Whole Roasted Chicken with Red Potatoes

Tags

#basil, #chicken, #garlic, #healthy, #healthydinner, #mywifethechef, #paprika, #potatoes, #schoolnight, #wholechicken, spices

Serving this dinner, for some silly reason made me feel really fancy. Maybe it was the presentation, maybe it was the place mats, who knows..but if you want an easy to make, beautifully presented and delicious dinner, this is it!I usually never buy whole broiler chickens, because it’s just my husband, 1 year old and me, but this 4.5 pound whole chicken was a whopping $8.25!!!! How could I NOT buy it? If only I had stocked up and froze the others! I think my next random, but necessary purchase is going to be an extra freezer chest for times like these when I really want to buy beef our poultry on sale but just don’t have the freezer space.

Back to the chicken..I cooked this chicken with red potatoes, celery and onions, in the same pan. This was a ” one pan” operation, with no bowls to wash and barely any mess to clean up. Try it and let me know what you think ;-).

Whole Roasted Chicken with Red Potatoes:

1 whole broiler chicken, washed and patted dry

1/2 large white onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, washed and chopped

6 red potatoes, cubed ( not peeled)

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt

1/2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons black pepper

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon fresh or dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 cup water

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

• Wash chicken thoroughly ( pull out giblets if they have not already been removed). Pat chicken dry, and sprinkle and press 1 tablespoon each of salt and pepper inside the chicken cavity. Add a handful of chopped celery and onions to the cavity as well. Place chicken in pan.
• Chop red potatoes and place around chicken. Evenly distribute chopped celery and onions over potatoes and sprinkle remaining salt and pepper over chicken and potatoes.
• Sprinkle basil, garlic, parsley, garlic salt and paprika over the panned chicken and potatoes, and add water to the pan via the corners so as not to wash away spices.
• Place chicken uncovered into a preheated oven and cook for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Gently mix potatoes after an hour.
• Serve and enjoy!

* I had fabulous pictures of the chicken post carving, but unfortunately they were accidentally deleted :(. I guess I’ll just have to make this again!

Chicken all spiced up and ready for the oven.

Mock Crab salad

Tags

#garlic, #imitationcrab, #mywifethechef, #pasta, #salad, #scallions, #shabbosday, #smarttaste

Get ready to make this your new, FAVORITE summer appetizer. Last week, my mother sent me a picture of a dish she made for her and my father, mock crab and sauteed peppers, and it looked fabulous! As always, my mother is my inspiration for so many things, including a number of dishes on My Wife The Chef. I wanted to use that inspiration and create a new Shabbos day entree, and it received rave reviews. I only wish I could have taken more pictures, because I don’t feel the above picture does this salad justice. Can’t win em’ all!

Mock Crab salad:

1 package of Smart Taste angel hair pasta, boiled and drained

1 cup diced white onion

1 orange pepper, chopped

2 stalks of scallions, diced

1 package of imitation crab sticks, chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil ( plus olive oil to saute)

Directions:

• Boil Smart Taste angel hair pasta, drain and set aside.
• Saute onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add pepper and scallions and 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.
• Stir in chopped imitation crab, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl ( I did this in the serving bowl), combine pasta and mock crab mixture, and add garlic powder, basil leaves, remaining garlic salt, salt, pepper and olive oil. Using tongs, toss salad until completely combined.

* This was the perfect appetizer before my chicken soup Friday night, and on Saturday, I served in along with a delicious gefilte fish loaf. Yay for trying new things in the kitchen!!!!