I immediately said I was in! Then I asked what the Johnny Marzetti dish was.  Not being a Columbus, or even an Ohio native, this was completely new to me.

John directed me to this link explaining the dish.  I knew exactly what it was once I read the description.  Where I grew up, it was called Goulash.  Some folks, mostly those from the New England area, refer to it as Chop Suey.

It’s elbow pasta with ground beef in a tomato sauce.  We had this all the time growing up and it was one of the few ways I would be willing to eat ground beef.  I made it for Scott when we started dating and he fell in love with it.

I recently got back from a long weekend in NYC and the food supplies are in an emergency state here at the HQ.  I committed to the dish and needed to pull something together.  The question was, how and with what?

I decided to keep it simple by upping the flavor factor just a bit by roasting veggies and using a smoked sausage.

Andrea’s Johnny Marzetti With A Twist

• 2 Links of Smoked Spinach and Feta Chicken Sausage, finely chopped
• 1 Green Pepper, chunked
• 1 Medium Onion, chunked
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 2C Frozen Chopped Greens
• 2C Whole Wheat Elbow Pasta
• 1 28oz Can of Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 14oz Can of Diced Tomatoes with Garlic and Olive Oil
• 1 15oz Can of Cannelline Beans, drained and rinsed. (Optional)
• 1/2C Dry Red Wine (I used Chianti)
• Big Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
• 2tsp Dried Basil
• 2tsp Dried Oregano
• 1tsp Italian Seasoning (I like Mrs. Dash Brand)
• Olive Oil for Sauteeing
• Shredded Mozeralla
• Shredded Pecorino Romano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil.  Cook pasta according to directions on box.  Cook just shy of being “done”.  Drain and set aside.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place onion, green pepper, and garlic on it.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, toss to coat.  Place in oven and roast for about 10 minutes until the veggies get soft and start to brown along the edges.  Remove from oven.

In a blender add in the can of crushed tomatoes along with the roasted veggies.  Blend until veggies are completely broken down and pureed in with the sauce.

In a sautee pan, drizzle in a little olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add in the sausage and sautee until the sausage starts to crisp up a bit.  Add in the red pepper flakes and then the red wine.  Add in the wine slowly and carefully.   Stir and let the wine deglaze the bottom of the pan.  Cook for about 3 minutes.  Add in the blended tomato sauce and the can of diced tomatoes.  Add in the frozen chopped greens and the beans. Then stir and bring to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

When the flavors have come together, turn off the heat and slowly add in the elbow pasta.  Gently combine and top with shredded cheese.  How much is up to you.

Place pan in oven (remember it’s still heating from roasting the veggies) just long enough for the cheese to melt and get gooey.  About 5-10 minutes.

Remove from oven using pot holders, serve and enjoy!

As I mentioned, just getting home from a trip, the ingredients were slim pickings around here.  Thankfully I had a few staple items and things in the freezer that I could use for this dish.

I knew right away that I would be using the smoked sausage and I decided to play off of that flavor.  By roasting the veggies first for the sauce and using fire roasted tomatoes as the base, I think this really complimented the smoked sausage flavor.

This made a TON of food.  Plenty for leftovers or for a large party.  This dish freezes very well.

The beans got lost in the dish, so they are completely optional.  If I made this again, I think I would rather use more sausage in place of the beans.

Columbus Locals, I purchased the sausage at The Anderson’s over behind Sawmill.  They have great locally sourced sausages.

Chopped frozen greens give the dish some color while also bumping up the veggie intake.

Not a bad dish for trying to scramble for ingredients! The entire time I was making it, Scott kept commenting on how good it smelled.  He had two full servings so I think he was pleased.

This was my Johnny Marzetti dish with a twist!

Go and check out the other takes on this Ohio dish!

Rachel’s Homegrown Version

Debra’s Texan Version

John’s Classic Version

Have you had Johnny Marzetti or Goulash style dish before?

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 4

Let Food Embrace help!  Here’s a few recipes that you can try out this grilling season:

Chardonnay Chicken Burgers

Cranapple Turkey Burgers

Grilling steaks? Try giving those babies a little rub down.

Rather have pork?  Beer Brined Pork Chops can be grilled.

Get funky with some chicken, yogurt curry chicken or cocoa-chili rubbed chicken will do the trick nicely.

Then you can wash it down with some super special iced tea.

Have fun this summer and get your grill on!

Comments: 2

Kitchen fun! And sometimes I can be a spice dork.

The first time I ever had curry was when I had some of Whole Food’s chicken curry salad. I fell in love with the first bite.

I have been fiddling around with it and using it in different ways to make it a central flavor of a meal.  This dish was a total kitchen experiment and ended up not even being close to what I originally had in mind.

