Kitchen Chronicles: Buttermilk Chicken

One of my goals this month is to cook more, especially to try new recipes. This is the Buttermilk Chicken from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, which I’ve had marked for years, but have never made. Until now!

When I tweeted about this, many people said they were interested in learning more. So I’m sharing the recipe and how the process went over here, because people want to know.

Here’s the recipe (although I also highly recommend getting the book because it’s just so useful it explains so many things about food and cooking!)

So the first thing you need to know is that this is a two day affair. You will salt the chicken, then place it in the buttermilk brine (because that’s what it is) the first day. On the second day, you will roast in a very specific manner, but it’s one that makes sense.

Also please, if you do not have one, get a plastic cutting board exclusively for raw chicken prep before you make this. It will make your life much easier. (I am a fan of one like this, which has color so it’s easy to distinguish; I haven’t used that one, but I do have this one.) I do have to be more careful about salmonella etc. than most people, but by using this system and by keeping antibacterial cleaner around to mop up spills that might happen, I have never had an issue (knock wood.) So, there’s your basic chicken safety lesson. :) I also toss the cutting board RIGHT in the dishwasher when I’m done with it, as well as anything else that touched the chicken.

Last note before we start the specifics: Samin (the author) is very specific about salt. She uses Diamond Kosher salt, and that’s what the measurements are for when she says “kosher salt” here.

DAY ONE: So, you get the chicken, you salt it—heavily—and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then you come to the buttermilk brine. This is where I think I made my mistake.

The stores are all out of buttermilk. So I did “clabbered milk”, which is milk+ vinegar or milk+lemon juice. I don’t think it sat long enough, so there wasn’t as much acid as the recipe should’ve had, which affected the final taste. (It still tasted fine, but I think it was missing the tang.) You will see, in the recipe, that you add salt to the buttermilk, hence, brine.

After the chicken has sat and the buttermilk is ready, you place the chicken in gallon size plastic bag (DO NOT get a big chicken for this it won’t work! It has to fit in the bag! Or make sure you have an appropriate sized bag for a larger chicken!), add the buttermilk and then seal. Squish it all around, put the bag on a rimmed plate or the pan you’ll use to cook it (I did the latter), and let it sit in the fridge up to 24 hours.

DAY TWO: I rotated the bag as my coffee was brewing, so that the other side could have a chance to really sit in the mixture. I turned it one more time before I took it out, but you can not turn it at all!

ONE HOUR before you want to put the chicken in, take it out (still in bag) and let it come to room temp. This affects the final color and juiciness and done-ness!

Now, the instructions are sort of weirdly specific about how to position the chicken in the oven. Follow the instructions. Just do it. Because that’s how you get that gorgeous skin that is so good, my friends.

This is a great company chicken. If you like to make gravy, this has a ton of pan drippings for you to use. I would serve it with Samin’s Bright Cabbage Slaw (another revelation I have discovered from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat this month). That slaw is amazing and also perfect for company. On the show (which is on Netflix), she serves it with rice which also looks really good. And of course a green salad with any vinaigrette would be perfect as well.

The great thing about this recipe is that everything is perfectly cooked. The breasts aren’t dry, the dark meat isn’t over done, it’s perfect in every way. Next time I might still stuff a lemon up it for more citrus, because I just love making chicken that way. But we’ll see!

Plated!

Give it a try! It’s yummy!

Food Friday 5: A recipe for apple season

I actually have two recipes for apple season, but I want to share the second with you next week. 

This is a great time to see if there are any U-pick orchards or farm stands near you, because apples and so many other vegetables and fruits are peaking right now. Every year my parents make at least one trip to the fruit farm near us to buy cider (even peach cider!), apples, and other produce and locally-made products. So while you can always get apples at the grocery, when they're local and fresh, they're even better!

There are so many types of apples, it's enough to make your head spin.  I like Granny Smiths, Golden Delicious, Jonathans, Galas, Fijis, and Honeycrisps. You can taste test to see what you like best--I think it's fun to try the different varieties! Apples are high in fiber, vitamin C, and various antioxidants. So besides being delicious, there are plenty of health benefits in them. 

This year my bag of apples are BLANK HERE, and when I have the bag on my counter or in my fridge (and you can even freeze them for longer-term storage), I pull out my apple recipes. This first one is a very quick option for a filling breakfast the next morning and it takes less than five minutes to prep. Really. 

Overnight Apple Oatmeal

adapted from The Oh She Glows! Cookbook

2 apples

1 cup oats (I use steel-cut)

1 cup vanilla yogurt (you can use coconut or non-dairy yogurt if you want) 

Peel and core both apples. Grate one into a mixing bowl, and dice the other. Place the diced apple in the mixing bowl. Add the yogurt and oats and mix well. Place in the refrigerator over night (or for at least two hours). In the morning, you'll have a ready to eat breakfast, no cooking required! 

How to scramble eggs (Or: Food for Lent)

There was a time in my life when I didn't know how to scramble eggs. It was a sad time. 

To scramble eggs, you need four things: 

* an appropriately sized frying pan

* eggs

* butter 

*a fork 

That's it. You don't need anything fancy, you don't need herbs and spices. You don't even need a knife.  (Well, you need a heat source. Oven. Fire. Hot plate. Whatever.) 

Scrambled eggs are a great go-to meal, especially during Lent, when we're supposed to be fasting and abstaining from meat on Fridays (and Ash Wednesday, which is tomorrow). Scrambled eggs can be deliciously decadent (I've seen recipes that serve them with caviar) or monastically simplistic. I'm going to give you three versions here, all of them Lent appropriate: one basic, one sweet, and one savory. 

You decided what one you want for your abstinence and fasting days. Or really, any day. I love to make scrambled eggs for lunch. They're filling and delicious and super-economical. Perfect for Lent, or any time you want something filling and healthy--and simple. 

Version 1: Monastic Simplicity

• 2-3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter (or salted, if you have it. I usually use unsalted.)
• Salt
• Pepper

Crack the eggs into a small bowl, and add a pinch of pepper and salt. Whisk together with a whisk or a fork until the yolks are beaten up. 

In a small skillet (8-9"), melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, pour in the eggs. Move the fork in a back and forth pattern through the eggs until the eggs are scrambled to your preference. Slide onto a plate and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Version 2: Savory

(Based off a Rachael Ray recipe) 

• 2-3 eggs

• Tabasco sauce (if you want it)

• salt

• pepper

• herb and garlic cheese, such as Boursin. 

• 1 tbsp. butter

Combine eggs, tabasco, salt, pepper, and a few chunks of the Boursin into a mixing bowl. Whisk with a whisk or a fork. Melt the butter in the skillet and proceed as above. 

You could also use grated cheese in this: pepper jack, cheddar, colby, etc. 

Version 3: Sweet

(Based off a Giada de Laurentiis recipe) 

• 2-3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. of sugar
• dried mint flakes--anywhere from 1/4 tsp. to a full tsp. (Or even more, if you love mint)
• 1 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. butter

Mix eggs, sugar, mint flakes, and heavy cream as above. Proceed with preparing the pan and scrambling eggs as above. These are really good when served with strawberries. 

(And if you missed it: Here's my post on fasting and abstaining during Lent.)