Baked (or Roasted) Chicken

According to cooking experts-- also known as "chefs"-- the true "tell" of a great cook is how well they roast a chicken.  Seriously... I read that somewhere. It's not as simple a task as it sounds-- trust me. Are the white AND dark meats moist but not undercooked? Is the skin crispy with a light brown tint?! Did you use the correct seasonings in the correct amounts?!?!

Lucky for you, I'm a Chicken Whisperer.

Growing up, I ate baked chicken A LOT.  Both of my parents worked at our church-- my dad as the choir director and my mom as the accompanist-- so during the school year, Wednesdays consisted of school, homework, children's choir, home for dinner, back to church to do homework while my parents rehearsed Senior Choir, then home to bed. When I entered junior high, children's choir ended just in time for youth group and 2 years of Confirmation.... yay. Then I matured to high school and joined adult handbells, Senior Choir, and directed the Children's Chime Choir for three years (OMG guys, are you impressed?!?!).

Like I said, we ate baked chicken a lot, especially on Wednesdays.

While I love my mother deeply-- I think it's safe to say we're besties-- her chicken was D-R-Y.  Don't worry guys, I'd never tell you anything about her I couldn't say to her face (and in this case already have-- love you Mom!). My scarred childhood of dry chicken left my badass adult self with two major life choices: never bake chicken again or bake the best damn chicken this side of the Mississippi! 

So here we are today: you wondering why I droned on about a lame chicken story and me about to share my secrets to great chicken.

The photos I have for you are an example of Baked Chicken, but I also use a roasting pan when I'm feeling saucy.

For this guy, I used my Pampered Chef Stoneware Deep Covered Baker. It's a great kitchen piece, and you can even cook a whole chicken in ten minutes using your microwave, but for the best results, take your time. 

There was plenty of room as the chicken was only 2 pounds, so I threw in veggies to take care of a side dish. Doesn't he look cozy? 

You might be wondering what's sticking out of the cavity or what spices I've used-- an excellent question. I first begin the process by crushing a glove of garlic and rubbing it all over the skin (top AND bottom). Then I surround the chicken with veggies and squeeze fresh lemon juice over everything (don't forget to get some underneath). After the lemon, I rub the chicken in quality olive oil and sprinkle a bit more over the vegetables. Place a couple garlic cloves, an onion wedge, and a lemon piece inside the cavity for moisture. You can also use apple pieces.

The best thing about poultry is the meat's flavor adaptability-- try various kinds of spice combinations until you find one you love.  If you're ever stumped, refer back to Simon & Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair.

Just add a salad and voila: a beautiful paleo meal!  It's easy, low maintenance, and utterly satisfying. Be sure to save the bones to make broth.  I hope you give this recipe a try-- it's perfect for dinner parties!

If you're also a Chicken Whisperer and have your own signature chicken recipe, send it my way-- I love to try new recipes! 

Baked Chicken

Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, 2-2.5 pounds

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 lemon, cut into 2 wedges

1-2 Tbsp olive oil (or melted coconut oil) plus a little extra

1/2 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried rosemary

2 tsp parsley

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 carrots, cut into 2 inch sticks

1 yellow onion, cut into 6-8 wedges

Directions

Rub chicken with garlic, place in Deep Covered Baker (a Dutch oven or deep casserole dish will work), and surround with onions and carrots.  Squeeze juice from 1 lemon wedge over chicken and veggies, then rub the chicken all over with olive oil, sprinkling the veggies with some as well.  Sprinkle the chicken with spices.

As I said above: "Place a couple garlic cloves, an onion wedge, and a lemon piece inside the cavity for moisture. You can also use apple pieces."

After baking your chicken covered for an hour at 375 degrees (for a 2-2.5lb bird, you can find a chart of times & weights here), remove lid and put the baker back in the over for another ten minutes to crisp the skin. If your veggies are still underdone, remove the chicken and let them cook another 10 to 15 minutes until fork tender. (The temperature of the meat should be at 165 degrees)

Carve, serve, enjoy!

Hodge Podge Tips

• If you like using PSRT, feel free to alter the amounts to your taste. 
• You can use whatever sturdy roasting vegetables you want. I'd recommend any root vegetables cut up similarly to the carrots so they cook, or you can toss in brussels sprouts, potato wedges (if not doing Paleo), broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

Strawberry Tops: A "How To" Blog

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I grew up in a bakery family. Decades ago, my Great Grandfather Jarosch (on my mom's side) moved from Germany to Chicago and opened his own bakery. After success in the city, he moved the business to Elk Grove Village, IL and thus the Jarosch Bakery we know and love today was born.

