foodie – Hoots of a Night Al

How to Make the Juiciest Chicken EVER!

January 7, 2017 6 Comments

I love baked chicken breasts as a healthy weeknight meal. However, my chicken breasts always used to come out dry, which drove me crazy. That is, until I discovered dry poaching. It’s a basic cooking technique that is used to keep the chicken moist and juicy during baking. Read on to see how easy it is!

All you need is a baking dish (I use and love this one), parchment paper, and olive oil. Pour around a tablespoon of oil into the baking dish, and use a pastry brush to spread it on the entire dish.

Once your dish is coated in olive oil, place your chicken breasts in. You can marinate them beforehand, or add your chosen spices at this point. I have been loving the Grill Mates Mesquite marinade lately.

Next, tear off a piece of parchment paper that is roughly the size of your baking dish. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil on the parchment paper, and spread it out with a pastry brush.

Finally, place your parchment paper (olive oil side down) into your baking dish and tuck it around the sides of your chicken. It doesn’t have to be tucked too tightly, just enough so the moisture won’t escape during baking.

Bake your chicken at 400 degrees for around 40 minutes (more or less depending on the size of your chicken breasts). Once your chicken reaches 165 degrees internally, remove it from the oven and enjoy!

I have used this method time and time again, and every single time it results in moist, flavorful chicken. I promise if you’re sick of eating dry chicken, this is the answer to your prayers!

Do you have any other easy cooking techniques I should try?

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Food, Recipe

3-Ingredient Roast Chicken

August 4, 2016 6 Comments

This recipe creates the most delicious, moist chicken, with minimal time and effort. All you need is chicken, lemons, and salt & pepper! Sound too good to be true? Read on!

Now, this isn’t the chicken recipe to bust out when you want to impress your friends at a dinner party. (Also, stop trying to impress your friends, they already love you…just be yourself.) It is however, simple, delicious, and goof-proof, which is EXACTLY how I like my recipes.

The only ingredients you need are a whole chicken, salt & pepper, and lemons. I usually get the Young Whole Chicken from HEB pictured below, which is roughly 3 pounds. That is more than enough for myself and my husband, but feel free to get a larger chicken if you’re cooking for more.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry your chicken and remove any of the included “innards” (I know that is the correct word, it just felt like it needed quotes.). Take your lemons and pierce them repeatedly on all sides with a fork to create holes. Liberally salt and pepper your chicken inside and out, and stuff the punctured lemons into the cavity.

I’ve cooked this on a baking sheet, in a dutch oven, and in a casserole dish, and each time it comes out great. The latter two are better, however, if you want to save the delicious juices to spoon over your chicken or for future recipes. Whatever you choose, lay the chicken breast-side down into a baking dish you’ve brushed with olive oil or pam, and place it into the oven. Cook for 1 hour at 350, and roughly 20 minutes at 400. (Your cooking times may vary if you are cooking a larger chicken.)

Once you have insured your chicken is fully cooked (165 degrees internal temperature), remove it from the oven, and let it rest on a cutting board for at least ten minutes. After that, carve into your delicious chicken, and enjoy! I typically squeeze the lemons over Louis’s chicken as he loves the citrus flavor, and you can also spoon the pan sauce over the chicken.

This chicken is so delicious, moist, and flavorful without being super lemony. I’m not a fan of lemon, so I was worried when I first cooked this, but the lemon flavor really doesn’t come through. It seems they just help the chicken stay juicy while cooking.

This dish can be paired with potatoes, salad, vegetables, or whatever you’re craving! If you’re trying to cook a whole chicken for the first time, try this simple recipe, and I know you won’t be disappointed!

3-Ingredient Roast Chicken

Ingredients

Whole Chicken
Lemons
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Wash and dry chicken and remove innards.
Pierce lemons repeatedly with fork.
Liberally salt and pepper inside and outside of chicken.
Insert lemons into cavity.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour, and 400 for 20 minutes.
Let chicken rest for 10 minutes on cutting board.
Carve and enjoy!

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Food

Christmas Gifts for The Foodie

November 23, 2015 2 Comments

Hey y’all! Just a few weeks until Christmas, so I wanted to add another “Christmas gifts for…” to my series! In case your friend isn’t a fashionista or a homebody, they may be a foodie! If you don’t want to just pass along a gift card to their favorite restaurant, it may be fun to get them some items they can use to create their own “foodie” meals at home.

Cast Iron Skillet

Louis and I purchased a cast iron skillet some time ago, and it has majorly “upped” our cooking game! We use it multiple times a week, and I love thinking that it will be a family heirloom for a long time to come. Hook your friend up with one of these bad boys, and she’ll be a chef in no time! 😉

Cookbook

Anyone who loves to cook is probably always looking for new recipes to try out, so I’m sure they would appreciate a new cookbook. I don’t own this particular cookbook, but I’ve tried a few dishes from The Pioneer Woman’s blog, and they’re always DELICIOUS.

Pretty Serving Dish

Foodies know that presentation is half the battle when it comes to food, so a pretty serving dish would be a lovely gift! A serving dish they can bake in like the one above is even better because their meal can go straight from the oven to the table.

Apron

Even if you aren’t a professional, sometimes it’s fun to pretend. This red and white striped apron just screams, “I know what I’m doing in the kitchen!” to me for some crazy reason. If you think your friend needs a little encouragement while cooking, this apron may be just the thing for them.

Decorative Wall Menu

It’s a great idea to have whatever meals you have planned listed out, so everyone else in your house can start craving them. 🙂 This cute chalkboard display would look cute in any foodie’s kitchen!

*Extra Tip! Use a reusable grocery bag to wrap your foodie friend’s gifts. It’s cute and super functional for when they buy their ingredients for whatever delicious meals they have planned!

There you have it…a few treats that are perfect to gift to your Foodie Friends this Christmas…or any time of year! Happy shopping!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using these links, I may receive a small percentage at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Hoots of a Night Al!