I don't claim to be an expert cook by any stretch of the imagination. As you may recall, I still have never cooked a decent turkey, and have had many flopped ones on the record. But, I have to admit, that I have finally learned how to make an awesome chicken, and awesome gravy. I'll share my thoughts with you, in case you've struggled making them deliciously as well.
My awesome chicken comes from a lack of planning on my part. I invited some friends over for dinner, and failed to take the chicken out of the freezer to thaw in time. So, I threw it frozen into the slow cooker, and turned it on. I don't care for slow cooker-ed chicken, as it is too mushy and not crispy enough. So, to finish it off, I put it in the oven to crisp it up. It was the most moist, wonderful chicken I've ever had. It tasted alot like the deli rotisserie chicken, only better. I've done it a couple times since, with just as much success. Plus, it doesn't heat up my house having the oven on all day, as I can fit it in my toaster oven (in a 9x9 pan) rather than the full sized one. I put butter and garlic on it, as well as any other spices I'm inclined to. Usually I put the spices under the skin, but when it's frozen, that isn't possible. As for the spices, I always recall my Grandpa K leaning over my Aunt B's shoulder while she was preparing a chicken once, saying, "Now, you remember to salt and pepper that cavity well!" So...I always salt and pepper the cavity well! (It ended up that it was about 1/2 hour on high in the slow cooker, then about 3 1/2 hours on low, and then 1 hour at 350F in the oven)
As for the gravy, after 7 years of marriage, I can finally say that my gravy is worth eating. The rest of the time, it was tolerable, but certainly not good! I came across a recipe for gravy in my Taste of Home cookbook one day, and decided to try it. I have owned this cookbook my whole married days, but never looked in the back in between the napkin folding section and the index. So, here it is...
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. pan drippings or broth
In a small pan, melt butter. Mix in flour to make a roux (med/low heat). When flour is all blended, slowly pour in your drippings. Simmer until thickened, and season to taste (if necessary). If you added lots of spices, salt and pepper to your chicken, you likely won't need to add anything more now. This recipe is much better (in my opinion), because all other recipes require you to make a flour/water paste (or water/cornstarch) and I could never get it the right thickness (either it was too watery or else like glue), and I would always get lumps in it. This avoids both those problems, and is tasty to boot.
And...if you have read my previous post about the Nourishing Traditions way of eating, you can never get too much butter! Even those watching their weight should not reduce butter in their diet. They should reduce refined sugars and flours and heat treated oils (shortening, margarines) instead. We need good amounts of good fats to keep healthy (brain health, joint health, nervous system health, digestion health, and so much more). When I was a kid I always would lick the butter off the packages when my mom was baking, so, as you can tell, I've been a fan of butter for a good many years!
My awesome chicken comes from a lack of planning on my part. I invited some friends over for dinner, and failed to take the chicken out of the freezer to thaw in time. So, I threw it frozen into the slow cooker, and turned it on. I don't care for slow cooker-ed chicken, as it is too mushy and not crispy enough. So, to finish it off, I put it in the oven to crisp it up. It was the most moist, wonderful chicken I've ever had. It tasted alot like the deli rotisserie chicken, only better. I've done it a couple times since, with just as much success. Plus, it doesn't heat up my house having the oven on all day, as I can fit it in my toaster oven (in a 9x9 pan) rather than the full sized one. I put butter and garlic on it, as well as any other spices I'm inclined to. Usually I put the spices under the skin, but when it's frozen, that isn't possible. As for the spices, I always recall my Grandpa K leaning over my Aunt B's shoulder while she was preparing a chicken once, saying, "Now, you remember to salt and pepper that cavity well!" So...I always salt and pepper the cavity well! (It ended up that it was about 1/2 hour on high in the slow cooker, then about 3 1/2 hours on low, and then 1 hour at 350F in the oven)
As for the gravy, after 7 years of marriage, I can finally say that my gravy is worth eating. The rest of the time, it was tolerable, but certainly not good! I came across a recipe for gravy in my Taste of Home cookbook one day, and decided to try it. I have owned this cookbook my whole married days, but never looked in the back in between the napkin folding section and the index. So, here it is...
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. pan drippings or broth
In a small pan, melt butter. Mix in flour to make a roux (med/low heat). When flour is all blended, slowly pour in your drippings. Simmer until thickened, and season to taste (if necessary). If you added lots of spices, salt and pepper to your chicken, you likely won't need to add anything more now. This recipe is much better (in my opinion), because all other recipes require you to make a flour/water paste (or water/cornstarch) and I could never get it the right thickness (either it was too watery or else like glue), and I would always get lumps in it. This avoids both those problems, and is tasty to boot.
And...if you have read my previous post about the Nourishing Traditions way of eating, you can never get too much butter! Even those watching their weight should not reduce butter in their diet. They should reduce refined sugars and flours and heat treated oils (shortening, margarines) instead. We need good amounts of good fats to keep healthy (brain health, joint health, nervous system health, digestion health, and so much more). When I was a kid I always would lick the butter off the packages when my mom was baking, so, as you can tell, I've been a fan of butter for a good many years!
