Sheet Pan Supper #1

I adore cooking and find it very relaxing especially after a long day of baking. I know it may seem contradictory to enjoy being in one kitchen after having spent your entire day in another, but as any foodie will tell you....cooking and baking are two entirely separate beasts just as owning a bakery and managing a home kitchen are two boats in completely different ponds. That said, I've been dying for more simplicity when it comes to dinner time with 6 people. We are not fast-foodies or even convenience-foodies which only serves to complicate dinner when there are limited shortcuts between beginning the meal prep and all of the ingredients actually reaching edible. I am venturing into sheet-pan-suppers and trying to find ways to get our evening meal executed with minimal cookware, resulting (with any luck) in minimal dishes. This sheet-pan-supper was my first attempt and turned out incredibly savory. So simple and a very flexible recipe that will allow for a myriad of seasonings and vegetables for numerous variations. Change it up! 

Start by placing your veggies of choice on a sheet pan. I opted for baby carrots and onion, but potatoes would be oh so yummy as well. I will definitely try with fresh brussel sprouts next time. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Dice and cook 8 oz of bacon and cook in a skillet.  Remove bacon and sprinkle on top of your sheet pan veggies. Cut up a whole chicken (or buy it already cut up if you prefer), season chicken well with salt/pepper, and brown chicken portions in the bacon fat of your skillet. You may have to do this in batches to get all of the chicken browned. Layer your seared chicken portions on top of your veggies and pour any remaining bacon fat and juices from your skillet over the sheet pan of chicken/veggies. Place your sheet pan in a 400 degree oven and carefully pour in 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc is my favorite to cook with) OR you can use 1 cup of chicken broth and skip the wine if you prefer. Set your timer for 1 hour and roast it all together until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. You will have ample yummy broth in your sheet pan to pour over your plated chicken.  Or use the fluid to make a flavor filled gravy to drown your day in as many calories as possible. Why not?  Sometimes life calls for exactly such salve. Enjoy!

My apologies for the photo quality - I didn't set out to blog this recipe, but when I witnessed how delectable it was shaping up to be, I couldn't help whipping out the iPhone an snapping what I could before my people devoured the goodness.

Eat More CHIKIN'

It was 1989 in rural Shawnee, OK and I was not quite a teenager.  My older brother had become enamored with the idea of having several chickens to raise - a task which proved far more difficult than we could have imagined as many wild things like to devour chicken as a midnight snack while the rest of us are sleeping. We eventually learned how to protect our babies and their eggs, avoiding danger from the big, bad wolf. There is no place where the circle of life is more poignantly displayed than on a farm. Animals give birth, animals die, we eat the animals. Knowing this, I’m not quite sure why I was surprised when it came time to butcher a few of the chickens - naturally, we had named each of them. I was a little slow on the uptake back then as I still am now. I’ve never had an exceptionally strong stomach and one would think farm-life would have sent me straight to devout vegetarianism. One afternoon, with little warning as to what would ensue, I found my outdoor activity abruptly disturbed as chickens were taken out to the butcher block. No classroom-taught, nervous system science lesson can compare to the automatic response of a freshly slain chicken. As it hopped to its feet and raced about in a headless frenzy of chaos, I mirrored its activity in equal frantic behavior. In that moment, I believed in all things angel and demon, life after death, and the need for exorcism - much to the humor of all those around me. Several chickens were de-feathered, cleaned, and preserved that day while I stood by - mostly watching and hardly helping. As time marched on I learned many different ways to prepare chicken and this lean and versatile bird has a place on our family’s table at least twice every week. As a light, cold salad on a crostini or a hearty, comforting main course, chicken is sure to leave tummies full and hearts happy. 

Spatchcock Chicken

1 whole organic chicken

2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

1 stick of salted butter cut into 8 Tbs.

6 slice bacon

4 cloves garlic

1 Tbs. olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Dried Oregano

Rinse chicken thoroughly and pat dry. Place chicken breast side down and beginning at thigh end of chicken cut along ones side of the backbone with a pair of very sharp kitchen shears; repeat on the other side of the backbone and discard. Flip chicken over and open it like a book; press firmly on breastbone to flatten. 

Take 4 cloves of peeled garlic and smash with flat side of a knife. Put the garlic in a cluster on your roasting pan and place chicken over the garlic. The smashed  garlic will steam during roasting and flavor the chicken from the inside out. Using a finger gently separate the chicken skin from the meat and stuff 3 tablespoons of butter between the skin and flesh of each breast and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter between the skin and flesh of each thigh. Gently rub the outside of the bird with 1 tablespoon olive oil and generously sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper and dried oregano. Sprinkle on the rosemary. Lay strips of bacon vertically across the body of the bird and continue on the thighs. Roast in a 400 degree oven, basting often, for approximately 1 hour or until meat thermometer reaches 190 degrees. 

Chicken Cucumber Salad

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 breasts)

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

3/4 cup fresh corn

1/3 cup finely diced red onion

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

1/2 cup cucumber vinaigrette 

Fresh chives for garnish

Poach chicken breasts, cool, and dice. Combine chicken, corn, onion, avocado, cucumber, and cucumber vinaigrette in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a toasted crostini. Garnish with chopped, fresh chives.

Cucumber Vinaigrette

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded

2 TBS white wine vinegar

2 TBS dijon mustard

2 TBS fresh chives

1/2 cup olive oil

Place cucumber, vinegar, mustard, and chives in a food processor and process until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil and process until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.