Rosemary Lemon Grilled Chicken

Cooking healthy food every day is not hard, but it does take some organization.  Not saying I do it well every day, but I'm getting pretty motivated to get us eating a healthier diet without deprivation.  (Neither of us do deprived, well.)

My mother made the best dry rub grilled chicken.  A ton of flavor without being too spicy.  Fragrant.  Oh, it makes me happy to think about those warm summer days in the back yard.  Dad at the grille.  Mom making potato salad by the bucket.  Homemade ice cream.  

This is my favorite herb chicken on the grill right now.  Especially since I have fresh rosemary.  No matter how much I grow, it's never enough.  My herb garden looks pretty ragged from my daily snips. 

Rosemary Lemon Grilled Chicken

1/2 c canola oil

1/2 c. fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

1 lemon, zested

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

6 boneless chicken breast halves or the equivalent of other pieces. 

Salt and pepper to taste.

And here is where the organization comes in.  Marinades can add tons of flavor, but it needs to be done ahead of time.  I've marinaded meat 2 or even 3 days ahead, but at least one day.  Place the chicken pieces in a shallow dish.  I dry chicken with a paper towel.  (Chicken blood does not add to this dish.)  Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces.  Cover with plastic and set it in the back of your frig.  

Bring it out as the grill comes to temp.  Cook it on a hot grill, turning with tongs until done.  When is it done?  I recommend using a meat thermometer.  Chicken is done when it's 170 degrees internal temp.  Or, cut into it to see if there is any pink, if you must.  

Tomatoes from the garden, fresh beans from Bizi Farms.  Life's Good.  We are trying to learn to fill half the plate with vegetables, 1 quarter with meat and the last quarter with a carb.

There is no quadrant for ice cream.  Sorry. 

  

Slow Roasted Whole Chicken

I'm a big believer in whole chickens.  I see some chicken pieces as a big old Jip.  Many times, you can buy a whole chicken for the price of 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. 

Cooking a whole chicken is not hard.  There are many ways to do it.  Roasting a whole chicken is a very nice way.  If I have the time, this chicken turns into something similar to the rotisserie chicken you can buy in the grocery store deli.

Slow Roasted Chicken. 
4 t. salt
1 t. paprika
1 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. onion powder or dry minced onion.
1/2 t. poultry seasoning
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. sage
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Yes, that's right.  Have I got your attention?

Combine the ingredients and rub or pat them all over a cleaned dried whole chicken.

Clean the chicken by first removing all giblets and parts from the cavity.  I then wash my sink with plenty of good soap, hot water and scrubbing.  My sink gets this treatment a couple times a day every day.  I often put plain liquid dish soap on a green scratchy pad and go at it.  Rinse with very hot water and you are clean.  Trust me.  Stress out over something else.   
 I put the chicken in the sink and run water over it and through it.  I take the time to pick off anything I don't want to eat.  Let's leave it at that.  It's up to you.  I have this weird idea that it's important to be personal with your food, know where it came from and what's in it.  We eat very little that comes out of a box or package. 

Dry the chicken with paper towels inside and out.  Apply seasonings.  Place seasoned chicken in a roasting dish of your choice.  Put it in the preheated oven for 5 hours.  Yes, that's 5 hours at 250 degrees. 

Wash the sink again the same way once you are finished.

I've done this many times with two chickens when I was entertaining, because it all happens ahead of time.  Today, I came home to fix our lunch and put it in then, setting the timer.  I was home well before the timer went off and had time to work on the blog, a luxury these days.  I've got potatoes in the oven.  We'll have some sort of vegetable.  I'll decide that in a little bit.  Just takes some planning and some organization.  Remember to plan ahead.

Roasting a Whole Chicken and Potato Patties

I've mentioned that I roast a whole chicken on a week night and you can to.  Give up the boneless skinless chicken breast wrapped in plastic thing.  It is too expensive and just plain frivolous. 


I work a long day and come home tired. I can roast a whole chicken quickly by cutting that little baby in half.  Cuts roasting time and produces a very nice product.  See this link for instructions.
http://dinnerattheosbornes.blogspot.com/2010/11/cooking-whole-chicken.html

I intentionally wrap up half of it and put it away in the fridge.  I've been taking classes some nights.  It will be nice to come home from Yoga with this in my warming drawer.  

On another note, I've been making these Potato Patties inspired by Melissa D'Arabian's Crispy Potato Cake.  I've changed it only slightly, so the credit is all hers.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-potato-cake-recipe/index.html

I use my omelet pan.  1 T. olive oil and 1 T. butter.  Less than Melissa.  Get the skillet screaming hot and lay the grated potatoes (3 medium russets, peeled and grated) into the pan and press it down.  At this point, I press a little fresh parsley into it.  Salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cook until brown on the bottom.  I check it by lifting up an edge and peaking. 

I flip it over by laying a plate over top and turning both plate and skillet over.  Actually husband helps with this procedure.  The the patty gets slipped back into the pan brown side up and back onto medium heat until brown on both sides.

Now into the warming drawer with you both while I make the vegetable.

I made a little gravy with the liquid off the chicken while I was waiting.  

A feast for two for two days.  Remember that left overs are a your friend. 

http://dinnerattheosbornes.blogspot.com/2010/11/cooking-whole-chicken.html

Roasting a Whole Chicken

I'm a big fan of buying whole chickens.  My corner store uses whole chickens as a loss leader.  This little baby is a 4.2 lb chicken which I bought for $.79 per pound.  With the "club card", I bought it for $3.32.  A whole chicken.   When I see it at this price point, I buy several for the freezer.  

I'm not tempted by the prettily packaged 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts and you shouldn't either.  If you are at all intimidated by the idea of cutting up a chicken, let me tell you a story or a couple stories.  First story:  My Grandparents on both sides were farmers in NW Oklahoma during the depression.  There were years they had zero income, none at all.  They lived off what the farm could produce and what they could barter for for complete years.  Next time you think you've got something to complain about, think about that.  About this time in the story, my step kids are rolling their eyes and checking their watches, but wait!  They aren't here right now.  For the rest of you, this is going to get more interesting.

My paternal grandfather was Miles Bennett.  His cousin was J.D. Decker.  The Deckers farmed down the road close to Orient, OK.  One hard year, the Bennetts ate their chickens for food.  Now, they had no eggs. 

If you've never been hungry, think about that. They had little children and they ate their chickens because they were hungry and didn't know what else to do.  Do you currently have something to complain about? 

So for a year or two, the Bennetts bought eggs from the Deckers until they could get back on their feet and get laying hens again.  So the story goes, this crate was taken to the Deckers who put eggs into it and sent it home to the Bennetts.  Yes, if you are a left brainer like me, there are a couple flaws in the story, but that is the story that was told in my family over and over and over again until you just want to scream.  If you look carefully, my aunt placed Easter egg basket grass and a plastic chicken in this crate.  She gave it to me upon the death of my paternal grandmother along with a little family jewelry and made me promise that if I took the crate I would leave the chicken.  So here's to you, Grandma and Grandpa Bennett and Aunt Vera.  And thanks for all you taught me.   

Now, story 2:  wait for it, I have a million.  At Grandma Bennett's funeral, the old ones got together with Pastor and told some stories about her.  Pastor told the stories at the service.  I'll always remember Pastor saying that Grandma was known for her hospitality.  In the time it would take for her to see new guests coming over the hill, she could kill, pluck and cook a chicken and have her famous chocolate cake in the oven.  

Now, for you left brainers, I have a cook book that Grandma Bennett gave me that supposedly has her famous chocolate cake recipe in it.  She gave it to me new when I was about 12 or 13.  I still have it and have blogged about it.  She moved off the farm when I was a baby upon the death of Grandpa Bennett.  But you get the story and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, actually it empowers me that I could do anything, even if it is totally boggus.

Now I've been cutting a chicken in half to roast it.  This is not the way my mother did it, but it cooks faster. 

Scour the sink until it is very clean.  In a very clean sink, remove the internal organs from the cavity.  Run water through it and take a few moments to pick or cut off anything that you know you don't want to eat.  Breast side up, with a large knife, start at the tail end and cut straight down moving towards the top of the chicken ( the neck or wings end.) 

There is a bone at the top which I usually break with my hands, but if you have a really good knife you can cut it or break it.  Up to you.  Lay the chicken flat in the sink 

Still in the sink, turn the chicken over.  The backbone now faces up, as well as the thighs and legs.  You are going to literally cut out the backbown by cutting down either side.   

Feel your way.  God gave you strong hands and strong fingers. Cut as close to the center as you can with the objective of cutting out that center back bone. 

 

The next picture shows the two halves of the chickens with the backbone in the middle.  Throw away the back bone or use it with other parts to make soup or stock.  We'll roast the two halves.

Clean your sink thoroughly again.

Herb Roast Chicken at the Bennett/Osbornes

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Cut the chicken in half.  Place the two halves skin side up in a foil lined flat metal pan.  The bottom part of my broiling pan works well for this if you haven't got some fancy roasting pan.  

Melt 4 T. butter in a small sauce pan.  Add 1 1/2 t. Italian seasoning, 1 T. lemon juice (bottled works fine), 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. fresh cracked pepper.  Stir, then literally pour it over the chicken. 

Now place in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes.  This is called Roasting in cooking terms.  You can brush the chicken with the juices and butter at the bottom of the pan but I often don't. 

One of the reasons I like this is that I can cook a whole chicken on any week night.  A little rice.   A little brocolli and we aren't doing that bad. 

If you think you can't do this on a week night, trust me you can.  If you still think you can't, try it on a week end or an easier day until you build confidence. 

I've done this for company using two chickens, a good salad, good bread and a good vegetable.  Remember to trust me

Oh, and I think I linked to Real Food Wednesday.  It looks pretty cool.  If I did it wrong, I'll do better next time. http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/11/real-food-wednesday-11310-2.html. 

I also linked to Simple Lives Thursday.  Check this out.
http://gnowfglins.com/2010/11/04/simple-lives-thursday-17/

Not U Momma's Chicken Casserole

Food is love is tradition.  Yes, I know I'm weird.  But, my mother made nothing like this.  I am comfort cooking today. 

For starters, I need a roasted red bell pepper.  Clean a sweet pepper of your choice and break it so that it lays flat.  Rub olive oil all over it and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Stick it under a broiler, watching it until its skin blackens. 

Pull it out and let it cool until it can be handled.  The skin has separated from the rest and will easily pull away leaving a much more flavorable version of a pepper.  Don't skip this step.  It is worth it.  Finely chop this and set aside. 

2 T olive oil, 1 shallot finely chopped, 1 stalk celery finely chopped, 1 carrot finely chopped.  Just a couple things about that:  First, this is a shallot.  A shallot is an onion with much milder flavor.  I prefer them.  I grown them some years.  This one came from my local produce company.

Second, I'm a little dense.  I've only recently figured out that celery is not a local crop and I am trying to buy more local food.  I've decided not to buy it again for a while. 

Chop everything as finely as possible.  Texture is an important part of cooking, even simple and humble food like this. Cook it until is is very soft and a little browned.  Set aside.

Now in another skillet,  2T. butter melted,  Add 2 T. flour and stir with a wooden spoon.  Then 2 cups whole milk.  Whisk it fairly constantly.  As the milk heats,the flour will thicken it.  If there are lumps, work them out with a back of a spoon or smush them with a wisk  Add another cup, this time 1/2 and 1/2.  Yes, I know.  Add the chopped pepper, the sauted vegetables.   It's creamy rich but needs some seasoning.  Add 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. freshly ground pepper.  Add 1/2 t. worchestershire sauce. 

