Life With….

For a variety of reasons I did not grow up eating much chicken and to be honest I rarely consider cooking it to this day.  I can cook a chicken breast but unless I am chopping it to bits for stir fry or grilling it, I am not especially creative with chicken breasts.

Yet I love cooking whole chickens – I usually pick one up that is local and free range, and preferably fresh as they are the juiciest.  My local whole foods carries these as does the farmer’s’ market – I am remarkably afraid of the large poultry producers after an incident where I was piling what felt like gallons of yellow fat off the top of a coq au vin made with commercial chicken meat as opposed to fresh hen or cock.

Typically to cook the chicken I remove the innards and save them for later.  I then stick a lemon inside, and put a dry rub of herbs under the skin. Often this is a mix of rosemary, thyme, olive oil, garlic and salt.  I then pour some olive oil on the skin to help with moisture and crispness.  I put it in a roasting pan and roast at 425 until done, which varies depending on the weight of the chicken, but I would start checking the meat at 45 minutes as you don’t wish to over cook it.  When the blood runs clear it is done.  I do  baste it at least twice with its own fats, again to help with flavor and moisture retention.

The true joy comes in after dinner though.  I am typically left with enough chicken, even if cooking for others, to make myself another meal or a soup.  And I do so – I don’t like wasting.  I then use the carcass and whatever meat is left to make  a stock.  Nothing beats fresh chicken stock for cooking with and adding flavor to the dishes that need it.

To make the sock place the chicken along with chopped carrots, onions, a bay leaf, rosemary, and celery in a stock pot.  Fill with water and simmer. I typically give it four to six hours or overnight.  The result is a yellowish liquid.

You can store this and use it immediately or create your own bullion.  If you reduce the stock (after removing the solids) to an amount that will fit into a ice tray, i.e. reduce it by about 3/4, and freeze it in the tray you create a cube of concentrated stock equivelent in flavor to about a cup  of stock.  These can last a few months and don’t take much room.

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Create Your Badge  All text and copyrights preserved by the author for words and original pictures and may not be used without author's permission. For more information visit http://www.peebesalgy.com Follow me on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/peebesalgy or contact me directly through http://www.peebesalgy.com/blog/contact-me/ Courtney Brown | Create Your Badge