Roast Chicken sounds boring and blase, but it can be one of the most delicious things you could ever learn to make.  We learned to make this last week in my class, and it looked so unassuming...until you tasted it.  Tender, juicy, flavorful...anything but boring.  I was so excited that it turned out just as delicious when I made it at home.  Even JD said he had never had chicken so good.

Simply Delicious Roast Chicken with Jus

1 4-5 pound roasting chicken, giblets removed
kosher salt
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon peppercorns, cracked
canola oil
1/2 cup or so of dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock

Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle cavity generously with salt.

Stuff chicken cavity with diced onion, carrot, celery, thyme, garlic cloves, and cracked peppercorns.

Tuck wings underneath the bird.  Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

Heat a few tablespoons of canola oil (or clarified butter if you have it) in a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Carefully place the chicken on its side in the skillet so the leg/thigh is on the bottom.  Sear for a few minutes until the leg is nicely browned.  Repeat with the other side.

Lay chicken flat on its back and place in the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, baste with pan drippings, and sprinkle with salt.  Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and place back in the oven.

Repeat every 10 minutes until oven temp is reduced to 350 degrees.  Continue to roast until nicely browned, and instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh reads 165 degrees.  Carefully remove chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 15 minutes.  Pour off the fat from the pan.

Using a sharp slicing knife, carve the legs and breast from the chicken.  I'm not even going to try to describe how to do this (I can barely do it myself!) but there are plenty of websites and videos available out there.  Keep chicken warm on platter while you make the jus.

Heat skillet/roasting pan over medium-high heat.  Scoop out the veggies from the chicken cavity (discard the thyme sprigs) and put in pan.  Hack the chicken carcass into large pieces and put in the pan with the veggies.  Saute until vegetables and chicken pieces are lightly browned.  Deglaze with some white wine, and reduce until nearly evaporated.  Add chicken stock and heat to boiling.  Taste and add salt as needed.

Strain jus.  Drizzle some jus over carved chicken and serve the rest on the side.

Fall is the perfect time for meals like this...slow-braised meat, soft onions, and warm, rich broth.  Makes the house smell delicious too!

Chicken Normandy
adapted from Simply Recipes

4 tablespoons butter
2 Fuji apples, cored, peeled and sliced into wedges
flour
8 chicken thighs
salt
1 onion, peeled, sliced in wedges lengthwise
1/2 brandy
2 cups apple cider
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup cream (I used milk)

Season chicken pieces with salt and let it at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Saute apple slices in 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat until they start to brown.  Remove apple slices to plate lined with paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle with salt.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to pan.  Dredge chicken pieces in flour, shake off excess.  Fry chicken on medium heat 3-5 minutes per side, until golden brown.  Remove and set aside.  Add onions to skillet; increase heat to medium-high.  Saute onions until just starting to brown.

Add brandy to the skillet.  Use wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Cook until reduced to about half.  Add apple cider and bring to a boil.  Stir in thyme and pinch of salt.

Place chicken pieces back in skillet on top of onions, skin side up.  Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove pan from oven (watch out for the hot handle!) and remove chicken; set aside on warm plate.  Add apples to skillet, return to stove on high heat, and boil until sauce is reduced by half.  Remove from heat and add cream (or milk) and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chicken with the apples and onions and top with sauce.

I'm going to try a new regular feature here at Suzy's Goodies...Finger Food Fridays!  I love appetizers, and Fridays seem to be the perfect day to feature them, so you can be ready for all the weekend sporting events.

This week's recipe is Spicy-Sweet Wings, which I made last Sunday.  Dee-lish.  I'm not usually a lover of wings, but these were great.  The only change I would make next time is to use the Sriracha hot-chile sauce as called for in the recipe.  I didn't have it, so I used regular chili sauce instead, and the wings weren't very spicy.  Great flavor, but no heat. 

Spicy-Sweet Wings
adapted from High Heels & Aprons

4 1/2 pounds chicken wings, patted dry

For the Marinade
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 cup Sriracha hot-chile sauce (rooster sauce)
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Dipping Sauce
2 teaspoons canola or other light oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons hoisin sance
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl.  Scoop out 1/2 cup marinade and refrigerate.  Add wings to remaining marinade and toss to coat well.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, tossing occasionally.

Remove wings from refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 2 sheet pans with foil and spray with nonstick spray.  Arrange wings in single layer on sheets and bake for 20 minutes, brushing with reserved marinade about halfway through.  Increase oven temp to 425 degrees, brush wings with remaining marinade, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

While wings are baking, make the dipping sauce.  Heat oil and garlic in small saucepan over medium heat for about 30 seconds.  Add remaining sauce ingredients and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Serve wings with the dipping sauce on the side.  You could also serve with Chex Mix and M&M's, if you happen to have those handy.  It's all good.

I'm linking this post up with Friday Firsts at Dinner at Christina's!  Check out what other firsts are featured today...

Forget the blue box and neon orange "cheese" powder.  This is some seriously good comfort food.

Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from a recipe in McCall's Cooking School cookbook

2 cups macaroni or other pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup diced cooked chicken or ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook 4-5 minutes, or slightly less done than al dente.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile...

chop up the red pepper...

grate the cheese...

and dice the chicken (or ham).

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add flour, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir until smooth.  Gradually add milk, stirring so there are no lumps.

Return saucepan to medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens.  Add diced red bell pepper, reduce heat to low and simmer for one minute.  Remove from heat.

Add cooked pasta, chicken or ham, and 1 1/2 cups grated cheese to the saucepan and stir to combine. 

Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes...cheese should be melted and bubbly.

Well, I had planned to post another cookie this week, but what I chose to make did not turn out web-worthy, visually.  Tasted great, but looked pretty bad.  Bad enough to be called fugly.  I will try it again sometime, but for now, here's a great recipe for a simple and yummy chicken stew.

I found this recipe when JD was trying the whole Atkins/South Beach thing, so I was looking for meals that were filling but without the usual carb-heavies (potatoes, pasta, etc.).  This is so good it is a regular meal for us now, years after the low-carb idea (thankfully) left our house. 

Chicken Stew

adapted from a recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis

2 TB olive oil
2 stalks celery, cut into bite sized pieces
1 carrot, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper
1 14-1/2 can diced tomatoes (I used a quart jar of home-canned tomatoes)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces (I didn't have fresh, so I substituted 1 tsp Italian seasoning and omitted the thyme)
1 TB tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 bone-in chicken breast halves
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 

In a large saucepan or pot over medium heat, saute the onion, celery and carrot with the olive oil until the onion is translucent.  

Season with salt and pepper.  Add the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme.  Add the chicken breasts; press down to submerge in the liquid.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and turning the chicken over once, until the chicken breasts are nearly cooked through, about 25 minutes.  Remove the chicken breasts and set aside to cool.  Remove and discard the bay leaf.  Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the skin and bones from the chicken.  Using two forks, shred the chicken and return to the pot.  Simmer gently until the chicken is done.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Do you have any favorite soup or stew recipes?