Roast Chicken

Submitted by Chelsea

Roasted Chicken (with potatoes and carrots)

I'm FINALLY getting around to post! This recipe has been a favorite of my family for a few years and I just made it for Chet and I last night. The original recipe is from Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa.  It was my first time so I learned a few things I could have done differently that I'll explain later.  I prepared this the night before in the pan and put it covered in the fridge. I text Chet while I was at work the next day and he just had to put it in the oven. Really easy to prepare and easy to cook!  I didn't have a roasting pan or rack so I bought a pretty good quality one at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I used a 20% off coupon and it came to $12.81!. That's a steal for me considering the other ones were over $50!

You will need:

Roasting pan and rack

1 whole chicken (5-6 lbs roughly)

Kosher salt

Pepper

1 large bunch  FRESH thyme

1 lemon, halved

1 HEAD garlic, cut in half crosswise

1 purple onion

Baby Carrots (Ina doesn't add veggies but I prefer it)

Red potatoes 

Kitchen string (I use kite string- just something that won't start a fire)

Butter or Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Remove chicken giblets, remove excess fat, and skin, clear the inside so you can see an opening at the neck area.  Pat the outside of the chicken dry and place on the rack with it facing up. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Now stuff the chicken with the  thyme, garlic and lemon.  Brush with butter or Olive oil- whichever you prefer. (I used Olive oil to make it a little bit healthier) Tie the legs together tight and make sure nothing is going to fall out of the cavity of the chicken. Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken. Tuck the wings into the sides of the chicken. Slice the onion and place rings on top and to the side of the chicken. Scatter the carrots and potatoes on top of the rack. (My rack had large spaces so majority of my veggies fell to the bottom of the pan- this is ok)  Roast chicken for 1.5 hours or until the juices in the leg and thigh run clear. Enjoy!

*What I wish I would have done differently*

Salt and peppered the inside and outside more. Especially the inside--it won't make it overly salt. I was worried it would but I think it ends of giving it more flavor. I used a white onion cause that's what we had at home- should've used a purple onion. Ina uses a Spanish onion.

I removed the majority of fat off of the chicken prior to cooking to make it healthier but I wish I would've left more to give the carrots and potatoes more fat/moisture to cook in. A lot of the veggies were dried out because the juices couldn't cover the pan because there was so little. The veggies directly under the chicken were really yummy! :)

My mom usually takes the skin off when she cooks hers and I did this time too but next time I'm going to  leave it on to see if that'll give it more flavor by trapping it in. The chicken was  REALLY juicy, I wish I would've roasted it a little bit longer to dry it out a little bit.

Okay! There's my first recipe post! I don't have an after picture but I'll post one of my chicken all ready to cook. Enjoy! 

Here's the book the original recipe came from: 

Creamy Tuscan Pasta Sauce

This recipe didn't call for chicken but we are trying to have protein at every meal, so I added it to the sauce and it was delicious. You can leave out the chicken or add it or any other meat if you'd like!

Submitted by: Jessica

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped
• 2 cups milk
• 6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste if needed
• diced fresh tomatoes and fresh basil for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Stir in the dried basil. Add the cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it will come together to form a smooth, creamy paste. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
2. Over medium heat, add the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fulling into the sauce. Stir in Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked noodles.

This picture doesn't look very appetizing. I think it's because I used wheat noodles and the colors kind of blend. They recommend bow-tie pasta with this dish.

White Chicken Enchiladas

I know Lacie just barely posted an enchiladas recipe. But seriously can you have enough enchilada recipes?! This one also seemed quite a bit different so I don't think you'd be feeling like you had the same meal twice! Just know that the sauce made for this does not freeze well. If you want to make it as a freezer meal, make the enchilada part (stuff the tortillas) and make the sauce the day of.

Submitted by: Jessica

Ingredients:

• 10 soft taco shells (I used 8 burrito size)
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken. I've also used a rotisserie chicken
• 3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a 8x11 pan (or a 9x13 if you are making 10)
2. Mix chicken and 1 1/2 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
4. Stir in sour cream and chillies. Do not bring to a boil. You don't want curdled sour cream.
5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 22 minutes and then under high broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese. The broiling part is important, so the tortillas aren't soggy!

Great served with rice and beans. We also topped ours with sour cream and salsa.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

This was wonderful!

submitted by: Jessica

Ingredients:

• 16 Jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese plus 1/4 cup for topping
• 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients (except shells) and stuff into the cooked jumbo shells.
2. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
3. Bake at 350* uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

We served our with a side salad and breadsticks!

Chicken Empanadas

This was definitely a 5-star recipe! I love pie crusts and it was perfect for this meal!

Submitted by: Jessica

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded Colby and Monterrey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you like. All I had on hand was cheddar and that was still good!)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used light and it was still really good!)
• 3 oz green chilies
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped. *optional
• 1/2 Tbl ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 package refrigerated pie crusts. Should have 2 pie crusts.
• Water

Preheat oven to 400*F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the water and pie crust. Unroll 1 pie crust onto a lightly floured surface. Place half of the chicken mixture on one half of the pie crust, then fold pie crust over (in half) over the filling. Lightly brush the edge of the crust with water. Press edges down with a fork to seal. Do the same thing with the second pie crust and the other half of the chicken mixture. Put on baking sheet and sprinkle top with cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.