Spatchcocked Korean Chicken and Cabbage-Ramen Slaw

I ran out today to pick up a variety of meat as I plan on relaxing tomorrow, doing no yardwork, sitting in the shade and running the smoker.  As usual I got a little out of hand,  2 chickens, 3 racks of baby back ribs, and two bone-in pork shoulders. I don't think it will all fit on the smoker, so I've decided to do a chicken on the grill today. Cooked chicken freezes nicely and can make for a very quick weeknight supper.

Some time ago, I made some Korean shortribs that were wonderful; the marinade is sweet, salty and aromatic with the sesame oil. I'll try that with the chicken.  In order to make it cook quickly and evenly on the grill, I decided to spatchcock it.

What you say? You've Spatchcocked your chicken? Good lord man!  Relax..... besides being a funny word (there remains a bit of the 14 year old in me) it is a handy way to prep your bird for cooking that helps ensure even cooking. Basically you take your chicken - remove the backbone and butterfly it so it will lie flat on the grill rack, roasting pan or wherever.

First I whipped up some of the Korean BBQ marinade from the Korean slider post.

Then I spatchcocked the chicken

Place chicken breast side down on the work surface.

Using kitchen shears - snip out the backbone. (save for stock)

Push down on the sides of  the bird - a crunch is not a bad noise.

Trim off the wing tips (save for stock)

Using the tip of the shears make two small cuts into the flaps of skin below the breast and push  the legs tips through the holes. It  will help keep the chicken flat.

At this point I reserved 1/2 cup of the marinade, put the rest into a large Ziploc bag, added the altered fowl.

This went in the fridge while I made the salad.

Cabbage Ramen Slaw
1 head of cabbage - shredded
1 package of Ramen noodle (2.5oz) uncooked and crumbled - but not too much
4 or 5 green onions sliced, white and green
3 Tbs sesame seeds

For the dressing whisk together,
1/2 cup of salad oil - need not be EVOO
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
Splash of Sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything except the noodles and refrigerate until 20 minutes before serving.

20 minutes before serving add the noodles and toss to coat.

Prepare grill to 350F.

Grill on indirect heat for 25 minutes,

turn and grill for 25 minutes more.

You may have to adjust the fire. Brush with reserved marinade in last 5 minutes

Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes.

Carve and serve with Ramen Slaw

A nice light summer dinner, perfect for alfresco dining!

Until next time, Eat Well and Keep Digging!

The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Baked Chicken wings

My dear friend turned 50 today, hard to believe we've been friends since 1976! The invite to the party said bring an appetizer and a bottle of wine.

Wings always go over very well, and they are a snap to make. My only complaint is that they used to be very inexpensive and in the last couple years the price hase risen beyond that of chicken legs.  Seem ridiculous to me.

Preheat oven to 350F.

I bake these, though traditionally they are fried. 

I shake them in a mixture of flour, salt, garlic powder, hot paprika, chili powder, and black pepper.

These are some big wings!

Separate them at the joints, reserve the tips for stock.

Put the flour, spices, and salt into a large plastic bag, shake to combine.

Add the cut wings - except for the tips in the bag. Toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake in the oven for an hour. Turn once at 30 minutes.

Toss in a large bowl with your favorite sauce. Traditional is a mix of hot sauce (vinegar based) and melted butter. I used Flaming Joe's Original Style Carribean  Jerk Sauce.

Serve with Celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing.

They were a big hit, and were gobbled up quickly. I love bringing home a clean plate!

Until next time Eat Well & Keep Digging!



The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Tortellini with Chicken and Pesto

Monday - back to work but still need a quick dinner. I have some frozen basil that I just put up a week or so ago, a grilled chicken breast, tortellini, and garlic. Seems obvious to me! I don't have any pine nuts but do have some pecan pieces.

Get the water boiling, chop the chicken breast.

Add basil, garlic to food processor, whiz it up, scrap down  bowl, turn on drizzle in olive oil, add Parmesan, nuts, process until smooth. Taste! - I added two more cloves of garlic.

Drain pasta, add chicken and pesto, toss to coat.  Enjoy! It was delicious!

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!

The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Canning Chicken Stock

I've been looking forward to using my pressure canner for the first time. I had some frozen chicken carcasses so I simmered them for a few hours with bay leaf and peppercorns. Into the fridge to set the fat to be skimmed.

Bringing the stock and water that will go into the canner to a boil.

Ladeling the stock into quart jars.

Into the canner. It's big, 23 quarts! Those 4 little quarts look a bit lonely.

25 minutes at 11lbs pressure.

All done and cooling. Another staple for the winter.

Not quite as bad as watching paint dry, but just as rewarding. Perhaps more important than the stock is the expereince and confidence I now have in using the pressure canner.

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!


The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener