shelf.life: free chicken tastes best

shelf.life: free chicken tastes best

Yep, I got this beautiful bird absolutely free of charge! Even though I pride myself on finding the best deals, I must thank my younger sisters for putting me on to the freebie offers at Earth Fare. 

On my trip home, I paid a first visit to this wonderful organic food supermarket and fell in love. I'm all  for natural food stores that are customer oriented and quaint, but still offer a vast product selection. Though they are pretty much in line with other health food stores as far as pricing is concerned (translation = expensive!), I have to give them kudos for their savings campaign; by signing up for their email list, you will receive valuable freebies and coupons ever week. Because you can get your coupons immediately by signing up at an in-store kiosk, I couldn't pass up the chance to bring this freebie chicken back to Richmond.


After a little research, I knew I had to try out the highly acclaimed recipe for Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style.




What I really liked about this recipe was the low temperature-slow cook approach. I appreciate being able to prep in advance, begin the cooking process, then take a nap! Plus, I was able to utilize ingredients and supplies already on hand.

Preparation was very simple: season chicken with a rub blend, wrap and refrigerate overnight, roast for about 5 hours at 250 degrees F. I did make a few adjustments and additions. For one, I purchased a new bottle of garlic flavored olive oil from Earth Fare and wanted to incorporate those flavors into the chicken. From experience with cooking whole turkeys on Thanksgiving, I know that rubbing olive oil on top and under the skin does wonders in holding the rub and crisping the skin.


For the rub, I pulled a bunch of spices from my cabinet (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, white pepper, peppercorn blend) and combined one teaspoon of each (plus 2 teaspoons on sea salt). I also used two notable spice blends from one of my most favorite stores, Penzys Spices: Northwoods 'Fire' Seasoning and Mural of Flavor. Northwoods Fire gets used almost as much as garlic powder in my kitchen; it has a blend of salt, paprika, chipotle pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, rosemary and garlic, and adds such a flavorful kick to everything. The Mural of Flavor, with components such as shallots, coriander, lemon peel, and chives, is fairly new to my kitchen but packs on amazing flavor. As with the olive oil, I rubbed all of the spices on top and under the skin.

Before wrapping in plastic wrap, I sliced a bunch of green onions and  a few garlic cloves to stuff into the cavity. I allowed all of the seasoning to flavor the chicken for about 24 hours in the fridge.
 

I baked the chicken uncovered for 5 hours at 250 degrees F, until it reached an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Once done,  I let the chickens stand at room temperature for quite a bit of time before attempting to carve. Since I don't work with whole birds too often, I did enlist some help from a very good video on the best way to carve and portion the chicken pieces:





It turns out that I didn't have too much to worry about with the carving process because as soon as the knife broke through the crispy skin, the meat was practically falling from the bone. It was so tender, moist and juicy. I usually have a habit of letting the white portions overcook and dry out, but the breasts turned out great using this slow cook method. From now on,no matter the time crunch, low and slow will certainly be the way to go! I found another winner!