Tag: Feathers

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken with Potatoes

 

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken with Potatoes | Black Girl Chef's Whites

 

She’s not the most beautiful chick(en), but she is succulent. Her skin is not bronzed like her oven roasted sisters, but she is so tender and juicy.  Slow Cooker Roast Chicken is a bit of an oxymoron, as slow cooing and roasting are very different methods of cooking.  It may be contradictory, but it works.

The best thing about a roasted chicken is the crispy  spiced skin, which is hard to achieve in a slow cooker.  But not impossible. Because of the small amount of liquid and cooking the chicken on top of the aromatic vegetables, the skin does brown and crisp slightly.  Slightly.

The chicken is so moist and tender when cooked slowly, the potatoes flavorful from being braised in a mixture of white wine and chicken drippings.  Who needs crisp skin?

This recipe calls for seasoned salt, which I always like to have on hand for  seasoning almost everything. Make up a batch and keep it in an airtight container for an easy go-to spice blend which works for meat, fish, poultry and vegetables.

 

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken with Potatoes | Black Girl Chef's Whites

Seasoned Salt
 
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Prep time
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Ingredients
  • 3 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl combine all the spices.
  2. Keep in an airtight container.
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Slow Cooker Roast Chicken with Potatoes
 
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Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 pound chicken
  • 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup dry white wine
Instructions
  1. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
  2. Rub the seasoned salt all over the chicken.
  3. Place the potatoes, onions and wine into a large slow cooker.
  4. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables.
  5. Set the slow cooker to low, cook the chicken for 7 hours.
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Herb Brined Roast Chicken

Herb Brined Chicken | Black Girl Chef's Whites

 

She may not be the prettiest girl in the room, but she sure does taste good. She’s bursting with flavor, moist and tender to the bone.

Why, you say? Because she had a spa treatment of sorts, a long, cool bath in a salt and herb brine. After the cooling bath, then it was time for the dry heat of the sauna, or oven depending on what you want to call it.

Brining meats not only adds the flavors of your choice to the meat, it pretty much ensures that the meat will not dry out. (Yes, if you over cook it, it will be dry, but if cooked properly it will be juicy.)  Chicken, turkey and pork all respond well to brining. And the best thing about using a brine, is you can choose the flavor profile. Herbs, spices, maple syrup, tea. Just about anything you can think of. The only thing that is mandatory is salt.

Once the chicken has brined, there is no need to add any seasonings. You can rub a little oil or butter on the skin if you want, but thats optional.  I roasted this chicken flat, by cutting up one side of the backbone. This enables the chicken to cook faster.

 

Herb Brined Roast Chicken | Black Girl Chef's Whites

 

 

Recipe: Herb Brined Roast Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon cold water
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 10 basil leaves
  • 5 sprigs of thyme
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 spring of oregano
  • 1 3-4 pound roasting chicken

Instructions

  1. Pour the water into a large enough bowl or pot to hold the chicken.
  2. Add the salt, basil, thyme, peppercorns, rosemary, bay leaf and oregano to the water.
  3. Stir well, until the salt is dissolved.
  4. Add the chicken, then place a small plate on top to keep the chicken weighted down.
  5. Brine the chicken overnight.
  6. When ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the brine and pat the chicken dry.
  7. Discard the brine.
  8. Roast the chicken in a preheated 375º F oven for about 70 – 90 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

Copyright © Cheryl D Lee.

 

 

Braised Chicken Thighs

Braising is a superb cooking method used to tenderize tougher cuts of meat, such as brisket, pork shoulder or lamb shanks. While chicken thighs are not considered a tough cut of meat, the process of braising makes them succulent and juicy. Turkey thighs and breast, or chicken breasts are also wonderful when braised.

Recipe: Braised Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

  • 6 large chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 2 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • Large onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl mix the poultry seasoning, salt, Aleppo pepper, garlic and 2 teaspoons of olive oil, forming a paste.
  2. Rub each chicken thigh on both sides with the spice paste. Let the chicken marinate for 1 hour to overnight.
  3. In a large deep skillet over medium high flame, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  4. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides, remove from the pan and reserve on a plate.
  5. Add the sliced onions, cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
  6. Pour the chicken broth into the pan, stirring and scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  7. Return the chicken to the pan.
  8. Lower the heat to medium low, cover the pan, and let the chicken braise for 30 minutes.
  9. When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and place onto a serving platter. Cover it with foil to keep it warm.
  10. Turn the heat up to high, and reduce the sauce by about half or until slightly thickened.
  11. Turn off the heat, stir in the butter pieces one at a time, until they are incorporated into the sauce.
  12. Spoon the sauce over the chicken thighs.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 50 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Cheryl D Lee on Foodista

Bondage Birdy or Spread Eagle? Roast Chicken 101

Crispy skinned roast chicken
Crispy skinned roast chicken

Yes, I know. That title was very provocative, but it got your attention, didn’t it?!  I can go either way, bondage birdy or spread eagle.

My rule of thumb is if I am serving the chicken whole, and carving at the table, then I truss it up like a Mr. Slave from “South Park.”  But my usual way of roasting a chicken is to let it be free, spread eagle style.

I was taught in culinary school that you truss the bird so it cooks evenly, but in reality a chicken will cook evenly whether it is tied or not.  It’s really about the look.  A trussed bird looks neater and more professional.  Of course, I think my chicken looks delicious, but it would look really good with the legs neatly crossed and a bunch of fresh herbs as garnish.

What I prefer to do with my roast chicken is to cut it into 8 pieces after cooking, and return it to the pan it was roasted in along with all the tasty juices.  This keeps the chicken very moist, and flavorful.

The best thing about roasting a chicken is that you can season it any way you want.  The key is to make a spice or herb rub using a flavorful fat, such as butter or olive oil.  This insures you get crispy skin when the chicken is roasted.  Be creative or use spice mixes such as curry, poultry seasoning, herbes de provence, or any of the other herb and spice mixes to be found at your local supermarket or online spice retailer.

The only rules you need to know for roasting a chicken are:

  1. Rinse – rinse and dry your chicken well
  2. Rub – rub the inside and outside of your chicken with your spice mix
  3. Roast – always roast a chicken in 400 degree F oven


Chicken and spices
Chicken and spices

Roast Chicken 101

1 medium sweet onion, sliced

1 TB olive oil

1 tsp + 2 TB poultry seasoning

1 tsp Kosher salt

3 lb whole chicken, preferably organic or free range

Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place sliced onions into roasting pan, then sprinkle with 1 tsp poultry seasoning.

Sliced onions and spices
Sliced onions and spices

In small bowl mix olive oil, remaining poultry seasoning, and salt.  Rub the chicken inside and out with the spice mix.  Put the chicken onto the onions in the roasting pan, then place the pan into the oven.

Spiced rubbd chicken
Spiced rubbd chicken

Roast the chicken for about 1 – 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  The chicken should be nicely browned and the skin crispy.

Remove the chicken from the pan, and let rest for about 15 minutes on a cutting board.  Cut the chicken into 8 pieces (you get 8 pieces when you cut the breast in half) and return the chicken to the roasting pan with the onions and juices.

I suggest serving this chicken with rice, polenta or mashed potatoes to soak up the lovely pan juices.

Crispy skinned roast chicken
Crispy skinned roast chicken

Cheryl D Lee on Foodista