chicken

Chicken & Biscuits

/ Ren

A one-skillet dinner, adapted from a recipe at the always-tasty What Geeks Eat

Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme, celery, onion, potato, carrots, milk, baking powder, S&P, roasted chicken stock concentrate, all-purpose flour, white wine, butter and bone-in chicken thighs.

Prep the vegetables.  Cook the potatoes to about half done in a little olive oil and butter.  Add the rest of the vegetables and continue to cook until colored but slightly underdone (the flavor of root vegetables is enhanced by browning).  Set the vegetables aside.

Add a little more butter & olive oil to the pan and brown the chicken well on all sides.  Continue to cook the chicken until slightly underdone.  Set the chicken aside.

Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add herbs, liquid chicken stock and a spoonful of the concentrate to pan and reduce over high heat until reduced by half.  Sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the chicken and vegetables back to the pan and simmer over low heat while preparing the biscuits.

Make a basic biscuit dough from flour, salt, baking powder, milk and cold butter.  Roll the dough into a cylinder then cut into 1 inch thick biscuits.  Place biscuits on top of chicken then put the skillet into a 400 degree oven until the chicken is cooked through and the biscuits are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve 2 thighs and biscuits per adult.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Red Pepper Rapini

/ Ren

The goal- a savory, moist and tender bird with really crispy skin. The key to success here is to brine the bird overnight, then dry-pack it the next morning.

For the brine, kosher salt (about 1 cup per gallon of water), herbs, peppercorns and garlic. Boil all ingredients together for 5 minutes to dissolve the salt and allow the herbs to release some oil.

Add enough ice water to cool the brine and increase the volume according to the amount of salt you used.  When cool, pour the brine over the chicken and add a little olive oil.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, discard the brine and thoroughly rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat it dry, then make a dozen or so slits into the legs, thighs, breast and back of the bird.

Combine 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper and fresh chopped herbs such as savory, sage rosemary and time.

Moisten the chicken with olive oil (a mister works great for this), then rub all of the salt mixture onto the bird, thinly covering as much surface area as you can. Refrigerate for the rest of the day.

Prepare the rapini by washing it and removing 3/4 of the stem end. Chop the rest into 2-inch pieces. Plunge into rapidly boiling water for 1 minute, drain and transfer to ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain again and set aside.

Roast the chicken breast side down for 25 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Turn the chicken breast side up, add seasoned potato wedges and continue to roast until an instant thermometer reads 135 degrees in the deepest area of the breast, about 20 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and continue to roast until skin is crisp and internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 20 minutes.  Set aside to rest.

Meanwhile, make pan gravy by pouring off the grease from the roasting pan, leaving the fond behind.  Loosen the brown bits by adding a little white wine and scraping with a wooden spoon. Add this to a pot with chicken stock, and quickly reduce over high heat. Thicken with a little rice flour if necessary.

Saute scallions and garlic in olive oil.  Add the drained rapini and red pepper flakes.  Sautee all together until tender, about 5 minutes.

Carve, plate and serve.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Chipotle Black Bean Chicken Chili (favorite)

/ Ren

Crushed tomatoes, black beans, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, roasted peppers, chicken, corn, chipotle powder, smoked sweet paprika, sea salt and cheddar cheese.

Brine* the chicken for 1 hour before starting the recipe. Brining makes the chicken much more tender and juicy.

In a Dutch oven, saute the onions, jalapeno, garlic and chipotle until tender, about 7 minutes.

Add tomatoes and peppers, simmer 10 minutes.

Brown the corn with cilantro.  Browning releases the sugars and intensifies the corn flavor.

Add the corn, drained black beans and a large spoonful of nutritional yeast flakes.  Stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Cook the (rinsed and patted dry) chicken in hot oil with smoked paprika until almost done, about 5 minutes per side.

Cut the chicken into bite size cubes, add to the chili and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Serve topped with shredded cheese and slivered scallions.

* “The brining process forces water into the muscle tissues of the meat by a process known as diffusion and osmosis. This additional moisture causes the muscle tissues to swell and hold more water. The resulting water in the muscle tissues will make the meat more moist and tender. Any spices herbs or other flavorings you add to the brine solution will get taken deep into the meat with the water.”

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