This is 3 chicken thighs which were roasted, skin and bone on with just a little olive oil and salt a couple days ago for another dish.  Bone and skin is discharded and the meat chopped and into the sauce it goes along with 1 cup of cooked rice.

A big bunch of parsley from my garden.  Chopped finely and into the mix. 

Then I turned it all into a casserole dish and into the oven at 350.   It simmered stove top for about 20 minutes, so 15 minutes in the oven is plenty.  Every thing is cooked.  We are just looking for the sauce to set up and the flavors to combine. 

I know these things aren't gourmet meals, but they bring people to the table. 

They are comforting.  They remind me of a safer world.  But this is not my mother's chicken casserole.  

Remember to take good care of yourself.

 

Lemon Chicken with Caper Sauce

I've always made some version of Lemon Chicken.  Everything from supper quick and easy to restaurant quality, there are dozens and dozens of easily accessible recipes.  I've experimented with and modified many of them.

Last night, I just wanted to play and feel good.  I didn't really have the time to do it, so we ate late.  Poor patient husband.  He came down sniffing the air, like usual and I knew I was likely 30 minutes off.  He said "I'm hungry and that smells great."  Then he waited, well not that patiently.  And ate more than half of it.  Sorry dear.

Lemon Chicken w/ Caper Sauce
4 bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
1/2 sage
1/4 salt
3 T. Flour
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 c. cream
1 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
1 large garlic clove minced
1 large lemon, jested and juiced
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. cream.
1 T. capers, drained and chops 
8 oz pasta,  cooked, drained, add a little oil and toss

Combine sage, salt, flour, and pepper in one pie plate. 
Put 1/2 c. cream in another.  Roll each piece in cream, then in flour mixture. 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Place chicken skillet and cover, cooking at medium high. 

A few minutes into cooking, use a fork to make sure the chicken isn't sticking to the skillet or loosening it.  In about 10 minutes (more or less depending upon size or thickness of pieces), turn each piece over when the chicken is well browned.  Continue cooking as the other side browns.  Keep covered most of the time and loosen with a fork as needed.

When chicken is well browned on both sides, remove the chicken.  Add the butter with a whisk, move it around as it melts.  Scrap the bottom of the pan to loosen any residue from the chicken.  There is a lot of flavor there. 

Start the pasta cooking here.  Also, add the lemon juice, garlic, zest and wine to the melted butter in the skillet and stir as it heats.  As it starts to simmer add the cream and whisk.  Make sure everything is well combined and isn't sticking to the pan.  Add the capers. 

Return the chicken to the pan and reduce the heat to medium low and cover.  

When pasta is cooked and drained, turn it into a serving dish.  Put chicken pieces on top of pasta and pour sauce over top.  Yum.  

 

 

Monday night left over roast

I worked a little late and got in just in time to head out to yoga.  No time to start a casserole.  When I return, husband is on the couch watching a documentary about Yellowstone National Park.  I start the oven, and pull out one of those refrigerator biscuit tubes.  I pull out the chicken from last night.  I go to the pantry for a jar of chicken gravy. 

Yes, this meal violates all my rules.  You'll probably think poorly of me because I had those things. This isn't one of those beautiful and perfect blogs.  This is a real life blog.  Yoga night blog.   

On goes a pot of brocolli.

A biscuit, chicken meat warmed in the microwave, gravy heated in a sauce pan on the stove. 

Supper on the couch with husband watching documentaries.

As I clean up, I starting chopped bacon and vegetables.  It's going to be soup for tomorrow.  I've got some Alaska cod and some wild Oregon shrimp.  The veggies are from Diane's Produce.  I'm going to call it Pacific Northwest Chowder.  Check back. 

