I love me some chicken. Whole chicken that is. I like it because it's cheap and I can do anything I want with it with a little extra work. (Seriously, it is way cheaper. A whole chicken at Stater Bros is 79 cents a pound right now!) If you are so inclined, you can de-bone, marinate and grill it, you can roast it, you can divide it up into several pieces and have your drumsticks, thighs, wings, and breast. My favorite way to cook it, though, is with a pressure cooker. To prep it, I take out the giblets and rinse it well. Then I mix some dried thyme with some salt and pepper and put it between the skin and the breast meat and sometimes a little on the legs. Then I pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of my pressure cooker and brown the chicken on the outside. When I 'm done with that, I make sure it's sitting in the cooker with the breast side up. I fill the cooker part way up with water and bouillon so it covers about half of the chicken. Then I put the lid on and once the pressure is up, I cook it for about 25 minutes. After the pressure drops enough for me to open the lid, it is done! Viola! It would have taken me over and hour to do the same thing in the oven. The meat is more tender and juicy with the pressure cooker too.
Whenever I make this, we eat it like we would a roast chicken. There's always some leftover meat, so I pick it off the bones and use it in the next night's meal, like for chicken enchiladas. (I'm not posting any recipes for that until I can master home-made enchilada sauce) After I've cleaned enough meat off the bones I use them to make chicken stock, which is also super easy. Here's how I do that:
I save the drippings and liquid from the pressure cooker and combine it with the bones in a stock pot. Then I put enough water in to cover the chicken and add the giblets. After that, I cover it and let it come to a boil and boil it for at least 30 minutes, more if I want stronger stock. Once that is done, I strain the liquid into a soup pot and put it in the fridge. I usually leave it there over night (mostly because I don't have time to can it the same day). After it has cooled, I skim the fat off the top and bring it back to a boil. I then pour the hot stock into clean quart jars and pressure can them. Every pressure canner is different, so you should follow the instructions that come with yours.
Whenever I make this, we eat it like we would a roast chicken. There's always some leftover meat, so I pick it off the bones and use it in the next night's meal, like for chicken enchiladas. (I'm not posting any recipes for that until I can master home-made enchilada sauce) After I've cleaned enough meat off the bones I use them to make chicken stock, which is also super easy. Here's how I do that:
I save the drippings and liquid from the pressure cooker and combine it with the bones in a stock pot. Then I put enough water in to cover the chicken and add the giblets. After that, I cover it and let it come to a boil and boil it for at least 30 minutes, more if I want stronger stock. Once that is done, I strain the liquid into a soup pot and put it in the fridge. I usually leave it there over night (mostly because I don't have time to can it the same day). After it has cooled, I skim the fat off the top and bring it back to a boil. I then pour the hot stock into clean quart jars and pressure can them. Every pressure canner is different, so you should follow the instructions that come with yours.
This is the end result. Delicious homemade stock with no added salt and it tastes a whole lot better than what you can get at the store. I can get 3-4 quarts of stock from 1 chicken, not to mention dinner for 2 nights. I'd say that's a lot of stuff you can get for around $5.
No comments:
Post a Comment