Saturday, May 10, 2014

Saturday encore ~ How to roast a chicken in a wagon

Rotisserie chicken is one of my favorite meals. Problem is, I don't have a rotisserie. Walmart sells chickens already rotisseried, but there is something intrinsically perverse about buying a take-out meal at the same place I can buy tires. So I went on a quest to find a recipe for rotisserie chicken that can be made at home without a rotisserie. Chef Google saved the day.

Since finding the basic recipe, I have put my own twist on it and feel compelled to share it because it's so stinkin' easy and good.
Here goes:

1. Rinse off a whole chicken and pat it dry.
2. Season liberally with salt and pepper, or Old Bay, or Emeril's Essence.
3. Place two ceramic ramekins right-side up in a crockpot.
4. Place chicken on top of ramekins.
5. Place crockpot in wagon in garage.
6. Turn crockpot on for 6 hours.

Step 5 is critical, unless you want to sit at your desk drooling on your keyboard while the smell of roasting chicken drives you mad and makes you want to eat dinner all afternoon. Crockpots were invented for people who work in an office and want dinner ready when they get back home, not for telecommuters!

Anyway, here's how it looks while it's cooking:
I suppose you could place the crockpot in something besides a wagon, 
but the bottom of it gets pretty hot and who needs a fire in the garage?




My sous chef accompanied me to the "kitchen" when the dinner bell rang,
but she couldn't figure out where the heavenly aroma was coming from.


The trash cans never smelled so good.


We moved the crockpot to the kitchen and got ready to serve.


Placing the chicken on top of the ramekins prevents the bottom of it from sitting in the run-off and getting soggy.
As an added bonus, the ramekins collect all the fat and make the crockpot easy to clean.



Smooch: Would you stop talking and carve the damned thing?


Carving isn't really necessary – the meat falls right off the bones and is as juicy and tasty as can be.
The skin isn't as crispy as a real rotisseried chicken but it's just as good and, most importantly, 
it wasn't prepared by Walmart.

6 comments:

  1. Now that looks good. I will try that the next time I get a chicken. Thanks for the recipe.

    BA SP

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  2. Move over Pioneer Women eh ;) This looks so easy!!!!! I am so going to try this. If smooch lived in my house she would receive all of the chicken skin.

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  3. Who knew? So glad you re-posted this! Save that skin, drippings and the bones and make some oh-so-good stock! I suspect you already know how, but I'll be happy to send you my recipe.

    Maggy

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  4. 1. This sounds great! Will try soon.
    2. Glad your garage is as messy as mine.
    3. Is that a toy-sized horse trailer on your counter in the last shot?

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    Replies
    1. The toy-sized horse trailer is actually a cookie jar ... filled with treats for Smooch.

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  5. Smooch and her witty comments!

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