However it turned out amazing and I was beyond happy with the results.

I originally thought this was going to be like a rich sauce that some chicken thighs would simmer in then I discovered I didn’t have any chicken thighs but only some bone-in breasts.

Doh!

Simmering the breasts in something, I wasn’t sure how that would work out.  Breasts sometimes don’t want to play nicely that way and they can be particular. I decided to throw caution to the wind and just roll with my idea.  It constantly evolved the entire time I was making it and the end result was a hearty and flavorful stew.

Andrea’s Chicken Curry Stew

• 4 Bone-in Chicken Breasts (skin on too!)
• 3 Carrots, peeled and chunked
• 1 Green Pepper, chunked
• 1 Jalapeno, seeded
• 2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 Small to Medium Onion, chunked
• 1C Peas
• 3TBSP Flour, Heaping
• 4C Chicken Stock
• 2tsp Garlic Powder
• 2tsp Curry Powder
• 1tsp Soy Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1C Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• Olive Oil for sauteeing

In a large soup pot, add in some olive oil (2TBSP) and heat over medium heat. Lightly sprinkle the chicken breasts with some salt and pepper. Add to the pot and gently brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside. Add in all of the veggies except for the peas.  Sautee for about 3 minutes then seasoning with all of the seasonings, including the soy sauce. Cook for about another 3 minutes. Add in the flour and stir, cook for about 2-3 minutes.  Slowly add in the chicken stock and stir, making sure to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Once all the stock is added, place chicken breasts into the pot as well.  Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes or so until the chicken is cooked through. Depending on how big the breasts are, will determine cooking time.

When the chicken is cooked, remove from pot and set aside for a few minutes.  With an immersion blender, lightly blend the soup. Not too much, you don’t want the soup to be pureed. You want it to be chunky and thick.  Once the soup is blended, remove skin from chicken and start to shred the chicken.  Add the shredded chicken back into the soup along with the 1C of peas. Add in the coconut milk as well.  Bring back to a simmer and cook for about another 10 minutes.

Dish into bowls and serve!

This stew ended up having a really rich and deep flavor to it that I relate directly with the bone-in chicken.  Having the skin and bones provided an extra boost of flavor to the stew that wouldn’t have happened if I used boneless and skinless chicken.

The peas were a last minute addition, I thought they would provide a nice pop of color to an otherwise monotoned looking dish. Plus they added in another layer of texture and taste.

I was so in love with this stew, I had it two days in a row! Perfect for rainy and damp spring evening.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 3

Beer and Bacon Mac ‘N Cheese will definitely be a crowd pleaser!

Spicy Chex Mix is easy to make and even quicker to replenish when the snack attack hits.

Pasta and Lentil salad to get some veggies in on Game Day!

Quick coleslaw, great as a side or as a topping to some pulled pork or a burger!

This Chipotle Glaze would go lovely on some wings!

Chipotle not your style? Try these Garlic Teriykai Wings instead.

Cheddar Beer Bread for carbs so you can party all day long, cheese for staying power!

Just for the Steeler fans, you better get some chipped ham right quick and get a crockpot of Ham BBQ going to make sandwiches.  Have some Iron City on ice too while you’re at it!

GO STEELERS!

Comments: 5

I love chicken burgers!  And turkey burgers! And also burgers made from veggies and beans.  I just really like burgers and while I can dig on a beef burger, my heart belongs to poultry or veggies.  I had been wanting to make chicken burgers for a while and had an idea running through my head about adding wine to the burgers.

There was the rub.

Ground chicken is already really moist and not “dry” like a ground beef.  Ground chicken breast is a little bit “dryer” but not by much and I personally like a mix of white and dark meat ground chicken.  Which meant that I already had a really moist base to work with.  I knew adding some wine to that would make things sloppy or way too soggy.

What to do?  I was also going to add some apples to the mix just for a twist because I had done that with turkey burgers and really liked the outcome.

Then it hit me.

Let the apples soak in chardonnay, then add the apples to the ground chicken.  I got to work busting out my plan which resulted in probably our favorite burger yet!

Andrea’s Chardonnay Chicken Burgers

• 1lb Ground Chicken (I like a mix of dark and white meat which I can purchase at Whole Foods or North Market)
• 1/2C Chardonnay (may need more)
• 1/2 A Green apple, finely chopped
• 1/4C Red onion, chopped
• 1 1/2tsp Garlic powder
• 1/2tsp Poultry Seasoning
• Pinch Red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp each for me)

In a small mixing bowl place the chopped apple and cover with the chardonnay.  You want the apple pieces to be fully submerged so make sure there is enough wine to cover them.  Gently stir and set in the fridge.  Allow to hang out for several hours.  At least four to five so the apples have time to absorb some of the wine.

