Broiled chicken

Christmas is almost near and everybody will be busy with preparation and cooking of Christmas Eve dinner. I have been thinking of what dish to bring for the potluck dinner at cousin's place. But every time I try to think of one, I always go back to thinking of  Thanksgiving dinner. I can't get over it, especially the stuffing. I just love the traditional thanksgiving dinner. I didn't grow up eating turkey though, and would much prefer eating chicken. But turkey has a certain taste, the same way you can't mistake the taste of duck meat. And so before I decide what to bring for Christmas Eve dinner, I want to recreate the "thanksgiving dinner" I have been craving for days.  But I won't be baking a 10-pound turkey. And since I preferred chicken,  I would be broiling chicken instead. I am also pressed for time, so I would try to cook everything in under 1 1/2 hours.

The chicken has been thawed in the fridge overnight and is ready to cook today. I marinated it with some of the spices I have in my pantry. I stick it in the oven, broil high on middle rack for 45 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway. Chicken has a lot of fluid in it, and so there will be a lot of drippings, which I will use for my gravy. Yummy right? The cranberry sauce was a home made one given by my aunt and so I don't need to make one, I love her cranberry sauce, way better that any I have tasted. For the stuffing, I just bought a whole wheat turkey stuffing mix, just add it on boiling water and butter. Mashed potato is easy to make. What I do is microwave baking potato for 5 minutes. Let it cool a bit, and peel, add butter and milk. The whole process was done in an hour and 20 minutes. Not bad for a "thanksgiving dinner " right?

Below is my recipe for my version of "thanksgiving dinner".

Broiled Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

3      lbs           chicken pieces
1      tbsp         salt
1      tsbp        pepper
1      tsp          oregano
1      tsp          thyme
1      tsp          basil
1      tsp          rosemary
1      tsp          herbs de provence

Procedure

Marinate the chicken with all the spices for at least 30 minutes. Then broil on high (middle rack) for 40-45 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway. Transfer the chicken on serving dish, separating the drippings (you will need it for the gravy).

Gravy

Ingredients

Broiled Chicken drippings
1/2           cup flour
2 tbsp      butter
1/2 cup    water

Preparation

In a saucepan, melt butter and flour. you will be making a roux.  When the roux thickens like a paste, add the chicken dripping. Cook for a few minutes, adding water depending on your preferred consistency.  You may add salt and pepper to taste, but other wise it is already tasty from the spices in the drippings. Set aside.

Stuffing

Ingredients

1           box      whole wheat turkey stuffing mix
1 1/2     cup      water
2          tbsp      butter
1/2       cup       roasted chestnut, chopped

Procedure

In a small pot, boil water and butter. Then add the stuffing mix. Cover and leave for 5 minutes. Add the roasted chestnut and mix. Set side.

Mashed Potato

Ingredients

4      pcs        medium baking potato
2      tbsp       butter
1/2   cup        2% milk

Procedure

Microwave the potatoes for 8 minutes or until cooked. Let cool for a few minutes then peel. Mash with fork and add butter and milk. Mix and set aside.

To save time, you can prepare the stuffing, then the masked potato while broiling the chicken. When chicken is done, gravy can be done in less than 10 minutes. This is tonight's dinner.  Yumm-o!!!