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Almighty

CHICKEN!

If a statue were to be erected of the creature that has contributed most to the culinary arts, it might well be a monument to the chicken. In a few short months, living on inexpensive feed, our feathered friend grows from chick to adult, becoming the most efficient and economical protein factory on earth. The humble chicken provides us with many gifts. First and foremost is the egg, the most complete source of protein of any food, containing all the amino acids, vitamins, calcium, and nutrients to make a living chicken. So also the egg provides nutrition to man. Eggs can be prepared in a myriad of ways, simply boiled, poached, scrambled, or fried, or whipped into elegant soufflés. They also create the basis for fluffy cakes and meringues, puddings and custards, pastry doughs and glazes essential to the baker.

If the egg were all that the chicken offered, it would in itself justify the monument. But the chicken does not stop there. It offers its own life and gives us its meat to sustain us. And not just any meat does it provide, but meat that is nutritious and healthy, so delicious and economical that it is perhaps the most popular meat in the world. Like the egg, the chicken itself can be prepared in an infinite variety of ways, boiled or baked, broiled or fried, from the humble pot pie in the country kitchen to the most elegantly sauced creation in the finest French restaurant.

A great chef once said that if chicken were scarce, it would be a most treasured and expensive gourmet food, more so than shrimp or lobster. Indeed, the breast meat of chicken, when carefully prepared, sautéed in butter just to the point of doneness but not underdone, is by itself one of the great culinary treats on earth.

So next time we think of that laughable bird, remember all she has done, and how we should treat her with the dignity, kindness, and respect that she deserves, for she may be cackling at us.

 

ChefBilly’s Fried Chicken

Country Gravy

ChefBilly’s Orange Chicken Baked with Onions

ChefBilly’s Oven Fried Chicken

Very Easy Mushroom Gravy

Aunt Helen’s Baked Chicken

Greek-Style Rotisserie Chicken

 

 

ChefBilly's Fried Chicken

A good starting point for any beginning cook is fried chicken, one of the simplest and most popular methods. And you do not need 20 secret spices or a deep fat fryer or hours of time to create the crispiest, tastiest, juiciest chicken that ever passed your lips. All you need is some willingness and this recipe. One of the goals of the ChefBilly website is to provide simple recipes that will inspire people to actually do some cooking. In this world of take-out food, to revive the lost art of cooking we as Americans should at least bring some fried chicken from off of our own stoves. It is one of the most American of all foods.

This is the most basic of fried chicken recipes. It includes a wonderful recipe for country gravy, which is delicious, but optional.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

6 fresh, whole chicken legs

PAM cooking spray

2 Tbsp each butter and olive oil

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp sweet Hungarian paprika

¼ tsp red cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp poultry seasoning

Gravy (optional):

1 medium onion, chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

Reserved grease and flour from the fried chicken

3 cups milk, or more as needed

1 cup diced fresh mushrooms or 1 8-ounce can (optional)

NOTES: The pan is important in the making of fried chicken. Choose a large skillet 2 or 3 inches deep, preferably with a heavy bottom, which prevents sticking. You may select a non-stick pan, but chicken will not brown as well. If you have a pan that is an old friend, you will know how it behaves. Make sure it is scrupulously clean and spray lightly with PAM before beginning.

Fresh chicken that has not been previously frozen has by far the best flavor. If frozen chicken is used, thaw thoroughly and soak in lightly salted water for an hour before cooking.

Method:

Rinse chicken and dry well. Place flour and spices in a medium-sized paper bag (plastic will stick). Shake chicken pieces one by one in the paper bag to coat with the flour mixture. Shake off excess and place the coated chicken pieces on a wire rack or waxed paper and let rest a few minutes.

Over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil in the skillet that has been lightly sprayed with PAM. As butter foams, put the chicken pieces skin-side down into the skillet in a single layer without touching each other. You may have to do 2 batches, depending on the size of your chicken pieces and your pan. Fry the chicken until golden brown on the first side, about 10 minutes. Then turn the chicken and fry until golden brown on the second side, about another 10 minutes. Moderate the heat so the chicken sizzles nicely but is not spattering or burning.

Remove the chicken pieces as they are browned to a large baking dish or pan. Leave them in a single layer skin-side up. When all the pieces are browned, place the chicken in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. Chicken is done when a fork pierces the meat easily and juices do not run red.

