Table of Contents:

FAQ’s about Roast Chicken...... 2 Four Techniques for the Best Chicken...... 3 Part I: Chicken Main Dish Recipes...... 4 Basic Roasted Chicken...... 4 Easy Roast Chicken...... 5 Roast Chicken with Apple Cornbread Dressing...... 6 Oven-...... 7 Tangy Barbecued Oven-Roasted Chicken...... 7 Sione’s ...... 8 Lemon Fried Chicken...... 9 Chicken Breasts with Lemon Herb Sauce...... 10 Lemon Thyme Chicken with Skin-On Mashed Potatoes...... 11 Chicken and New Potatoes Skillet Dinner...... 12 Sweet & Spicy Caribbean Chicken...... 13 Chicken Spaghetti Bolognese...... 14 Sautéed Chicken with Mushroom Sauce...... 15 Hungarian Paprika Chicken...... 16 Florida Baked Chicken...... 17 Part II: Other Chicken Recipes...... 18 Chicken Primavera with Summer Squash...... 18 Chicken and Cheddar Biscuit Casserole...... 19 Bruschetta Chicken Bake...... 20 ...... 21 Chicken Pot Pie with Green Beans in a Cream Sauce...... 22 Garlic Chicken Stir Fry...... 24 Chicken Enchiladas...... 25 ...... 26 Chicken and Black Bean Chili...... 26 Classic Chicken Recipes Southwest ...... 27

“Chicken is so versatile. It’s hard to go wrong with chicken.”

- Dennis Weaver

Copyright 2015, The Prepared Pantry. All rights reserved.

The material herein is published by The Prepared Pantry for the private use of individuals and may not be used for commercial purposes without the express consent of the publisher. The information contained herein is believed accurate but the publisher makes no warranties, express or implied, and the recipient is using this information at his or her own risk. Four Techniques for the FAQs About Roast Chicken Best Chicken far recesses of the chicken In our quest for the best roast chicken, we 3. For Flavor: Inserting Herbs and reaches 160 degrees, the discovered four techniques–two for flavor Spices Under the Skin tender breast meat will be and two for moistness and tenderness. For overcooked and dry. flavor, we used a technique for putting With the back of a spoon, create pockets on herbs and spices under the skin and one the breasts and legs. Place spices or herbs Won’t soaking in water for injecting chicken with a marinade. For in these pockets and spread around. This do the same thing as moistness, we brined and infused chickens works best in conjunction with brining or soaking in brine? with steam. All four of the techniques are infusing steam during baking. remarkably successful. No. We don’t understand 4. For Flavor: Inserting Marinade the chemistry, but soaking in 1. For Moistness and Tenderness: Use a marinade injector to insert a wide brine works much better than Brining soaking in plain water. The range of marinades directly into the meat of chicken is moister and more Brine the chicken for one hour, in the the chicken. Puree chunky marinades first– tender. It seems that the salt refrigerator, in a solution of 1/2 cup salt for those with herbs or vegetables. This method water penetrates the walls of ten cups water. If you brine the chicken, works well in conjunction with a vertical rack the cells better than unsalted you can still insert flavors under the skin. with infuser. water. Injecting marinade after brining does not Do I use cold water or work well. warm? 2. For Moistness At what temperature should you roast Cold water. You don’t want either the and Tenderness: your chicken? chicken or the water rising above 40 degrees. Infusing with At 40 degrees, bacteria starts to multiply Steam In preparing this issue, we read many much more rapidly. recipes and found baking temperatures Infusing with steam from 325 to 500 degrees. As a principle Since it’s only an hour, can I let my chicken leaves the chicken for roasting meat, a slow roast is preferred soak on the counter? No. You have to keep moist and tender and results in a more tender, moist product. the temperature below 40 degrees. If you without becoming And while we tried, higher temperatures, we kept adding ice to chill the water, you could. soggy. The best way had better results with the oven set on 350 to infuse with steam If you really don’t have room in the or 375 degrees. is with a vertical rack refrigerator, consider a vertical roaster with with infuser. You One of the reasons offered for higher infuser. can inject marinade temperatures is the argument that higher into the chicken temperatures are required to brown the What does basting do? before baking with bird. Not so. If you brush your chicken with Basting with butter helps brown the skin this method. melted butter before baking, it will brown nicely and make it crisper. If you eat the very nicely. skin, that’s important. The butter makes What about stuffed chicken? the skin taste better. We don’t think that the butter penetrates enough to make an If you stuff your chicken with dressing will it appreciable difference in the flavor of the be moist? Not as moist as a brined chicken meat. or one baked with an infuser. If you have a very moist dressing, it may help. But to be We rub our chickens with butter before safe, the dressing must reach 160 degrees. baking but don’t bother to baste while (Dressing stuffed inside of a chicken or a baking. turkey where unsafe juices can drip into the dressing, is a common source of food poisoning.) By the time the dressing in the

