This is not just an entree it’s a meal. Maybe, even a Sunday dinner. As you can see in the picture, I hope. There is the chicken of course, your protein. There is the stuffing, that is your starch. Then there are carrots, the “veg”. Then there is the gravy (shown further down). For me, it is the chicken gravy that ties it all together. In essence, its three recipes, that I am posting in total today. Right here, from my kitchen to yours.

Happy cooking, happy eating, happy drinking!

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Chicken Stuffing

        Let’s start with the Stuffing. We all had it for Thanksgiving (in the U.S. anyhow) and we all miss it now but who the hell wants that big ass bird called a turkey again in our freezer right now! Much less taking up all that room in the fridge with all those leftovers, YIKES! Not me! I need the room for beer and wine.

        Nope, no big birds here. I purchased an “Oven Suffer” chicken roaster that was just a bit over 6 pounds.

        I start this meal by making the stuffing to stuff into this bird.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag or box of your favorite seasoned cube stuffing mix

1 stick of butter

1 cup of chicken broth or (1-cup water, 1 heaping teaspoon Better then Bouillon chicken stock)

2 large celery stalks (finely diced)

1 large carrot (finely diced)

1 small onion (finely diced)

DIRECTIONS:

Into a large pan sauce pan, I melt a stick of butter. Then add the carrot, celery and onion. Simmer over low heat just until the onoin is translucent. Add 1-cup of chicken stock. Simmer the vegetables about 4 minutes. Just until they are barely tender.

        While the vegetables simmer, get out a large bowl. Put the stuffing mix into the bowl. After the vegetables have cooked just a bit pour that yummy goodness over the dry breadcrumb cubes and toss lightly like a salad. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap at let stand 2 to 5 minutes steaming so the cubes of bread absorb all the liquid. After 2 to 5 minutes, toss again with a fork and its ready to stuff into that bird.

        Note:

        You can cook any extra stuffing you can’t get into your bird in a greased loaf pan for 45 minutes. Right next to you chicken.

Stuffed Roasted Chicken

Serves 3 to 4

SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS

Large Roasting Pan

Chef’s knife

INGREDIENTS:

1 chicken 6 to 8 pounds

1 stuffing recipe completed

The rest of the one-pound bag of carrots.

A large stalk or two of celery

1 large onion

Butter softened or Margarine (I use Margarine) (a squeeze bottle of Parkey when I can find it)

Salt

White Pepper

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Paprika

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

 I begin by removing any gizzards or neck that may have come with the chicken. Now normally I do not rinse chicken but because I am stuffing it, I run cold water through the inside. It is critical however that there is nothing around the sink that could be splashed by yucky chicken water. We do not want anyone getting sick from that. When done you should wash your sink and counter with hot soapy water.

Place your rinsed chicken in the roasting pan a dry it well with paper towels. (This can all be done while you vegetables are simmering for your stuffing)

Standing the chicken on its neck, I salt the inside of the chicken.  

Now you can stuff that bad girl with that yummy the stuffing.

Coat the outside of the bird with butter or margarine. Then I season it with a light sprinkling of salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika.

Add two cups of water to the bottom of the pan.

Place the chicken in the 325 degree oven at bake for an hour and a half.

Peel and roughly cut up your remaining carrots from the one-pound bag. Peel and roughly cut one large onion. Wash and roughly cut two large stalks of celery.

Remove the chicken, pan and all, from the oven. Baste you bird with the juices from the bottom of the pan. Don’t forget to add a little basting to the stuffing too. Now add the vegetables to the bottom of the pan. Add more water only if necessary to keep it at about one to cups in the pan.

Pop it all back in to the oven. Continue to bake it at 325 degrees for an hour and a half to two hours or until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 160 degrees. (see gadget list for digital thermometers)

Remove the chicken to a carving plate. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and let rest while we make our gravy. Remove the vegetables from the pan to a bowl.  

Prepare the Chicken Gravy recipe next. That is your third recipe for today.

Chicken Gravy

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups chicken stock

Pan drippings (1 cup to 2 cups)

4 Tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

DIRECTIONS:

            Pour hot chicken stock into the chicken roasting pan and stir, losing and removing anything that is stuck to the pan. I think the French did this just so the pan was easier to clean in the end but that could just be me.

            Pour the chicken stock from the pan trough a strainer and into a measuring cup. Discard what is in the strainer. Save what’s in the measuring cup for the next step.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook flour four to five minutes until the flour and butter become very pale tan, the color of varnished maple wood.

Slowly whisk in the chicken stock to the flour while over medium heat. As it returns to the simmer. Add a little more of the chicken stock until you reach the perfect consistency. The sauce with be at its thickest each time it comes up to a simmer. Stop add stock when you have a gravy thickness you prefer.

Taste. Add salt or pepper to taste.

TO SERVE

Remove the stuffing from the chicken to a microwave safe bowl. Cover with platonic wrap and poke a few holes. Heat for a minute or two to make sure it is good and hot.

Carve up the chicken and serve with gravy, stuffing and the vegetables.

Enjoy!

The Drunken Chef (Russ)