Roasted Chicken

Roasted Chicken is one of the most versatile foods. It can be dressed up for formal affairs, yet it is never too stuffy, pardon the pun, for a simple social gathering. Although the general preparation is simple, there are several ways to veer into the land of, well, not so tasty chicken.  The primary culprit is dryness, followed by blandness, over seasoning to the point you lose any sense you're eating chicken, and lastly undercooking. This preparation seeks to solve all, but the last one. That is because doneness is measured by temperature, and not always time. Roughly a chicken's internal temperature should reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the chicken, baking temperature, and type of oven. Normally, however, a good rule of thumb for planning is about 20-25 minutes per pound.

When combatting dryness two things are essential: a moist stuffing, and resting. The stuffing here is designed to release moisture to enhance the chicken.  This is in contrast to bread and rice based stuffing that is designed to absorb moisture from the chicken. More important than the stuffing is the resting.  Once the chicken reaches doneness, take it out of the oven and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Avoid any picking, early slicing, or anything that will release moisture.  It may be difficult if you're hungry, but this will allow the meat to hold on to moisture. 

On to blandness and over seasoning, they really are different faces on the same coin. While neither one is ideal, the latter is very difficult, if not impossible, to fix after basking. Under seasoning is usually the result of a fear of over seasoning, however, fear be gone. Just remember salt is not your enemy, but it is to be respected. This preparation uses 1½ teaspoons of salt divided between the interior and the exterior.   Pepper and other seasonings may be added, but a good indicator is smell. A raw chicken should smell like chicken, even after it's seasoned. If it doesn't, then it will not taste like chicken.  A good tip is that prior to baking most excess seasonings can be rinsed off.

1 6 pound roasting hen

1 small onion

½  medium Golden Delicious apple

2 cloves of garlic

1½  teaspoon salt (divided)

2  teaspoon black pepper (divided)

2  teaspoons poultry seasoning (divided)

1  teaspoon paprika

2  teaspoons of olive oil.

Step One: Oven and Settings

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, if using a convection oven please consult your owners manual regarding convection oven conversion.

Step Two: The chicken

Remove the chicken from its packaging, and then remove the organ packet or the organs from the cavity. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place on a cutting board.  Using poultry shears trim off any access skin and fat.

Step Three: Season and Stuff

Slice the apple in half. Reserve one half for another recipe. Core ½ of the apple and cut it into 1

inch cubes. Peel an onion, and chop into 1 inch pieces. Peel and smash the garlic. Transfer the apple, onion and garlic to a medium mixing bowl. Add a ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and poultry seasoning and combine well. Stuff the chicken with the mixture, completely filling the cavity.    Once the chicken is stuffed, season the outside of the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and paprika. 

Step Four: Bake

Transfer the seasoned and stuffed chicken to a baking dish preferably one with a rack to avoid the

chicken stewing in it's own juices. Place the chicken in the preheated oven and let it roast for 45 minutes. Using a basting brush, baste the chicken with olive oil. Repeat the basting every 30 minutes until the chicken is done.

Step Five: Rest

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes prior to trimming.

Turkey Burgers and Oven Roasted Potatoes Wedges

Turkey burgers are a healthier alternative to standard beef burgers.  Unfortunately, they can be dry, rubbery, and downright flavorless. This preparation results in juicy flavorful turkey burgers  that can stand up to the beefiest of beef burgers.  No burger, however, is complete without fries. The potato wedge preparation below is also a healthier alternative to traditional french fries, yet as tasty if not tastier.  

Four Servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup diced green pepper

1/4 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic minced or pressed

1 pound 93% lean/7% fat ground turkey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of vegetable oil

Step One:  

Combine all ingredients very well in a large mixing bowl.

Step Two:  

Form four equal sized patties from the mixture. As an alternative, a ring mold can be employed to form  restaurant style patties.

Step Three:  

Oil a non-stick pan and bring to medium hight heat. Place the burgers into the pan and cook for ten minutes and then flip the burger over and cook until the inside temperature is 170 degrees F. 