2 3 Part I: Chicken Main Dish Recipes Basic Roasted Easy Roast Chicken Chicken

This is a basic chicken recipe but much more the chicken, use a vertical rack with Directions moist and tender than a chicken just popped an infuser. Fill the reservoir with the into the oven. liquid of your choice. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 3. Use a pastry brush to brush the skin 1. Season the cavity of each chicken with Ingredients of the chicken with the melted butter. salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. 1 whole chicken, 3-1/2 to 4 pounds in Use a spoon to lift the skin away from Place a bay leaf in each chicken. weight the breast meat. Spoon any herbs or 2. Place the chickens on a rack, breast 2-3 tablespoons butter, melted herb butter into the pockets and press on the skin to spread the paste onto side up, in or over a pan. salt and pepper the breasts or sprinkle salt and pepper 3. Roast the chickens for 1 hour and into the cavities. 1/2 cup salt for brining or use an infuser 15 minutes or until the internal Notes: Chicken can become very dry in 4. Place the chicken in the center of the temperature in the thigh meat is 170 roasting and nearly unpalatable. To avoid oven and roast it until it is done, about degrees. 1-1/2 hours. Test for doneness with an dry chicken, you need to infuse water into 4. Remove from the oven and let rest for insta-read thermometer. (See below.) the chicken. You can do that in one of two ten minutes. Save the drippings for ways. Use a vertical roasting rack with an gravy if you’d like. infuser. In this way, you create steam in Cook’s notes: Do not overcook. Use an insta-read thermometer to tell when the body cavity that permeates the meat. 5. With kitchen shears or poultry shears, your chicken is cooked. The thermometer The infuser can be loaded with water, juice, split the chicken in half cutting down should be inserted deep into the meat but cider, pop, or beer. Herbs or spices can be the center of the back and the center not against the bone since the bones tend It’s easy to roast a chicken. While you can added to the reservoir. of breasts. Place a half chicken on to reach a higher temperature than the inject flavors and put them under the skin, each plate for serving. The other way to create a moist chicken, is meat does. The breast meat should test 165 you don’t have to. In this case, we simply to soak it in a brine solution for an hour. degrees and the thigh meat, 170. used seasoning. The salt water will permeate the bird so You can bake this chicken in three ways: on that the chicken retains water prior to You can roast a chicken without brining or a vertical rack, on a rack over a baking sheet, roasting. If you use a brine soak, dissolve without an infuser but the meat will tend or in a roasting pan with rack in the bottom. one-half cup of salt in 8 to 10 cups of cold to be much drier. The cooking times will be Your rack should clear the pan enough to water and soak the bird for an hour in the about the same. allow hot air to circulate around the chicken. refrigerator just prior to roasting. Do not set the chicken in a baking pan to Directions roast. The liquids will drain out of the Ingredients chicken into the pan and permeate parts of 2 whole chickens, preferably smaller Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. the chicken to make it soggy and greasy. A rack allows the grease to drip away from ones 1. If you are not using an infuser, soak the chicken. salt the chicken in 8 to 10 cups of water with the 1/2 cup salt dissolved in the pepper water. thyme

2. Wash the chicken and pat it dry. Salt rosemary and pepper the body cavity. Place the 2 bay leaves chicken on a vertical or horizontal baking rack. If you have not soaked

