Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!
In my head, this phrase is synonymous with my father. Although this was usually referring to some kind of athletic competition as a child, I am hoping tonight it will literally apply!
To be honest, the catalyst for this entire meal was really that I want to make my own chicken stock, which I have not done before. From the little I do know about making stock, I am aware that having a chicken dinner and leftover bones is the key! This made for the perfect opportunity to stop by our favorite local butcher shop, Hoffmans, located on Highway 58 near Hagerstown MD.
I am still not completely sure about the locality of some of the products but I have been assured that the meat is all local and processed on site. I ordered up one fryer chicken (not going to fry it but that's what they're called) and couldn't help but notice the size was much smaller than the typical chickens you see in the grocery. I have no scientific proof, but I want to believe that local means less hormones and other creepy stuff in the meat.
I chose to freeze the chicken until a couple days before cooking since I wasn't sure when I would be able to make this meal and sequentially, the stock.
Today was the day! Here are the ingredients and preparations for what I hope will be a winning dinner:
First, thaw out the chicken in the fridge for two days or until necessary.
On the day of, preheat the oven to 425.
Slice 4 small yellow onions into rings (I picked mine up local from a road side stand in Greencastle, along with the garlic).
Roughly chopped 3 large cloves of garlic. The garlic is going in the bird's cavity, just for flavor so it doesn't really need to be cut up small at all.
Quarter a small lemon (I have yet to find lemons locally, so I buy organic from a location as close to PA as I can find).
Put three of the lemon quarters and as much garlic as you can inside the bird's cavity. Don't worry if it doesn't fit. You can just mix it in with the onions.
Next, to dress the bird: (I love this saying! I just imagine my chicken in an evening gown!)
Put the chicken in a oven friendly dish. It doesn't need to be very big since the chicken is small and the onions are the only other food in the dish. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to the chicken, just to season. Arrange the onions around the sides of the dish and add some white wine, lemon juice and remaining garlic cloves.
You can add more salt and pepper to the onions if you like. This is where you can experiment with whatever fresh, local ingredients you have. You might add other veggies such as potatoes, celery, carrots, parsnips, squash, etc. You can also add fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary or sage. My advice is to try a different flavor combination each time you make it to see what you really like.
Once your dish is brimming with happy, local ingredients, stick the whole thing in the preheated oven uncovered for about 1 hour and 15 min. You can check to see if it's done by cutting a small hole into space where the leg meets the rest of the body. If the juices run clear, you are good to go, if it looks bloody, stick it back in for a little longer.
Once the chicken is done, it's best to take it out of the dish and put foil over it for about 10 minutes. This rest allows the juices to soak into the meat, which creates the best flavor!
To be honest, the catalyst for this entire meal was really that I want to make my own chicken stock, which I have not done before. From the little I do know about making stock, I am aware that having a chicken dinner and leftover bones is the key! This made for the perfect opportunity to stop by our favorite local butcher shop, Hoffmans, located on Highway 58 near Hagerstown MD.
I am still not completely sure about the locality of some of the products but I have been assured that the meat is all local and processed on site. I ordered up one fryer chicken (not going to fry it but that's what they're called) and couldn't help but notice the size was much smaller than the typical chickens you see in the grocery. I have no scientific proof, but I want to believe that local means less hormones and other creepy stuff in the meat.
I chose to freeze the chicken until a couple days before cooking since I wasn't sure when I would be able to make this meal and sequentially, the stock.
Today was the day! Here are the ingredients and preparations for what I hope will be a winning dinner:
- a local whole fryer chicken
- 4 medium sized onions
- 1 lemon
- 3 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- white wine
- herbs or veggies of your choosing
First, thaw out the chicken in the fridge for two days or until necessary.
On the day of, preheat the oven to 425.
Slice 4 small yellow onions into rings (I picked mine up local from a road side stand in Greencastle, along with the garlic).
Roughly chopped 3 large cloves of garlic. The garlic is going in the bird's cavity, just for flavor so it doesn't really need to be cut up small at all.
Quarter a small lemon (I have yet to find lemons locally, so I buy organic from a location as close to PA as I can find).
Put three of the lemon quarters and as much garlic as you can inside the bird's cavity. Don't worry if it doesn't fit. You can just mix it in with the onions.
Next, to dress the bird: (I love this saying! I just imagine my chicken in an evening gown!)
Put the chicken in a oven friendly dish. It doesn't need to be very big since the chicken is small and the onions are the only other food in the dish. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to the chicken, just to season. Arrange the onions around the sides of the dish and add some white wine, lemon juice and remaining garlic cloves.
You can add more salt and pepper to the onions if you like. This is where you can experiment with whatever fresh, local ingredients you have. You might add other veggies such as potatoes, celery, carrots, parsnips, squash, etc. You can also add fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary or sage. My advice is to try a different flavor combination each time you make it to see what you really like.
Once the chicken is done, it's best to take it out of the dish and put foil over it for about 10 minutes. This rest allows the juices to soak into the meat, which creates the best flavor!
Here is the yummy finished product. I wish smells could travel through technology, because this smells so good! This dinner was most definitely a winner!
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