The WHOLE thing

There were no "cluckings" to be heard in my kitchen tonight. Sad news for my raw chicken sitting on the counter. But sacrifices must be made for the good of a GREAT meal. Thank you little chicken.

Roasted Garlic&Herb Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole roasting chicken (mine was about 5 pounds)
1/2 cup roasted garlic (**see below for instructions)
2 1/2 cups water
1 lemon
2 bay leaves
rosemary
salt and pepper
paprika
1 tbs. olive oil

Directions: To prepare the brine, combine roasted garlic, water, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a blender. Squeeze in juice of half a lemon (save other half). Blend well. Stir in bay leaves.
Place the chicken in a plastic ziploc bag. Pour brine all over. Squeeze out all the air from the bag and place it in a big bowl to prevent problems with leakage. Refrigerate 12-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees [F]. Remove chicken from brine and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary all over the chicken. Place the remaining half lemon and some extra rosemary inside chicken cavity.
Roast for 1 1/2 hours or so, or until juices run clear from thigh when pierced with a fork. Let rest for a few minutes so the juices stay in the meat when you served.

**To roast garlic, peel outer layer of garlic bulb and cut off tops to expose cloves. Drizzle olive oil over garlic and cover with foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees [F]. Let cool until they are manageable. Use a fork to gently pull out the tender garlic cloves.
The smell of roasted garlic is definitely one of my faves! Wow.

More comfort

Foods that stick to your tummy make you feel full, and in the end, content. I'm not the type of person who regrets eating a good meal because it'll increase the number on the scale by a few pounds. I say it was worth it and increase the number of minutes on the treadmill the next day.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups flours
3 tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk, chilled
1/2 cup shortening

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees [F].
Mix dry ingredients. Rub shortening into dry mixture using your fingers until the mixture resembles crumbs. Make a well in the center of your bowl and pour buttermilk. Stir until dough comes together (will be sticky).
On a floured surface, fold dough over 5-6 times.Gently pat dough out to 1/2 inch-1 inch thickness, Cut out 2-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or a homemade version (I recycled a washed aluminum can). Place on a baking sheet so that they are slightly touching. Brush tops with melted butter or cream to add a glossy finish.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Fried Chicken Strips

I marinaded some chicken breasts cut into strips in buttermilk overnight. The following day I drained the excess buttermilk and coated the wet chicken with seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika). I dipped the chicken in a dry mixture of flour and plain bread crumbs (equal parts). Be careful when frying in hot oil because any bit of water that comes in contact with sizzling oil will cause harmful splashes! These strips take only but a few minutes to cook on each side so you can eat them almost right away.

Finger lickin' good

Honey BBQ Chicken and Seasoned Fries

After I made a crispy crust on the chicken, I finished cooking it in the oven to ensure a safe temperature for the meat to be eaten. I constantly glazed it with a homemade BBQ sauce to help lock in the natural juices of the meat. WOW, it was so tender.

My brother kept emphasizing how juicy the chicken was that it almost sounded like a complaint. "Too juicy," he said.