Step Four: 

Remove the burgers from the pan and let them rest on a paper towel for five minutes. 

Step Five: 

Bun the burger and don with fixings. 

Oven Roasted Potatoes Wedges

3 medium red or Yukon Gold potatoes

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt or seasoning salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

Step One: 

Preheat oven 425 degrees F. 

Sept Two:

Cut potatoes in wedges by cutting the potato in half longways, then half again, and then so there

are four longways pieces or quarters. Cut each quarter in half longways at a 45 degree angle to form a wedge.   Repeat for the other potatoes and add them to a large mixing bowl. Add pressed garlic, pepper, salt (or seasoning salt), and olive oil to the bowl and mix completely.

Step Three:

Place wedges on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake  for 10 minutes. A good tip is to arrange the potatoes with the skins facing one direction. Turn the wedges over and bake for another ten minutes. 

Caribbean Curried Chicken

Curried Chicken is by far one of the most accessible and easily found Caribbean foods. Like all curries, it's highly regionalized, there can be multiple curries found along the entire archipelago.  Essentially it is a spiced stew consisting of meat or poultry, a starch such as pumpkin or potato, coconut milk, spicy peppers, and a curry spice blend, which will usually contain allspice.

Ingredients 

2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 medium potatoes, pealed and cubed*

3 tablespoons curry powder**

½  teaspoon nutmeg

½  teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup water

½ cup coconut milk

1 Scotch Bonnet or habanero chili pepper, slit in half lengthwise

Notes:

*Do not use russet potatoes, use white, or Yukon Gold

**Do not use Madras Curry powder, and if Jamaican Curry powder is used, omit allspice and nutmeg

 

Step One: Chicken Prep

Cut chicken into two inch pieces. The skin and rib bones can be removed, but this is optional. Combine the chicken, onion, garlic, lime juice, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Mix the ingredients together.  Transfer the chicken to a tight-lidded container and refrigerate for two hours.

Step Two: Potatoes

Peal and cut the potatoes into ½ inch cubes. Steam the potatoes for ten minutes until tender, but still firm.

Step Three: Curry Gravy

Mix the curry powder, nutmeg and allspice together in a small bowl and set aside.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 6 quart pot over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering.  Stirring very

quickly, add the curry powder mixture to the oil. Continue to stir rapidly for about 1 minute. Immediately add the chicken mixture, potatoes, water, coconut milk, and the chili pepper.

 

Step Four: Simmer and Serve

Stir the mixture and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until the chicken is fully cooked and the gravy is the desired thickness. Serve over white rice and enjoy. 

Turkey Swedish Meatballs

Few dishes compare to the rich and savoriness of  Swedish Meatballs.  An almost surefire crowd pleaser, swedish meatballs may be served as a main course or hors d'oeuvres.  The ingredients are commonly found at most supermarkets. There are seasoning packets for the gravy and pre made meatballs, however, this preparation is a very simple one pot dish. 

Ingredients 

1 Pack (usually 1.33 pounds) 93/7 Ground Turkey

1/2 cup brea crumbs or panko breadcrumbs

1 whole Egg

1 minced or pressed garlic clove

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons butter or margarine 

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup fat free half-and-half

1 teaspoon diced fresh parsley

Step 1: Making Meatballs

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, allspice, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Mix the ingredients together.  Form 3/4-inch round meatballs.  Heat oil in a large lidded non-stick pan and once the oil is hot  brown the meatballs on all sides for roughly 5 minutes. Once browned reduce the heat to medium low; lid the pan and cook the meat balls until they are done. 

Step 2:  The Gravy 

Removed the meat balls from the pan and reserve. Drain off excess fat, but take care not to

remove the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Add the butter and broth. Stir them together until the butter melts.  Add the flour a bit at a time stirring very fast to avoid lumps.  The sauce will thicken and brown.  At the point of thickening stir in the half-and-half.

Step 3: Finishing

Add the meatballs back to the pan and combine with the gravy until all meatballs are coated.  Remove from heat and garnish with parsley.