Dinner is making me nuts...

rubsluts'mommy

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Some of you may have read my threads about being in the hospital and recuperating... normally, I cook for myself a few times a week... usually, at leats every two weeks, I buy a whole chicken and bake it. Since before the hospital, at the end of September, I haven't cooked... other than the microwave heating up frozen dinners. My energy levels have been shot to he**. Heck, they still are (I've been sewing and went out to try getting my pulmonary labs done again... not gonna happen... too high of a gag reflex). I got home and crashed.

A few days ago, I bought a whole chicken on my last grocery run... What with a low-key party Saturday night, and other things occupying my mind, I haven't had the chance until today. So, I got home, cleaned the chicken, preheated the oven... then took a quick nap (the timer would probably wake me from a coma, it's so loud). I started smelling baking chicken so I came out of my nap... I have 35 minutes left... and I'm craving that darned chicken so much... it smells REALLY good! I think more so than normal since I haven't had it in so long. the grocery rotisserie chicken isn't the same... I had one of those after I got out of hospital... it tasted weird to me... nothing like baking your own... and that smell.... *drools*

Any food smells (okay, chocolate chip cookies do me in as well) that make you just get so distracted you start anticipating the actual food?

or am I just nuts? Wait, don't answer that.

Amanda
 

whiteforest

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I'm like that with most food.


Breads, cookies, potatoes (yea, I love potatoes that much), chickens, roasts...I should stop now.
 

pami

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I love baked chicken. I make it often, too. I always like to add, potatos, tomatoes and onions with olive oil.

I hope you enjoy your long awaited chicken. And that you feel better real soon.
 
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rubsluts'mommy

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Originally Posted by Pami

I love baked chicken. I make it often, too. I always like to add, potatos, tomatoes and onions with olive oil.

I hope you enjoy your long awaited chicken. And that you feel better real soon.
Thank you... I figured from the start that when i got the overwhelming urge to cook something like a chicken, I'd be fairly close to 100%.

it just came out of the oven... and it tastes heavenly. Moist, and perfect. I rarely indulge in the skin, but when it's crunchy right out of the oven, I take a few nibbles... I don't do much to my chicken... a few pats of butter (between the wings and body, on top and one in the cavity)... it gives the skin a nice brown color... and tastes and smells so good... food therapy.

Amanda
 

yarra

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Mmmm. I have NEVER made a whole chicken. lol I always buy the rotisserie ones. You are making me want to venture into the world of DYI roasted chicken!

It's a scary world though. I probably never will. I would burn it, or buy the wrong kind of chicken!
 
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rubsluts'mommy

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Originally Posted by Yarra

Mmmm. I have NEVER made a whole chicken. lol I always buy the rotisserie ones. You are making me want to venture into the world of DYI roasted chicken!

It's a scary world though. I probably never will. I would burn it, or buy the wrong kind of chicken!
It's easy. Preheat the oven to 375, open the packaging of the chicken. pull out the stuff inside, usually gizzard, neck, etc... some companies actually put all that in a little bag... Foster Farms, which is what i had tonight, doesn't...

Rinse under cool/lukewarm water in the sink. Now, I use a large (like 9x13) casserole dish, with foil covering the inside... easier clean up... as long as your don't pierce the foil... blech. Shove it in the oven, and bake for 1.5-2 hours... if you get a large bird, then longer... one way to check, if you don't have a meat thermometer, is to 'stick a fork in it' and if the juices run clear, it's done. I also usually take a knife and cut into the breast meat to see what its color is... if there's any pink, I put it back in for another 15-20 minutes. Check it again.

As for buying... they usually say what they're best for... roaster, fryer, etc... I usually get a 3 to 4 pound bird. of course, the meat off of that size barely lasts me a week... I usually snack off of it religiously (I like it cold with ketchup... I know, I'm strange). When I was in high school, I came home one day and found some leftover chicken from the night before... my mother had de-boned it after dinner and put it in a bag in the refrigerator. I took teh whole bag and a bottle of ketchup into my room and ate the whole bag... my mother came in and asked me if I had the chicken... I grinned. She informed me I'd just eaten HALF a chicken... urp. I love my chicken... sad, but true.


Simple baking is easy... I do add the pats of butter most of the time... it's easy. Make sure it's a young chicken... old birds make for stringier meat... blech.

Have fun!

Amanda
 

yarra

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Originally Posted by RubSluts'Mommy

It's easy. Preheat the oven to 375, open the packaging of the chicken. pull out the stuff inside, usually gizzard, neck, etc... some companies actually put all that in a little bag... Foster Farms, which is what i had tonight, doesn't...

Rinse under cool/lukewarm water in the sink. Now, I use a large (like 9x13) casserole dish, with foil covering the inside... easier clean up... as long as your don't pierce the foil... blech. Shove it in the oven, and bake for 1.5-2 hours... if you get a large bird, then longer... one way to check, if you don't have a meat thermometer, is to 'stick a fork in it' and if the juices run clear, it's done. I also usually take a knife and cut into the breast meat to see what its color is... if there's any pink, I put it back in for another 15-20 minutes. Check it again.

As for buying... they usually say what they're best for... roaster, fryer, etc... I usually get a 3 to 4 pound bird. of course, the meat off of that size barely lasts me a week... I usually snack off of it religiously (I like it cold with ketchup... I know, I'm strange). When I was in high school, I came home one day and found some leftover chicken from the night before... my mother had de-boned it after dinner and put it in a bag in the refrigerator. I took teh whole bag and a bottle of ketchup into my room and ate the whole bag... my mother came in and asked me if I had the chicken... I grinned. She informed me I'd just eaten HALF a chicken... urp. I love my chicken... sad, but true.


