My Kind Of Fast Food

Switching to a healthier diet and changing habits has to be a win – win if those things are going to stick.

Being a food gal through and through, by win- win I mean it has to be delicious and it has to be doable.

I hear the same story a lot… ‘’I got busy and the wheels fell off the bus’’ or ‘’the stress level went up and all the new habits went out’’

Stressful times are when our bodies crave good nutrition the most. Having a plan in place and a couple of easy go-tos is a game-changer and crucial to staying the course. Because…

Life will happen.

So I’d like to know; what are your best tips or tricks to safeguard against falling back into old (not so healthy) eating habits when life gets busy?

Here’s one of mine:

Roast chicken

We’re lucky enough to raise our own birds and roast chicken is one of my all time favorites.

Our chickens weigh between 7 and 10lbs. That’s a lot of chicken for 2 people.

I used to reserve roast chicken dinners for when I’d be sure to have a whole gang to help us eat it.

Now, even though it’s just the two of us, I cook the whole bird and – no I don’t eat chicken for the next 2 weeks…

I freeze half for a quick delicious roast chicken dinner that’s as delicious the second time around. Seriously, I was amazed.

I love enjoying the mouth watering smell of roast chicken as it cooks (or warms up the second time around). I love the leftovers for quick lunches. I love boiling up the bones for broth (I even freeze the bones if I don’t have time to make broth right away). I love making savory, warming soups from the broth.

Most of all I love that it’s delicious and that nothing goes to waste.

After its cooked, I simply allow the bird to cool a bit, cut it down the breast bone length-wise and freeze half with a little of the gravy or cooking juice. See the recipe for all the details.

Pair it with a tossed salad or some roasted veggies and bam, supper with enough leftovers for a few quick lunches.

That’s my kind of fast food.

Get the recipe here

Roast Chicken

If you’re reluctant to cook a giant chicken because you don’t want to be eating chicken for the next 2 weeks – no worries – half of this big boy can get frozen for a perfect roast chicken meal later on. I confess to having made this recipe starting with a frozen solid bird – it still works. I don’t always make gravy; I enjoy the brown meat with the pan juices. Nothing should go to waste with roast chicken. The leftovers can be enjoyed in wraps, sandwiches, stir fries and soups. The bones can get boiled down to make savoury and delicious broth. I even freeze any jellied leftover pan juices in small containers to use as a great base for a quick sauce later on.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large chicken 8-10 lbs
• 2 tbsp butter + 2 more if making gravy
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup milk if making gravy
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion salt
• 1 tsp each thyme, rosemary, sage or 3 tsp poultry seasoning
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 onion cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic smashed
• 1 celery branch cut in half
• carrot cut in half
• 1 beer or cup of white wine
• 1 L chicken broth or water
• 4 tbsp flour if making gravy

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F, rinse defrosted chicken under cold water and place in a large roasting pan.
• In a medium sized bowl combine 2 tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp olive oil, the salt, the poultry spices and the chili flakes and pepper. Mix well to combine all of the spices into a uniform paste. Using your clean hands smear the spice paste all over the rinsed chicken front and back. Place the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves around (and inside) the chicken.
• Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or until chicken becomes very fragrant and the skin starts to brown. Baste the chicken if the skin starts to dry out.
• Reduce the heat to 300°F, add in beer or wine, broth or water, cover and cook for 2-3 hours. Check the chicken about half way through, you won’t be able to ignore it, the smell will be wonderful. Baste and check for doneness. You can use a meat thermometer (internal temperature should be 165°F) I determine whether it’s done if the leg easily separates from the bird and the meat falls off the bone. The cooking time will vary according to the size of the bird.
• If you want to make gravy, remove the bird and place on a cookie sheet to catch drippings. Stain out the vegetables and the bay leaves reserving the cooking juice and set aside. You can skim off some of the fat if there is a lot, a little is o.k.
• In the roasting pan over med-low heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter (sometimes I use some of the chicken fat). Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and add about 4 tbsp of flour and whisk to form a smooth paste. You can add 1/2 cup of cold milk to make whisking the flour easier.
• Once you have a nice smooth flour paste, you can add the strained cooking juices back and whisk vigorously to dissolve any clumps, gently scraping the sides and the bottom of the roasting pan to remove any brown bits that provide a lot of flavour. Place the pan back on the heat and bring the gravy to a boil whisking continuously, taste and adjust seasonings.
• If you plan on freezing half of the bird, simply cut it in half (once it’s cooled a bit) and place half of the chicken in a baking dish or pan that will go from the freezer to the over. Pour half the cooking juice or gravy over the chicken. Allow to cool completely before wrapping tightly and placing it in the freezer.
• Enjoy!