Remember what's important.  

Sunday Roast Chicken

We've been through some hard times in the last couple years, mostly struggles with our business, that left us at different times, tired, discouraged, and less savory things.  Husband and I have nearly opposite skill sets, talents and abilities.  When it works, we create huge synergy.  When it doesn't, it can be disaster. 

But now, as things start looking better, and we start to re-evaluate our lives, we find that we are stronger for the experience and grateful for the little pleasures.  I'm not sure where we ever got so off track, but we are back, and better for it.  We certainly remembered that we knew how to make hard decisions.  And we knew how to be frugal.  My local store has stewing chickens for $.79 / lb every so often.  When they do, I stick a couple in the freezer.  This is a lot of food for the dollar.  And find me something more satisfying than sitting down to roast chicken on a Sunday night. 

Herb roasted chicken
2 small limes, washed well
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh oregano, cleaned, leaves removed from stems, and leaves finely chopped
1/4 thyme leaves, cleaned and picked
1 stewing/roasting chicken, washed well with soap and water, rinsed and dried ( pick off anything on the chicken that you don't want to eat)
2 T. butter, melted
1/2 t. coarse sea salt

Finely grate peel from one lime.  Juice that lime and compost what remains.  Slice one garlic clove and mince the other.  The minced garlic and butter goes in the juice. In the cleaned cavity, start stuffing the 2nd lime which has been quartered, the sliced garlic, and the oregano leaves. 

Slowly pour the butter/juice mixture over the chicken rubbing it with your hands and turning it to coat every part.  As Paula Deene say, "I believe in rubbing my meat, hee, hee." and I do too.  All jokes aside, I insist on taking the time to enjoy this process.  What is the hurry?  Pour any remaining liquid into the cavity.  Sprinkle the thyme leaves and salt over it all.

Once you are satisfied, set him in a roasting pan.  Place him in a 375 degree oven. Now, back outside to enjoy the yard. 

And my favorite gardening buddy.

Dash in for a bit to check the chicken.  The whole house smells lovely.  It will be done in approximately 1 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170 and juices run clear.  Let stand for a few minutes before slicing. 

By the way, we are still eating salad with homemade ranch dressing from a previous post.  The difference is that the bunnies are getting full or the lettuce in the raised beds are growing faster than they can eat it.  We may actually get to eat some soon.

The beginning of a good evening.

Remember lifes important details.  And remember to enjoy them.

  

Chicken Caesar Salad

As I've mentioned many times, my husband and I work together.  Every morning, well most, I pack a lunch for us. 

http://dinnerattheosbornes.blogspot.com/2010/03/lunch-at-osbornes.html

I'd like our lunches to be as interesting as our dinners and sometimes I'm successful. Today we are having Chicken Caesar Salad using the leftover grilled chicken from last night.  I've been on a Caesar Salad kick.  I've been experimenting with homemade Caesar dressing, trying many different variations off the internet. 

Here is what I like the best right now.  It is a modification of someone else's recipe, so I can't claim it.

Homemade Caesar Dressing
1 egg yolk
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 garlick clove, minced
1 T. anchovy paste

6 T. olive oil

6 T. canola oil

3 T. fresh lemon juice, not the bottled kind for this.

Whisk the ingredients until smooth.  This is about 3 salads worth of dressing for the two of us, so I keep it in a pint or half pint canning jar in the fridge for the next one.

1/2 head of Romain lettuce, cleaned and torn into bite size pieces.  The Romaine lettuce growing in raised bed 1 is being systematically eaten by a bunny every time any new leaves start to come up, so this Romaine comes from Diane's Produce.

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 cup. homemade croutons.   So much better than anything you buy and not hard to make.  For sandwiches and toast, I buy a sour dough bread made in loaf pans at a local bakery.  This is three slices. 

