Sunday, October 29, 2006

Favorite Recipes (Chicken) UPDATED

Anyone interested in a little recipe swap? No postage needed.

A good friend has asked me for my favorite easy recipes. I'd like to start a mini recipe-swap so that she (and you and I) will end up with lots of new food to try! This week, we could do chicken. Next week, favorite appetizers. After that, there's cakes, cookies, vegetable dishes, salads, seafood, breads... you get it! So, if you want to participate, just post your recipe to your blog (and leave a comment here), or leave a long comment on this blog. I'll add your recipe to this post, and Voila! A list of yummy chicken recipes.


Cynthia's Roasted Chicken
from Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader

2 TBsp extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large roasting chicken, (soak in brine* if you have time, hours before)
1 lemon
fresh rosemary
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

*How to Brine a Chicken: Remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out. Place 1 cup salt and 5 qts. water in a large container and stir to dissolve the salt. Submerge the chicken in the brine, and make sure it is completely covered. Cover and 'fridgerate for at least 3 or up to 8 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse well. Pat dry.
Brining ensures meat that is juicy and not dry.


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rub the olive oil and 3 of the crushed garlic cloves over the chicken. Cut the lemon in half and place in the cavity of the chicken, along with the remaining 2 garlic cloves and a sprig of rosemary. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken and stick one of the rosemary stalks under the skin. Place the chicken on a rack in a black iron skillet or heavy roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional hour, or until the instant- read thermometor inserted in the breast portion registers 150 to 154 degrees.

I usually put some onion slices on the bottom of the pan, too. And, if I have an extra lemon, I put lemon slices under the skin. This is really yummy served with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans! Or, sometimes I roast potatoes in the pan along with the chicken.

Jeremy's favorite chicken recipe:

One Great Gumbo with Chicken and Andouille Sausage

from Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2

2 cups white enhriched rice, prepared to package directions

2 TBsp olive oil

3/4 lb. chicken tenders, diced

3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced (3 thighs)

salt and pepper, to taste

2 tsp poultry seasoning

3/4 lb. andouille sausage (4 links, casings removed) diced

3 TBsp butter

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 large onion, peeled and diced

2 bay leaves

2 TBsp cayenne pepper sauce

3 TBsp flour

1 quart chicken broth

1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomotoes

1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes

2 to 3 fresh thyme leaves, chopped

5 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle

Preheat a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add 2 TBsp oil, twice around the pan and the diced chicken. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of poultry seasoning, Brown on all sides, 2 or 3 minutes. Chop your veggies while it's working. Add the sausage to the pan and cook another minute or two. Transfer chicken and sausage to a dish.

Return pan to heat and add butter. When the butter melts, add chopped celery, peppers, onion and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Add hot sauce. Cook 3 to 5 minutes to begin to soften the veggies. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Return the meats to the pot and stir in the tomatoes and half of your fresh thyme. When it's bubbling, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to combine flavors, then adjust your seasonings.

Scoop cooked white rice into the center of bowlfuls of gumbo using an ice cream scoop. Setting the rice on top of the gumbo will keep it from getting too wet. Top with remaining chopped thyme and lots of chopped scallions.

This is soooo good. I would suggest taking it easy on the hot sauce, though. Last time I made this, I used way too much!

**** I'm crossing my fingers a few people will post their own!

UPDATE: Here's one recipe which sounds delicious!

Chicken Teryaki by Gishygoo

1 comment:

gishygoo said...

Hey Coleen! Sorry I haven't been over in a while. I posted a chicken recipe for you! Hope you like it - it's definitely the easiest chicken recipe I've ever made! ~Jennifer