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[rps]

Roast Chicken with Dressing and Root Vegetables on a Tray

Nancy and I are leaving town next week. I am sure we will visit some rather nice places to eat, and the food served at her mother’s assisted living center is really quite good. Nonetheless, I thought I would prepare a “Sunday Dinner” type meal this evening.

The process requires several steps, but none are difficult, and the concept is wonderful for a multiple person or multiple-family meal. You bring a single tray to the table and then pass the sauce.

You will need:

1 or 2 whole chickens

Sufficient root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, onions, or any combination) to feed the number of diners

1 or more bags of stuffing crumbs

2 or three slices of bread, toasted and cubed

Onion, celery, sweet bell pepper, parsley, chives, sage, butter

1 quart low sodium chicken broth

Butter

One batch of Queso (I have previously posted Queso)

One half sheet (jelly roll) pan with parchment paper insert

Chicken Prep:

Watch this video and do the same thing to your chicken(s):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-8tMEwBnSA

Dressing Prep:

Combine the dressing crumbs and the toasted bread cubes in a large bowl. Add minced chives, sage, and parsley.

Roast the chicken backbone, any wing tips, and the keel bone in a sauté pan with half an onion, a stalk of celery, and a carrot in a 375 oven until the edges brown darkly.

Remove the hot pan and add 3 cups of the chicken broth. Warning! The broth will steam, pop, and boil when it hits the hot pan. Set the pan on low heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add 3 Tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Add the quick stock to the dressing and mix well. You want the dressing to be very moist but not soggy. If more liquid is needed, add broth.

Vegetable Prep:

Peel the vegetables and cut into chunks that equal about two bites. Any smaller and they tend to over roast. Place them in a baggy and add a minced garlic and a Tablespoon or two of olive oil and salt and pepper. Shake the bag well to coat the vegetables. Let the vegetables hang out in the bag until time for the oven.

Roasting:

Preheat the oven to 375.

Spoon the dressing to the center of the parchment lined tray and spread it into a rectangle about the size of the butterflied chicken and about an inch thick. Place the chicken, skin side up, in the center of the dressing. Scatter the vegetables around the dressing. Spray or brush the chicken with melted butter or olive oil and salt and pepper the skin well.

Place the tray on the center rack and roast 45 to 60 minutes until an instant read thermometer insert deep in the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165. Remove from the oven and cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes before carving on the tray so that all the juices escape into the dressing.

When you are done:

[fishinwrench]

Are y'all eventually gonna start a dessert thread ?

[wuteversbitin424]

Lol i wondered about that as well. I think everyone spends so much time on the main course they say heck with making dessert and have twinkies and ice cream.

[rps]

I don't have much of a sweet tooth. Sometimes a custard or flan and that's about it. From time to time Nancy makes killer cookies. Once a year we do a Boston Cream Pie.

[ness]

Yeah, I'm not huge on desserts either. Some real strawberry shortcake a couple times a summer, some pie every now and again but I rarely make it myself. Rice pudding, bread pudding are good. Walnut brownies with ice cream.

[ness]

I've made sauerkraut a few times, and have been thinking about other fermented foods too. Always wanted to get a German or Polish crock, but I'm too cheap. Found this knock-off on Amazon at about half the price:

[BilletHead]

Are you going to make some Kim Chi Ness ? I can net you some shad and you can make fish sauce

BilletHead

[ness]

Those two items not currently on the list.

Kraut and maybe some pickles though. Seems pretty safe

[BilletHead]

Ribs in the smoker this morning,

Three and a half hours like this. Now they are in foil slathered in sauce finishing up. So when these were cooking this morning made a batch of this,

I think there is one with the name of Ness on top ?

BilletHead is working on the map this weekend

[BilletHead]

Photos tell the story. Side of green beans and new potatoes courtesy of the farmers market. Darned fine eats,

The BilletHead's are satisfied this evening