brown.
Serves 4-6

Roasted garlic mashed potatoes

8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups red potatoes, diced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel the garlic and then toss with olive oil. Wrap them in foil and roast for about 20-30 minutes or until they are soft.
Meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water and then add the potatoes and salt. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes.
Add the milk, butter, garlic and pepper and begin to mash. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serves 4

suppers and buffets with Bill & Sheila
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