Yummy Chicken and Stuff in a Pot
Mmm. Here's what I made the other night, which I will be eating, for, oh, at least a week. I'm recording it here mainly for posterity, but you can make it too, if you want. Tell me how it came out!
Stuff that's in it:
1 whole chicken, cut in pieces. I got a kosher, cut up for me, with bones and skins on, yum.
2 Italian eggplants
1 leek
1 sack of Yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch of carrots (4 or 5)
3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2-3 cups of chicken broth (I used a sodium-free mix)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup white wine or white wine vinegar (optional) (I used the vinegar b/c that's what I had around, but you could use some dry white wine too, just to add a hint of sourness, which I like.)
Chop up all the veggies into large chunks. Put all of it in a large pot with the garlic and the chicken broth on medium to high heat. The liquid shouldn't cover the veggies, but should come up high enough that you can see it. I used sodium-free broth, so I added some salt and pepper at this point, as well as about a 1/4 cup of vinegar. That's an inexact measurement because I just poured some in. Welcome to the world of improvisational cooking.
While that boils away (leave it uncovered; you want some of the liquid to cook off), clean the chicken and trim the fat off. (I just trimmed off the big chunks; it's good to leave some because it makes it taste good.) If you're me, this might also be a good time to get distracted by the fact that the light in the kitchen burned out three days ago and you just remembered you have some light bulbs in the top of your closet, so you don't actually have to cook in the dark. Except for the part where you do, because when you climb up on a chair and try to take the glass cover off the fixture, THE ENTIRE FIXTURE comes off the ceiling and is now hanging there by a single wire. Please don't walk under it; I don't want to be responsible for your concussion.
Once the vegetables have cooked down a bit, add the chicken. No need to stir; just lay it on top. I added some more salt and pepper right on top of the chicken. Cover, turn the heat down to medium or low, and let it simmer until the chicken is completely cooked, about 30 min.
A few random notes:
I used Italian eggplants because they're usually a little sweeter than American ones, but one American eggplant will stand in for the 2 Italian ones if you prefer. Since you cook it for a long time it really brings out the sweet flavor in the eggplant.
A regular onion can stand in for the leek, of course. Leeks are a little milder, is all.
Or throw in whatever other veggies you want. Red potatoes for the Yukons, or hell, I bet sweet potatoes would be good with this. Tell me what you do different!
I'm thinking of maybe making a chicken salad with some of the leftovers; thoughts, anyone? What to put in it?
Stuff that's in it:
1 whole chicken, cut in pieces. I got a kosher, cut up for me, with bones and skins on, yum.
2 Italian eggplants
1 leek
1 sack of Yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch of carrots (4 or 5)
3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2-3 cups of chicken broth (I used a sodium-free mix)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup white wine or white wine vinegar (optional) (I used the vinegar b/c that's what I had around, but you could use some dry white wine too, just to add a hint of sourness, which I like.)
Chop up all the veggies into large chunks. Put all of it in a large pot with the garlic and the chicken broth on medium to high heat. The liquid shouldn't cover the veggies, but should come up high enough that you can see it. I used sodium-free broth, so I added some salt and pepper at this point, as well as about a 1/4 cup of vinegar. That's an inexact measurement because I just poured some in. Welcome to the world of improvisational cooking.
While that boils away (leave it uncovered; you want some of the liquid to cook off), clean the chicken and trim the fat off. (I just trimmed off the big chunks; it's good to leave some because it makes it taste good.) If you're me, this might also be a good time to get distracted by the fact that the light in the kitchen burned out three days ago and you just remembered you have some light bulbs in the top of your closet, so you don't actually have to cook in the dark. Except for the part where you do, because when you climb up on a chair and try to take the glass cover off the fixture, THE ENTIRE FIXTURE comes off the ceiling and is now hanging there by a single wire. Please don't walk under it; I don't want to be responsible for your concussion.
Once the vegetables have cooked down a bit, add the chicken. No need to stir; just lay it on top. I added some more salt and pepper right on top of the chicken. Cover, turn the heat down to medium or low, and let it simmer until the chicken is completely cooked, about 30 min.
A few random notes:
I used Italian eggplants because they're usually a little sweeter than American ones, but one American eggplant will stand in for the 2 Italian ones if you prefer. Since you cook it for a long time it really brings out the sweet flavor in the eggplant.
A regular onion can stand in for the leek, of course. Leeks are a little milder, is all.
Or throw in whatever other veggies you want. Red potatoes for the Yukons, or hell, I bet sweet potatoes would be good with this. Tell me what you do different!
I'm thinking of maybe making a chicken salad with some of the leftovers; thoughts, anyone? What to put in it?