Succulent Roast Chicken

I love the white meat on a chicken, but not when it's dry. On New Year's Day I roasted a chicken that came out moist and juicy. First, I cooked it in an Oven Bag -- in the crock pot -- breast down.

I put the defrosted chicken in the oven bag, added about 1/4 cup chicken broth, a minced clove of garlic, a bit of poultry seasoning and a quarter cube of butter. I then sealed the oven bag and placed it, chicken breast down, bag closure up, in the crock pot, which I had set to "high". I put the lid on the pot and left it alone for 5 hours.

When I lifted the bag out of the crock pot, the bag was full of the chicken's own natural juices. I cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and let those juices run into a pan. I used them to make gravy.

I served the chicken with sautéed vegetables, stuffing, and, of course, mashed potatoes and gravy. The chicken breast was moist, juicy and oozing with flavor.

Oyster Chicken

OC wanted to cook dinner the other night. That was fine with me. He's a great cook and I enjoy an evening off every now and then -- well, partial evening off, since when he cooks a special meal I clean, and when I cook a special meal he cleans.

The meal he cooked was incredibly special. He found a brand new recipe then modified it to fit his/our tastes (and ingredients on hand).



Oyster Chicken

8 chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
1 (10 fluid ounce) bottle oyster sauce
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Place dry, thawed chicken thighs in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Drain chicken.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the oyster sauce, garlic, teriyaki, cayenne, chili, sugar and water. Mix together and taste the sauce; if it is not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste.

After chicken has baked for 25 minutes, pour sauce over it and bake for another 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Serve with your favorite rice and a salad. Three Note Salad is shown in the photo above.

Old Fashioned Chicken Soup

My Gram used to make the best chicken soup. I always loved it when the big pot came out and Gram rolled a batch of homemade noodles. I knew that meant we were having chicken soup. It is the ultimate comfort food.

Gram roasted a whole chicken and made the traditional roast chicken dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, etc. The next day she boiled the chicken leftovers -- every scrap including bones and skin -- to make her broth. Of course she removed the bones -- mostly -- before serving. I make my broth a tad-bit healthier, but it lacks the richness of Gram's broth.

6 chicken legs, skinned
1 16 oz can of low sodium chicken broth
2 16 oz cans of water
2 bay leaves*
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup green onion stalks (for color)
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, thin sliced

Put everything into the crock pot. Set the pot on low or slow, depending on your dial. Go to work. Leave home for the day. At the very least, completely ignore the pot.**

After 6 or so hours turn the pot to the fast or high setting. Remove the chicken legs from the pot. Allow them to cool and de-bone them. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. The bones may be discarded.

Roll out a batch of Easy Homemade Egg Noodles. They require little to no drying time, so within an hour you should be adding noodles to the crock pot. Add noodles slowly so they do not stick together. Stir the pot often as you add the noodles. When all the noodles have been added, replace the lid and simmer for at least 1/2 hour.

Ladle the soup into large bowls. Hand the bowls to hungry people. Watch the soup disappear. Expect to be asked for seconds.

Notes:

*remove bay leaves before serving

**I like to make the broth one day, de-bone the chicken, chill the broth, then reheat it in a regular soup pan the second day and cook in the noodles. Soup always has a better flavor on day two.

One Pan Meal for Two

Soft & Fluffy Baked Potato

Scrub two large brown potatoes. Remove blemishes. Poke several holes in potatoes with fork or sharp knife. Rub potatoes in olive oil and cover in aluminum foil. Bake in 375 degree oven for approximately 90 minutes.





Roast Chicken Legs*

4 chicken legs
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons seasoned salt**
1/2 teaspoon Poultry Seasonings (optional)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
pepper to taste

Mix flour and seasonings in plastic bag. Add chicken legs and shake until coated. Place chicken legs on a baking sheet coated with your favorite cooking spray. Bake in 375 degree oven for approximately 1 hour. Turn once while roasting.


Garlic-Butter Squash

Halve and clean one acorn squash. Salt and pepper^ the squash to taste, thin slice or dice a clove of garlic and put it, along with a one tablespoon pat of butter in the center of each half. Bake in 375 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. (Put it in the baking dish right beside the chicken.)




Cooking tips:

When flouring the chicken use a zipper-lock bag and seal it with plenty of air inside to allow free movement of chicken and flour as you shake.

Put the potatoes in the oven first and turn it on to preheat. Once the oven is at full temperature turn it from preheat to bake. A half an hour later add the chicken. Fifteen minutes after that add the squash. If the potatoes are not fully cooked when the chicken and squash are ready, a minute or so in the microwave should finish them to perfection.

Notes:

*any cut of chicken can be used. Meatier pieces may need a longer cooking time.

**your favorite brand

^I used seasoned salt

I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture of the finished plate. Once again the food was half eaten before I remembered. When I complained to OC he assured me it was "beautiful."

Fancy Tuna (or Chicken) Salad

This actually doesn't look as good as it tasted. I would have tried for a better picture, but my loving partner was impatient to eat. He snapped this for me then hustled his plate to the dinner table. However, if you think about it, that's quite an endorsement for the salad. (Note to self: Don't mention that OC hadn't eaten in almost 10 hours.)

This recipe evolved -- as many of my recipes do -- out of a lack of necessary ingredients for the salad I wanted to make. No mayo? Crap! [snatch open fridge] Oh, look! Sour cream! It's the right color. I wonder what will happen if ....

Salad:

• 1 pound bag of fancy pasta, boiled and rinsed
• 1 12-oz. can of albacore tuna (canned chicken works well, too!)
• 1/2 med. sweet onion, diced
• 1/4 cup diced or grated carrot
• 1/4 cup pickle relish (I prefer dill)
• 1/2 fresh or *frozen peas

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayo (or Miracle Whip or Sour Cream)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 2-0z jar of diced pimento with juice
• 1/4 c. dill pickle juice (if you use sweet pickles add a little more white wine)
• 2 tbs. spicy brown mustard
• 1 tsp. celery seed (or 1/4 cup fresh, thinly-sliced celery)
• 1 tbs. dried parsley
• salt & pepper to taste

Toss the fresh ingredients in a bowl. Mix the dressing and pour it over the top. Stir and chill.

**Serve on a bed of lettuce. Garnish with paprika and deviled eggs. Fresh rolls on the side would be nice.

Makes 4 generous (full meal) servings.


tips:

*I defrost the peas by putting them in the colander and draining the pasta over them.

**This salad tastes best the day after you make it. I like to put it together the afternoon before the day I serve it. (I like to, but I seldom get to.)