How to Roast Perfect Crispy Chicken

Good morning!  I've missed you!  It's been two weeks since my last post.  Sorry, I've been so absent.  I've had a lot of other things going on, but I'm back.  I hope everyone has been enjoying the last few weeks of Fall.  I know I've been.  A lot has happened since my last post...we even got our first snow fall!

Just outside my front door, last Friday.

But don't worry, the snow has all melted since then.  We've been enjoying some pretty mild days, actually.   Unusually mild weather we've been having this November.  I'm not complaining; I'm enjoying every minute of this extended Fall. 

Today, I'd like to share with you my steps for a no-fail crispy chicken!  After roasting countless chickens over the years, and trying different things here and there, I've finally mastered this simple, yet delicious way to prepare a delicious, crispy chicken, everyone at the table will swoon over. 

I start with a fresh 3 pound whole chicken.  Remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.  Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry. 

Next, quarter an onion or shallots, a couple of lemon wedges, and peel garlic cloves.  I picked some rosemary from my herb garden (still thriving, even after the snow!).  You can buy fresh rosemary if you don't have any in your garden.  DON'T use dry, it will not produce the same, aromatic smell and taste.

Sprinkle the chicken's cavity with some course salt and fresh ground pepper.  Stuff the cavity to its fullest with onion, lemon, garlic and rosemary. 

Now, get out your roasting pan with floating rack.  If you don't have a roasting pan with a floating rack, you should get one.  Believe me, this is what keeps your chicken crispy ALL OVER.  My pan is from Kitchen Aid.  I bought it on sale last year at Canadian Tire.  I think it was 50 percent off during the holidays.  It ended up being very inexpensive, after the sale.  

Next, take some room temperature butter and spread it all over your chicken, making sure to get it in all the nooks and crannies.   This is going to give you the crispy skin you so desire.  Sprinkle the chicken (all over) with a generous amount of course salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Insert the pan in the middle rack of your oven and allow it to roast for 2 hours.  I have a convection oven, which cooks faster than a regular electric oven, so you may have to adjust the cooking time depending on your oven.  Test with an oven thermometer or until juices run clear.  The result will be this...

Crispy, golden, aromatic, juicy chicken!

Once you remove the roasting pan from the oven, be sure to tent the chicken with foil and allow it to set for 20 minutes.  Now your chicken is ready to eat.  You can remove the stuffing in the cavity before you serve it, if you desire.   Roasted potatoes, rice and/or your favourite veggies are all great accompaniments.

Hmm...what else has been going on since my last post?  Well, I went with a friend of mine to the annual Barrie Christmas Craft Show.  As usual, it was a lot of fun looking at all the hand made, one-of-a-kind items, browsing at all the booths, and talking to some of the vendors. 

I bought this rusty star garland at the show and Nuno hung it for me on my kitchen hutch.  The little birdie on the bottom shelf was bought at last year's show.  Aren't they cute?

Some photos of a few other things that have been cooking in my kitchen...

Roasted butternut squash, with a tiny pool of melted butter and sprinkled with brown sugar.  My idea of a perfect lunch!  Roast in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour until soft and mushy.  Add a spoon and enjoy!

Portuguese pork and bean stew (feijoada) served with rice on the side

I made this yummy appetizer last night.  These are boiled quail eggs, sliced chorizo, and black olives, stir-fried  in 1 tablespoon of XV olive oil and chopped cilantro.  I aquired this pretty scalloped dish on Sunday. It was a bomboniere gift at my little cousin's baptism!

And last but not least, I'd like to share with this with you:

I received this card from my friend, Sherry, in the mail yesterday.  I love the little poem on the front.  I am blessed to have so many wonderful friends in my life.  After all, the best recipes in life are not those for food and drinks, but those for family and friends.  Don't you think?

Thank you for stopping by my kitchen.  I appreciate your comments.  If you aren't a follower yet, I invite you to join me.  I hope you enjoyed your stay.  Wishing you a wonder-fall day!  xo

A Little Mexican Flavour

One of the first things I do when I wake up in the morning is decide what I will be making for dinner that night.  First, I look in the fridge or freezer to see what I already have at home.  If I'm lucky, I'll have all the ingredients on hand (which is usually not the case).  Yesterday's freezer contents were 2 whole chickens, ground beef, assorted fish, hamburgers and chicken breasts.  I decided to make something with one of the chickens.  But what would I make?  A stew? Roasted chicken?  And then it came to me, chicken tacos!  I love Mexican food and my favourite Mexican restaurants are those teeny tiny ones, that have just a few tables, if none at all.  I find the food at those restaurants, by far, have the most authentic Mexican flavour.  Less is more.  The simplest, freshest ingredients make for the best tacos - nothing too fancy.