Simple baking is easy... I do add the pats of butter most of the time... it's easy. Make sure it's a young chicken... old birds make for stringier meat... blech.

Have fun!

Amanda
I am SO going to try this!! I am so excited!

So I need to look for a Young Roasting chicken?? Dose it say that on the packaging? And are these birds in the Styrofoam plate or are they all wrapped up like a little turkey would be?
 
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rubsluts'mommy

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Wrapped like a turkey... but smaller (duh)... usually refrigerated. I'd aim for a 3-4 pounder... not huge, but not a Rock Cornish Hen either... those are usually frozen and really small (sometimes they come in a two-pack). RCH's also don't have as much meat on them... I call them Mini-Chickens...

just remember, wash your hands often while dealing with the bird... raw poultry is a breeding ground for Salmonella... do not leave on the counter... that's one of the huge things. I use my sink (wiped down beforehand, of course... and the bird itself doesn't touch the sink). I take the bird out of the refrigerator once my pan is ready and the oven is preheating... a couple minutes is okay, but nothing longer than five or so...

I really think, besides safety precautions, that baking a chicken is the easiest thing after boiling water... sure, you can do other things, stuffing, etc.. but simple, baked chicken is so easy... and rewarding (of course, the cats KNOW what's in the oven).

I got the directions for the above baking from a great little cookbook called "Help! My Apartment Has A Kitchen" it has lots of basics, and I think the writer is a guy.

Amanda
 

alleygirl

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Sounds easy enough so I might try it, but I would have to season it with something. Plain baked chicken sounds too bland and blah to me.
 
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rubsluts'mommy

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I don't mind seasonings... but with basic chicken, once it's deboned and cooked, you can add it to other things... my favorite is Chicken Divan... that's my ultimate comfort food dish... I swear I can inhale half the casserole dish in one sitting... but only from my mom's recipe. I've tried others... not the same... they're just different enough that the taste is very different.

Maybe some salt and pepper... but not much...

Amanda
 

butzie

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Originally Posted by RubSluts'Mommy

Any food smells (okay, chocolate chip cookies do me in as well) that make you just get so distracted you start anticipating the actual food?

Amanda
Amanda, I do roast whole chickens at a time. The recipe I like best is one that is a one-dish dinner with all the veggies and potatoes you need.

Getting back to your question, I love lots of smells of foods. But when I read your post I could only think of when I was pregnant with our daughter. I was so morning, afternoon, and evening sick. I couldn't stand the smell of salads, bacon, most meats and fish. Chicken and eggs saved me.

BTW, she is 21 and I still remember.
 
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rubsluts'mommy

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Chicken Divan is pieces of cooked chicken paid over steamed/lightly cooked broccoli, in a pre-made (on your stovetop, not the grocery store) parmesan sauce... then baked in the oven so the flavor of the sauce permeate the chicken and blend in with the broccoli. When done right, it's really good... and reheats well too... I typically hate leftovers.. but Divan doesn't last long with me... I can post the recipe, if you want.

Amanda
 
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rubsluts'mommy

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Originally Posted by Yarra

Uh...yeah! Hellooooo!
Give me a day... I thought I had it on the computer, typed up... I think, now, that it's on the old PC... the dismantled PC. So, I need to go find the binder and type it up. I'll find the binder either tonight or tomorrow... and type it up.

*grumbles to self* I thought it was on this computer.

Amanda
 
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rubsluts'mommy

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Originally Posted by Yarra

Uh...yeah! Hellooooo!
Okay... I finally found the binder with my mom's recipes (along with others I've printed out or created)... so without further ado:

Most of the comments in parentheses are my own. The only one that isn't is the suggestion for half & half. I rarely have it, and milk (whole milk is my choice) is perfectly good. I have another chicken dish my mother makes that is also good comfort food. But I've never made that sauce. This one I've made. When cooking the sauce on the stovetop, don't leave it. I did that my first time... blech. cook the broccoli and everything else beforehand and get it off the stove. I usually prep the flour by adding some hot water in it, off the stove, and that helps it from burning on the heat. I can't remember what that's called... tempering, or something... Gotta love Alton Brown and Good Eats... that show has taught me more than my mother did... and she taught me a lot!

Chicken Divan

1 - 10oz box/bag of frozen broccoli florets (or fresh is fine)
1/2 c. margarine/butter
1/4 c. flour - AP
1 1/2 c. milk (for a richer mix: half & half)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c. grated Parmesan Cheese (fine grated, like Kraft)
Slices/pieces of poached or roasted chicken (leftovers are fine)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook broccoli until barely done/just tender (approx. 4 minutes in boiling water).

Sauce: Melt margarine/butter in saucepan, stir in flour. Cook for a minute or so, but do not leave it, or it'll brown/burn. Pour in milk while stirring. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until smooth and thickened. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (ed. I add more, but i like it cheesy); stir and cook until cheese is melted.

Place broccoli in shallow baking dish (glass/pyrex/ceramic is preferred - 9x13 is typical). Spread broccoli evenly. Layer chicken pieces/slices over broccoli. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and sprinkle more Parmesan on top.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until top is lightly brown and sauce is bubbling.

Enjoy!!
 
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