Poultry "Recipe"

I attempted to 'repeat' the recipe that I did on turkey about a week or two ago on a chicken... I'd call it a success. The meat was tender and juicy, fell off the bone. No knife need to divvy out portions, but definitely a fork needed! There was little meat left after the growing... kids... ate it. I'm glad they at least left me some bones and skin to boil down! I started boiling down the bones about an hour ago, and boy is it smelling good! Makes me hungry again, though I ate my fill at dinner.

So, the basic idea for poultry (turkey or chicken) done in this tender, juicy, succulent, can't-stop-eating-it way is roughly as follows-- make sure you have your crock pot or roaster dusted off!

Clean poultry under cool water. Lifting the skin off the breast, allow water to fill "pouch" and then drain (the reason for this is explained later).

Shove fresh herbs (thyme, sage, rosemary), fresh onion, and fresh garlic into cavity. Shove onions and garlic under skin, and next to the breast meat (that's one reason for the previous rinsing-- makes the shoving easier).

Place poultry in crock pot (chicken) or roaster (turkey). In a bowl or measuring cup, or anything else that's bowl shaped and clean add the following juices and spices:
*Wine, white table wine is great, particularly chablis blanc (most of the 'juice' should be the wine)
*A sprinkle of balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar (and some lemon or lime juice if desired)-- these "pre-digest" the meat
* A smidgen of molasses (off-sets the tart/bitterness of the vinegars; the vinegars are what "pre-digests" the meat to make it tender)
* A touch of olive oil
* A bunch of paprika (I found smoked paprika that's very tasty), chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, some garlic powder, maybe a little tumeric or curry... um... I can't remember the other red spice I added... maybe red pepper flakes? Yes, I added those, too. And rub some "italian herbs" season in the hands and dump it in there, too (the bonus is that it makes your hands smell delicious).

Now, stir the mix up and then pour it into the cavity and 'pouch' of poultry. For just a little hen today, I used about 2 cups of liquid mixture-- no water!

DO NOT add bread. I don't care if you like stuffing or not. Do NOT add any sort of starch-- it will pull the juices away from the meat, instead of allowing the meat to absorb the juices (this is why most Americans cannot make a juicy bird).

Put the lid on the roaster and set it to the temp for the time you want it done. Such as "low" if you have a while to wait, or "high" when you finally get impatient at smelling the deliciousness and not wanting to wait any longer....

When the poultry is thoroughly cooked, the 'juices' run clear and the meat will not be pink. If you have done this correctly, you'll be able to just pick the meat off the bone without having to use a knife! If you've done it wrong... I can't help ya!

Save those bones! Save that skin! Save all the trimmings! After everyone has eaten their fill, de-meat the carcass, setting aside the meat to use at a later time (such as for quesadillas, which are absolutely delicious, particularly with sour cream and homemade salsa!)-- in the fridge of course. Throw the bones into a big pot, in fact, the biggest pot you've got. I use a 16- quart stainless steel dillybob I got at WalMart for on the cheap. The point is, make it BIG-- if all you have is a dutch oven, then use it. Throw the trimmings into the pot, too. Reserve only enough juice to keep the set-aside meat moist. Everything else goes into the huge pot, juice included. If you have any fresh veggies, or veggies left over from dinner, throw them in there, too! Add LOTS of water. For a small turkey, you should be able to get nearly 16 quarts of broth if you use the size I use, and about 10 quarts for a chicken. Add cold water and throw in some more spices and more fresh garlic (I'm a HUGE garlic fan, in case you couldn't tell)... maybe the kitchen sink could be added, but that might me a little much. Boil it, then simmer all night while you sleep.

In the morning, or later in the day when you have time, cool the broth, then strain it into jars if using "immediately" (as in, within 3 days). When nearly completely cool, you can put the broth into a quart-size zip bag (double bag these babies, though!) and throw them in the freezer for later, portion-sized use.

My Boy loves to get out the bags and use up the broth to make soup. I like to use the broth to make soup, and more especially (and more often) rice (broth is 'equal' to water when making an aromatic rice). This broth will be nutritious and provide a nice "comfort" food that can help with illness. It's kind of the way the old people used to do it... but of course, we've got better access to all sorts of spices for flavor. This ain't your grandma's broth... it's better!

Enjoy the first bite to the last drop, using what you've got in your fridge and cupboards. And in case you needed this little tip, after you've strained the broth, you can finally throw away the carcass and trimmings and whatever "gunk" is left after straining. Keep the oil that rises to the top of the jar/bag, though-- if you've used olive oil or coconut oil, it's healthy and aids in the digestion!

~Cedeham~