It's always been a family effort, my grandparents in charge when I was little, and my aunt and uncle taking over when my grandfather became ill with cancer.  There's a lot of love and pride in a family bakery and it shows thru the cakes-- equal parts gorgeously decorated and delicious-- cookies, breads, pastries, etc etc. After working there on and off for 5 years, I've got a few stories about bakery life I'd love to share. I'll write about it down the road.

Anyway, one of the most popular cake fillings at Jarosch is fresh strawberries. I mean... duh. Makes total sense, no? Needless to say, as a "Bakery Girl" there were crates of strawberries that needed the tops removed and to be halved. And being German, it was imperative for my Great Grandma to create a method that saved as much of the strawberry as possible since they're expensive, especially when out of season. 

Step 1: Get a strawberry.

IMPORTANT: Do not skip Step 1.

 Step 2: Retrieve a cutting board and small paring knife.

(I got my cutting board and knife from The Pampered Chef)

Step 3: Insert blade as close to the center as possible, as well as a little underneath the top.  

Step 4: Rotate knife all the way around center, remaining close to the leaves.

I actually rotate the strawberry into the blade more than I move the knife.

 Step 5: Remove top.

See how much of the strawberry is left? 

I hope this was helpful. It may take a little getting used to, but after doing hundreds (maybe THOUSANDS) of them, you get the hang of it. This is great when you're making fruit salad. Do you use a special technique to remove strawberry tops? Do you think I'm utterly WEIRD for writing a blog post about it?!

Sombrero Pasta Salad

In food terms, Summertime signifies fruit salad, grilling burgers, picnics, and most of all... pasta salad. I love pasta salads because they don't require an oven, are easy to time manage (chop all the veggies while the pasta boils), and the recipes are always crowd-size.

This excellent and flavorful pasta salad comes from Taste of Home, though I found the recipe on Pinterest. However, I know this carb-filled dish doesn't scream "HEALTHY!!!" but there are plenty of ways to improve the recipe.  Look for tips underneath recipe.

So, if you need to bring a side dish to this weekend's Cinco de Mayo celebration or want a main dish that's different from the usual tacos and quesadillas, the Sombrero Pasta Salad is a great option. Not mention attractive:

SOMBRERO PASTA SALAD

1 pound spiral pasta, cooked as directed

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup water

1 packet taco seasoning 

16oz bottle Catalina or Western salad dressing

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 - 15oz cans sliced black olives, drained

8oz (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese

Make pasta according to package directions. Heat a large skillet and crumble & cook meat until browned. Drain. Add water and taco seasoning, simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Once pasta and meat are cooked, toss in a bowl with all the other ingredients, add dressing and mix well. Serve immediately... or let flavors marinate over night-- your choice :)

Cooking Tips:

1. To lower fat content, buy sirloin/ super lean ground beef OR ground turkey. I used 90% lean, 7% fat ground beef.

2. Organic whole wheat pasta is a great choice when wanting to avoid overly processed carbs, as well as fiber to your diet. Plus it's much more filling.  Look for store (generic) brand option and make sure it's the full 16oz, not 12 or 14 (companies are tricky like that).

3. Use low sodium dressing and canned olive options.

4. To really drop sodium, sugars, and preservatives, I made homemade Catalina Dressing from ingredients I already had around the house. As a way to boost this recipe, try using organic ketchup and a more natural sweetener than sugar. I've replaced the sugar in our house with unrefined Zulka Azucar Morena-- crystallized cane juice.

5. Another sodium/chemical decreaser (new word!) is making homemade taco seasoning. This recipe makes extra so be sure to put the rest in a sealed container like these great Pampered Chef Prep Bowls. Use 2 Tbsp.

6. The recipe has you add raw onion but I sautéed mine because I didn't want to taste onion for the rest of the day. You might also consider substituting a bunch of green onions. Same with the tomato-- you could definitely substitute a half to a whole container of cherry tomatoes.

7. The cheese seems optional in my opinion-- next time I make the salad I'll omit the cheese and see if it makes a difference. Or you could use shredded Manchenga or crumbled Queso Fresco for a more Mexican flavor.

8. And finally... for added flavor, toss in half a bunch of chopped cilantro!!! You were waiting for my cilantro reference, weren't you?

Happy Cooking and Eat Well.