I allowed the 3-4 pound chicken to defrost, chopped it up, then boiled it for approximately 30 minutes.  Once cooled, I shredded the entire chicken.  It gave me approx. 5 cups of shredded chicken.

I chopped an onion & garlic and sauteed in vegetable oil until golden.

I added shredded chicken, salt, pepper, oregano, ground cumin, cinnamon and cloves.  After some research, I found that these ingredients are key to making "authentic" chicken tacos.  However, it still didn't have the distinct taste I was looking for.  I added some chili powder, chopped cilantro and a cup of the chicken broth that was left over from boiling the chicken.  Without the broth, the chicken would have been too dry.   Now, it was perfect! 

Some of the taco toppings - freshly grated white cheddar, iceberg lettuce, homemade salsa and sour cream

Homemade salsa - chopped onion, garlic, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro, along with lime juice, salt and pepper.

Here it is on a plate.  The taco shells are Mexican corn tortillas.  They come refrigerated...all I had to do was warm them up in the oven.  I made some rice to serve on the side, it was boiled in the strained, leftover chicken broth.   Nothing goes to waste in this kitchen!

I hope I have inspired you to make something different with your chicken. The tacos were delicious and hubby and girls loved them.  I will definitely be making these again in the future.  Thanks for stopping in!  It has been raining here for most of the day.  Waiting for hubby to get home, so we can have dinner together.  Have a good evening everyone! xo

My Herb Garden & Greek Inspired Chicken Kabobs & Potatoes

After getting married in the summer of 2000, Nuno and I  moved into our first apartment in the big city - Toronto. We lived above a nail salon, on a busy main street.  It was a large, 2 bedroom apartment, not modern, but somehow, at the time, it was just perfect.  I remember falling in love with the large living room with the red brick fireplace.  That was the beginning of our married life.  One year later, we had a little girl, that little girl quickly grew up, and when she was 5, we had another little girl.  I recall my eldest, Anita, always asking for grass. Outside our apartment, there wasn't any grass, nowhere for the girls to play, only concrete and lots and lots of cars.  So 7 years later, we took the leap and bought our first home in the City of Barrie.  One of our main concerns was finding a place with plenty of grass for the girls to play.  And so we found our cozy little home, with lots and lots of grass, and soil for planting.  It's hard to believe we've only been here 4 years.  It seems like a lifetime ago since we lived in Toronto.  Last year, Nuno dug up a garden for us to plant our herbs in. One of my favorite things to do, is go out to the side of our house and pick fresh herbs to cook with.  In the fall, when things start dying off, I have to go to the grocery store to buy my herbs.  So I don't take for granted, this little herb garden, and all it provides during the summer months.

We have parsley, cilantro, chives, thyme, oregano, dill, lavender, rosemary, basil and mint.

And of course, a little gnome!

Look at the beautiful oregano!  It smells delicious!

On Thursday afternoon,  I went to the herb garden, saw all the oregano and decided to make a Greek inspired meal - grilled chicken kabobs and delicious baked potato wedges! 

I cut up vidalia onion, and green & red bell peppers.  I didn't have any mushrooms on hand, but they would be great too! I also cut up some boneless, skinless, chicken breast into chunks and wrapped them in bacon slices. 

I basted the kabobs with an olive oil marinade ( lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, finely chopped oregano) and set aside while I prepared the potatoes.

I used red baking potatoes.  Wash them and cut into wedges.  Next, add salt, pepper, olive oil, a little water, lemon juice, and freshly chopped oregano.  Thoroughly combine. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven.  Half way through cooking, remove pan from the oven and stir potatoes.  Add some more liquid, if it is drying out. Return to the oven until you reach desired crispiness. 

Grilled to perfection, on the BBQ, by Nuno, my grill king. ;)

Here are the potatoes, just out of the oven!  They smell absolutely delicious!  I can pretty much guarantee there will be NO leftovers, they're just too good!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the food on a plate.  I was in such a rush to eat the food, I totally forgot the picture.  But you get the idea! 

It is a rainy Saturday here in Barrie.  It has been raining for several days now.  I'm getting a bit tired of it now, but it IS good for the garden!  I hop you all have a wonderful, happy weekend, no matter what the weather! xoxo