When the chicken is done, turn the oven off and leave the chicken inside, uncovered, until ready to serve. While the chicken is baking, you may make the optional gravy as follows:

Country Gravy:

Leave browned bits in the skillet in which you fried the chicken. There should be about 6 Tbsp of fat; if more, drain off excess, if less, add some butter. Fry the onions gently in the skillet until soft, about 5 minutes, then add green onions and garlic and fry about 2 minutes more. Add 6 Tbsp of the leftover flour mixture in which you coated the chicken. Stirring constantly, fry the flour with the onions and the garlic until smooth and very lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Then start adding the milk gradually, stirring constantly. The mixture will become like mashed potatoes at first and then become smooth and creamy as more milk is added. Bring to a simmer for a minute or two, adding extra milk as needed if gravy is too thick. Taste carefully for seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. This much gravy should take another teaspoon or so of salt. Fold in the optional mushrooms and simmer another minute.

You will be surprised at the sensational flavor that this gravy has. I like to serve the gravy on the plate with the chicken on the side so the chicken retains its wonderful crispiness. Serve with plenty of mashed potatoes, baking powder biscuits and honey, corn on the cob and three-bean salad.

This chicken, cold, is perfect for a picnic.

SERVES 3-6, depending on appetite.

NOTE: Breast meat of chicken may be fried in the same manner. Unless the breasts are very large, you may wish to decrease the baking time to 10 or 15 minutes, because the white meat cooks faster than the dark. White meat becomes dry if overcooked, and must be watched more carefully than dark meat.

--ChefBilly

 

ChefBilly’s Orange Chicken

baked with onions

Chicken is economical with time as well as money. Here is a delicious recipe you can whip up within an hour after coming home from work.

Ingredients:

6 large chicken thighs and drumsticks

2 medium onions, chopped

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp paprika (substitute ¼ tsp cayenne pepper if you like it hot)

PAM original cooking spray

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp cornstarch

½ tsp powdered ginger, or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger

3 Tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce

3 Tbsp red balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 cup orange juice

¼ cup dark Karo corn syrup

Method:

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Remember, chicken is best if it is fresh and has never been frozen. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. Arrange in a shallow baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with PAM. Sprinkle the chicken with black pepper, smother with chopped onions, and sprinkle with paprika or cayenne. Then spray the entire surface with PAM.

Place the pan uncovered in the middle of the preheated oven. After 5 minutes, lower temperature to 400°F. Baste the onions with the pan juices after 20 minutes of baking.

Prepare the orange sauce as follows. In a medium bowl, mash the minced garlic with a heavy fork. Gradually blend in the cornstarch, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and orange juice. (The sauce will look and smell awful until it is cooked.)

After a total of 40 minutes of baking, remove the pan from the oven and baste the onions again with the pan juices. Then, carefully tilting the pan to one side, drain most of the pan juices into a large measuring cup. Pour the orange sauce evenly over the chicken and return to oven.

After about 10 minutes, most of the fat should have separated from the broth in the measuring cup and will be floating on top. Pour off the fat, saving the flavorful broth. You should have at least 1 cup; if not, add orange juice to make up the difference. Remove chicken from oven, baste with the broth and sprinkle evenly with corn syrup. Return to oven, still uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

By now (1 hour total) the chicken should be fork-tender, the sauce bubbly, and the onions covered with a beautiful brown glaze. If sauce thickens excessively, add some boiling water. If not serving immediately, turn off the oven, cover the chicken loosely with foil, and leave it in the oven with door ajar. It should stay hot for at least an hour.

Delicious with rice and a green vegetable, or with boiled potatoes and cabbage.

SERVES 6.

ChefBilly's Oven-Fried Chicken

 

ChefBilly has discovered some of his best recipes when he has been in a hurry. Here is a simple recipe for oven- fried chicken with all the taste and crispiness of pan-fried chicken but with far less grease and much less effort. It can be prepared in less than an hour.

 

Preheat oven to 400°F.

 

Rinse and pat dry:

 

12 chicken drumsticks, or 6 drumsticks and 6 thighs.

 

Coat them with flour. Shake off the excess and spread them in a single layer on waxed paper or a baking sheet.

 

In a small pie plate, beat:

 

1 egg

¼ cup milk

 

Spread on a plate or waxed paper:

 

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, approximately

 

Get ready:

 

A shallow baking pan big enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Spray lightly with PAM.

 

Using metal tongs, dip the flour-coated chicken pieces in the egg and then roll them in the breadcrumbs. (The tongs keep the coating from sticking to your fingers.) Arrange the coated chicken pieces in a single layer in the baking pan, skin side up.

 

Sprinkle with:

 

¼ tsp Adobo seasoning, black pepper, or black pepper and ¼ tsp rubbed sage.

 

Spray the chicken pieces lightly with:

 

PAM

 

Drizzle with:

 

½ cup canola oil.

