There's More Than One Way To Cook A Chickn

If you discover a whole chicken in your freezer and say 'what was I thinking?', there are several things you can do.  You can put it back. . .or cut it up, boil it whole, roast it unstuffed or stuffed.  If I were making traditional chicken soup, I'd boil it whole with some rough cut vegetables and herbs.  Then remove all the meat from the bones and skin.  I'd chill the soup stock and finish the process on day 2.  However, that isn't my plan for this little bird.

Okay - it's the hottest day of the year to date - and all I can think about is how nothing sounds nearly as good as a roasted chicken!  It's now thawed, I'll make some sort of stuffing, then cook it like a small Thanksgiving turkey!  The bonus to this is I get to have my own Mini-Thanksgiving-in-June before I use the chicken for what I originally had in mind.  Some sort of Mediterranean pasta thing with red olives, artichokes, green onion, hearts of palm and pasta - and also a Chicken Curry.  For now though, I'm focused on the plan at hand:

Stuffing:

1/2 c raisins, or dried cherries - rehydrate these

I discovered some unsweetened, dried cherries that I was going to throw out.  They were terribly bitter.  However, I simmered them in 1c water and 1/2c maple syrup for 15 minutes and they're now wonderful!  For raisins or sweetened dried cherries, just simmer in 1c water.  Or not. . .to retain more texture, stir them in after the mixture below finishes cooking:

1/2 c  whole grain-rice blend

~ Disclaimer - use brown rice instead 

of a whole grain-rice blend - it didn't

cook well.  Much better with brown rice!

1/2 lg onion - chopped

1 c     chopped celery

          (3 stalks + tops)

1/2 c  slivered almonds

In a medium frying pan, melt and brown 2 T butter.  Add the rice and a little of the onion.  Stir-saute until rice starts to snap and onions are a little translucent.  Next add 1c liquid.  I used 1/4c of the cherry cooking water, 3/4c water and 2t chicken soup base.  I suspect white wine might work well and leave behind a wonderful flavor as the alcohol cooks out!  Cover and simmer until liquid absorbs.  Add remaining onion, celery, almonds and fruit to simmer together for the last 5 minutes.  Stuff the chicken.

Put the stuffed chicken into a covered roasting pan with 1/2 stick of butter cut over it.  I roast my poultry backwards from everyone else.  Follow your method or try mine, which is - Put the chicken into a 400-425 degree oven for 30-60 minutes until it's sizzling, brown and the house smells like Thanksgiving.  Turn the heat down to 325 and continue to roast.  The chicken-turkey is done when a fork inserted into the thickest spot on the breast goes in and comes out easily.  At this point I baste it and continue cooking a little longer uncovered to crisp and finish browning the skin.  The gravy this time, turned out more like a dark, sweet-savory sauce because of the liquid in the stuffing.  It was different - but really good.  Shown with Sauteed Cabbage with Onions, recipe above. . .Lin