1 T of butter in the pan, melted.  Add the bread cubes.

Toss them around with the spoon to coat and continue stiring them as the toast.  Coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Make sure all turn over and get toasted on both sides until they are as toasty as you want.  They stay much softer on the inside than the kind you buy.  Of course, the shelf life is short.  Put them in a zip lock bag if you aren't using them immediately.

Hopefully they've left me a little room in the fridge at work.  At lunch time, I'll add the dressing and cheese to the lettuce and toss.  Add the croutons and toss again.  Slice the chicken into small pieces and lay it across the salad. 

Packed and ready to go.

Grilled Chicken with fresh Rosemary

It's about 4:30 in the afternoon.  I've just returned from work. I've been bidding new work and I'm behind on that.  I haven't started the quarterly tax returns, yet.  They are due by the end of the month, so I'll be working on the weekend.

I pull out the chicken breasts to find they are still a little frosty.  I put my big collandar into the sink with the chicken breasts in them and turn on the faucet so that cool water runs over them.  I start making the marinade. The marinade makes enough for 8 to 12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Here is a good opportunity for planned left overs.  We'll have Chicken Caesar Salad for lunch tomorrow.

LeAnn's Marinade for Grilled Chicken
1 clove garlic
1 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. lemon juice, the bottled kind for marinades is okay with me (Use fresh for salad dressings)
1/2 c olive oil
1 t. dijon mustard
1 T. fresh rosemary finely minced

I recommend marinading meat in pyrex pie plates.  I do that all the time.  Dry the chicken with paper towels and arrange them in the pie plate.  Add the marinade and leave it on the counter top.  I'd refrigerate this if I was going to leave it for long.

Husband comes through asking me if I'm going to yoga.  I say yes and I'll return in a little more than 1 hour.  I ask him if we are expecting any kids, large or small.  He says no and I'm off.

I return after a lovely hour of yoga to a busy house with kids, the small kind.  Fortunately I've got plenty of chicken.  I ask Husband to turn on the propane grille which he does.  As it heats, I start a pot of rice and another of brocolli.  Many times Hailey is interested in cooking with me, but tonight Spong Bob Square Pants has her attention. 

Husband works around me heating a bottle for the smallest one.  The chicken goes on the grille.  I've had good success with this marinade.  My recipe is printed on a dot matrix printer and I haven't had one for 15 years.  I was making it long before that.  This recipe adds a lot of flavor to plain chicken.  I think it is better than any bottled marinade on the market.  I don't buy that sort of thing any more.

Off comes the chicken and its dinner.  I add butter to to the rice, taste it and add a little more salt.  Hailey wants to taste it also, so I hand her a spoon.  I drain the brocolli, add more butter and salt.  Hailey eats a boat load of everything. 

Hint of the day:  If you need chicken to cook very fast - and you can get the thawed first, pound them with a meat mallet.  Most instructions I've seen for this say to put a layer of plastic wrap or wax paper out, put the chicken pieces on it, and put another layer of plastic wrap or wax paper on top, then pound.  That just doesn't work.  You end up pounding holes in your plastic wrap and just making a big mess.  The sacks that cereal or crackers come in are sturdier and work for this procedure.  I save them all and use them for this and other purposes.  Open up the sack until it is flat, lay the chicken on it, fold it over to cover the chicken and pound away. 

The pounding breaks up some of the stucture of the meat and makes a flatter fillet which cooks much quicker.  If you don't have a meat mallet, my mother used the bottom of a small sauce pan.  Just hold onto the handle and bang it.  Actually feels good.  I just saw a Rachael Ray where she did this same thing with a rolling pin.  Don't think I need chicken juice on my rolling pin, Rachael.  Just saying, don't run out and buy a meat mallet unless you want to.   You probably have something in your kitchen that works just fine. 

Still plenty of chicken left for Chicken Caesar Salad at lunch tomorrow.  I'll pack the ingredients in the morning and take them to work with me.  Check back for that.

Remember to be organized.