 

Put the chicken in the middle of preheated 400°F oven for twenty minutes. Turn oven down to 350°F and cook for about 20 minutes more, until chicken is lightly brown, crispy, and tender. There is no need to turn the chicken pieces while cooking.

 

NOTE: This recipe also works well with larger pieces of chicken such as breasts and whole legs. Breasts require 30 to 40 minutes total cooking time, whole legs up to an hour.

 

SERVES 6.

 

Good with mashed potatoes and very easy mushroom gravy, below.

 

Very Easy Mushroom Gravy

 

1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup

½ can milk

 

In a small saucepan, gently whisk the soup and milk together over low heat until smooth and bubbly.

 

I like to serve this gravy on the plate underneath the chicken, so the chicken does not lose its crispiness.

 

A surprisingly delicious gravy.

 

Aunt Helen's Baked Chicken

 

My Aunt Helen and Uncle Frank owned an old-fashioned neighborhood grocery store, back in a time when everyone shopped down the block. In the 1940s and 50s, people walked to the store and bought just what they needed for the day. The store was more than a place of business but somewhere folk congregated and chatted. Aunt Helen was famous for traditional, good home cooking, and this easy recipe is one of her best. It is just chicken and onions baked together, but these two ingredients when married bring out the best in each other. The long cooking time and the use of the chicken fat are giveaways that this is a very old recipe. Whenever I taste it I remember my childhood days.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cut-up chicken (you may add 2 extra legs)

½ stick (2 ounces) butter

1 large onion, chopped

¼ tsp each salt, black pepper, and paprika

¼ tsp oregano (optional)

2 cloves chopped garlic (optional)

 

Method:

 

Clean chicken pieces, separating drumsticks from thighs. Reserve any loose fat and cut into small bits. Place chicken pieces in roasting pan skin-side up. Dot with butter and chopped chicken fat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, and optional oregano and garlic. Cover with chopped onion. Cover and bake about 2 hours in preheated 325°F oven, turning pieces occasionally. For the last half hour of cooking, remove cover and chicken will turn golden brown.

 

Delicious and spoon-tender. Wonderful with mashed potatoes.

 

SERVES 4 - 6.

 

 

Greek-Style Rotisserie Chicken

This recipe was adapted for the George Foreman Jr. rotisserie grill, available from Amazon.com (click the Amazon.com logo below to order one or something similar).

You will need 1 fresh roasting chicken (5-7 pounds).  I use the Perdue “oven-stuffer” with the built-in timer.  And you will need the following marinade:

Greek-style marinade:

 

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 1 fresh lemon, strained

1 tablespoon Kikkoman soy sauce

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon paprika

4 tablespoons Canola oil

 

In a glass bowl big enough to hold the chicken, mash the garlic with the salt and stir in the remaining marinade ingredients.  Remove all giblets from the chicken, rinse inside and out with cold water and pat dry.  Place the chicken in the marinade, turning to coat thoroughly, and spoon some of the marinade inside the body cavity and also between the loosened skin and the breast meat.  Refrigerate and marinate 6-24 hours (the longer the marinade, the more pronounced the garlic and lemon flavor will be in the meat).  Turn the chicken occasionally while it is marinating. 

About 2 hours before serving, remove chicken from marinade.  Do not pat dry.  Skewer the chicken onto the rotisserie bar assembly of the George Foreman Jr. grill (or use rotisserie setup of your choice).  Place in rotisserie and set timer for 2 hours.  Start checking the chicken for doneness after 1½ hours.  If you are using a Perdue roasting chicken, the built-in timer will “pop out” when meat is done (this really works!).  Double check with an instant-read meat thermometer inserted between the drumstick and the breast.  It should read 180°F.  Do not overcook or the chicken will become dry.  Usual time for a 6 pound chicken is about 1¾ hours, surprisingly less time than when the chicken is baked in the conventional manner. 

Turn off rotisserie, carefully remove chicken and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

SERVES 3-4.  Serve with rice, potatoes, or stovetop stuffing, and a green vegetable or salad.

The leftover marinade makes a tangy sauce.  Degrease the pan drippings from your rotisserie and pour some boiling water into the pan, dissolving the flavorful brown bits.  Pour into a medium saucepan.  Skim the excess oil off of your refrigerated marinade and add the marinade to the pan.  Add about a cup of chicken broth and then gradually whisk in 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup apple juice to thicken.  Simmer, stirring, until desired consistency is reached, adding some boiling water if sauce is too thick. 

Serve sparingly over the chicken, which is so delicious that it will not need much sauce.

THIS IS THE MOST FLAVORFUL AND SUCCULENT CHICKEN EVER!

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2002 by William Gordon McDonald

 

 

 

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