4 5 Roast Chicken with Oven-Fried Tangy Barbecued Apple Cornbread Chicken Oven-Roasted Dressing Chicken Chicken is so versatile. This recipe calls We like the ease of oven Most of the time, we just use a jar of for pairing the chicken with a cornbread fried chicken. But when barbecue sauce but this is better. It’s easy to dressing that is loaded with nuts and apple we cook it in a baking put together and makes great chicken. bits. You can use any leftover cornbread. We Baker’s note: This can be made without dish, the drippings collect included a recipe for the cornbread that is flour. Use an extra cup of cornmeal in the pan and make the Ingredients quick and simple so that you can start from instead of the flour called for in the recipe, chicken soggy and greasy. scratch. for a total of two cups of cornmeal. This way, the chicken is 6 to 8 pieces chicken, drumsticks and still moist but not greasy thighs with skin on Apple Cornbread 4. Whisk the eggs and add them to the and the coating stays vegetable oil for frying dry ingredients. Add the cornmeal crispy on both sides. We 1/4 cup ketchup Dressing Ingredients and buttermilk mixture. Stir until think you’ll love fixing just combined. 1 cup yellow cornmeal chicken this easy way. 1/2 cup chili sauce 1/2 cup buttermilk 5. Pour the batter into the skillet and 2 tablespoons lemon juice bake for 20 minutes or until done. Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 6. Melt two tablespoons butter in 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar a large pot. Crumble the baked 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard cornbread into the pot. Stir in 1/2 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda teaspoon thyme and 1/2 teaspoon 1-1/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon salt sage or to taste. 2 teaspoon onion, minced 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 bay leaf, crushed 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 7. Take one large tart apple and core 3 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks 1 cup chopped walnuts and dice it finely. (Do not peel.) Add 1/4 teaspoon crushed thyme the apple to the dressing. Add one 4 large eggs 12-ounce can of chicken broth. Stir. Heat in the pan or use to stuff the Directions Directions chickens. Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 1. Mix the cornmeal with the buttermilk Roasting the Chicken 1. Place an oven-proof cooling rack on a 1. Heat a little oil in a large pan. Place and let soak for about an hour. baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. the chicken in the pan and brown it on 1. Wash and pat dry the chicken(s) This method will work best if the rack all sides. Place the chicken on a plate 2. Place the butter in an ovenproof skillet including the interior of the bird. Rub sits an inch or so off the pan to allow lined with a paper towel to drain off ten inches in diameter. Set the skillet salt inside the bird and sprinkle salt on air to circulate under the rack and the excess grease. Place the browned in the oven and set the temperature the exterior. Place the chicken breast cook the meat from below. chicken in a 9 x 13-inch pan. for 400 degrees. The butter will melt side up in a roasting pan. Brush the 2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, at about 200 degrees. Remove the pan skin with melted butter if desired. 2. For the barbecue sauce, mix the from the oven with the melted butter. paprika, salt and pepper. Coat the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour 2. Set the oven to 375 degrees. Roast chicken by dredging the pieces in the the sauce over the chicken. 3. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking the chicken for 1 to 2 hours or until it flour mixture. soda, salt and sugar together in a tests done at 185 degrees using a meat 3. Bake the chicken for one hour or medium bowl. Add the walnuts. 3. Place the chicken on the rack. Bake until it is fully cooked (165 to170 thermometer. A smaller chicken–one for 15 minutes and then turn the of 2 to 3 pounds–will be done in an degrees), basting occasionally with the temperature down to 375 for an drippings. hour or a little more. A large chicken additional 20 minutes or until the may take the full two hours. meat is no longer pink.

6 7 Sione’s Barbecue Lemon Fried Chicken Chicken

Directions Ingredients extra-crispy crust for each chicken piece that will not rub off. 1. In a large bowl, stir the soy sauce and 3-4 chicken breasts brown sugar together to dissolve the 2 eggs 3. Fry each chicken piece in 350° sugar. Add the minced garlic and vegetable oil until crust is crispy and 2 tablespoons water ginger. golden brown. Place the fried chicken 2 cups panko pieces onto a plate with a paper towel 2. Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade for allowing the excess oil to drain and set vegetable oil for frying basting. aside. Lemon Sauce 3. Pour the remaining marinade over the 4. In a wok, on medium heat, heat the 1/4 cup granulated sugar chicken and refrigerate it overnight. sugar, chicken broth, lemon zest, There should be enough marinade to 1/3 cup chicken broth lemon juice, rice vinegar, salt, garlic, cover the chicken. 1 teaspoon lemon zest and yellow food coloring (if desired). 4. Cook the chicken on the grill or broil 3 tablespoons lemon juice 5. In a separate small bowl, combine it in the oven turning once halfway 2 tablespoons rice vinegar the cornstarch and water to make the through and basting just before the slurry. Add the slurry to the sauce and meat is done. 1/4 teaspoon salt continue to heat and stir until sauce is 1 garlic clove, minced thickened. Cook’s Notes: 1-2 drops yellow food coloring 6. Place the fried chicken on a plate and Sione doesn’t use grated ginger; he wrings (optional) cut into strips. Pour the sauce over the Sione Taulanga married our niece Sarah. the juice from fresh ginger by twisting it in 1 tablespoon cornstarch top and serve warm with additional We’ve enjoyed his barbecue chicken at kitchen cloth. Grating is a simplified method lemon slices if desired. family parties. So we called his house to get and we think it works just fine. 1 tablespoon water the recipe. In our testing in the oven, the chicken “He doesn’t have a recipe. He just makes it,” was done in 12 to 14 minutes on each side. Directions explained Sarah. Cooking times will vary depending on how far the chicken is from the heating element. 1. Make an egg wash by He only uses four ingredients for the On the grill, it should be done in eight to ten slightly beating two eggs marinade and makes it by taste. So we went minutes on each side. with one tablespoon of to work in our test kitchen. We think this water. In a separateflat- version is very good. Baste the chicken just before it is done. bottomed dish, place the With the high sugar content in the basting two cups of panko. Ingredients marinade, it will burn easily. 2. With a meat mallet, 2 cups soy sauce pound each chicken 3/4 cup brown sugar breast to 1/4 inch thick. Dip each chicken 3 cloves of garlic, minced breast in egg and then 2 tablespoons finely grated ginger plus panko, and repeat any juice created by grating one more time. This 10 to 12 pieces of cut up frying chicken double-dipping process is crucial to create an

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