When the hours have passed, drain the apples but don’t throw away the wine!  You want to keep that.  Trust me!

In a large mixing bowl add all other ingredients, including the apples.  Gently mix with your hands.  Form into four patties and place on a plate or whatever you’re going to use to transfer them for cooking.  These burgers will be very soft and moist, so handle them very gently so they do not fall apart on you.

Allow to sit for about 20 minutes or so before cooking.  If you are cooking these on a skillet, add a bit of olive oil to the pan, about half a TBSP.  Heat over medium heat and very gently place the burgers in the skillet.  Cook for about 5 minutes each side.  Do not touch until ready to flip.  As the burgers cook, they will start to firm up and be easier to handle.

If you’re grilling, same cooking time applies, about 5 minutes on each side.  Top burger with good quality extra sharp cheddar (I used Cabot) and maybe a smidge of dijon mustard.  Serve and enjoy!

The best part about these burgers is that not only are you getting some wine flavor in your burger, but now you have flavored wine!  Because you can totally drink that as your burgers are cooking.  Add a bit of seltzer and you’ve got yourself Sparkling Green Apple Spritzers.  You can really taste the green apple flavor in the wine too, it’s very tasty and refreshing.

I used green apple because it doesn’t oxidize as quickly as sweeter red apples.  Soaked in wine, the apple really holds its crisp white color very well.  Green apples are also a more sturdy apple and holds its shape during cooking.

I try to plan things out with cooking so that everything sort of gels schedule-wise.  I’m a distance runner and my long runs are Sunday mornings.  For Sunday Supper, I try to plan a meal that has some animal protein in it.  I have the time to make it on Sunday and I can use the extra protein to help with muscle recovery after my long runs.  That’s the long winded explanation just so I can tell you how I blew through two of these burgers in one sitting.  My original plan was to have leftovers but that didn’t work out since both Scott and I ate up all four burgers.  Mmm mmm!

If you’re looking for something a little different to do with your burgers, give these a shot!

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Other burger recipes: Cran-Apple Turkey Burgers

Comments: 10

And while I don’t eat a lot of meat, one thing I love is sausage.  My love for it would be just a few levels down from seafood.  Seafood I would eat everyday if you gave it to me, sausage I have to be in the mood for.  I swear I’m not trying to make a joke with that statement.

Sometimes those two wants just happen to collide with each other.

I will tell you that because I love food so much, I am constantly thinking about it.  I would guess this is the way most foodies behave.  Wondering about your next meal, when you can get in the kitchen and create.  Or maybe that’s just me?

One day Scott asked me what we were having for dinner and my response was, “I’m not sure yet but I do know that some shrimp and sausage needs to find their way into my bellah right quick!”

Once I had a base plan, knowing I was going to use shrimp and sausage, I started formulating a recipe around them.  I decided I wanted something with a little bit of a kick and something saucy.  Sort of a take on jambalaya a little bit.

Then I realized that I also wanted to incorporate beer into the mix and well crap I needed to get a move on before I started drooling all over myself.

Andrea’s Spicy Shrimp and Sausage

• 1/2LB Kielbasa, cut into small bite size pieces
• 2 Spicy chicken sausage links of your choice, also cut into bite size pieces
• 1 Dozen medium sized shrimp, peeled (including removing the tail) and deveined
• 1 Small onion, sliced thin
• 1 Green pepper, sliced thin
• 1 14.5oz Can of diced tomatoes (can use flavored if you prefer)
• 1C Beer (dark, like a lager or red beer)
• 1/2TBSP Chili Garlic Sauce (from the Asian Foods aisle)
• 2TBSP Tomato Paste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
• 1tsp Chili Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• Olive oil for sauteeing

In a medium sized skillet (with high sides), drizzle a little bit of olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add in sausage and cook till they are browned and a bit crisp.  Remove from pan and drain off excess oil if there is some.  Then add in just a touch of olive oil and the peppers and onions.  Season with seasonings and stir.  Sautee just until they start to get soft, then add in the chili garlic sauce and tomato paste.  Stir till everything is coated, and cook for about another minute.  Add in the Worcestershire sauce and beer.  Be careful when adding alcohol.  Keep an eye out that you don’t get a flare up.  Then add the sausage back in and combine.  Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, giving time for all the ingredients to marry and enjoy each other’s company.  Add in the shrimp, stir, and cover with a lid.  Cook until shrimp is pink and done, about 3-5 minutes.

Give one final stir, pour mixture over rice, serve, and enjoy!

I don’t mind telling you that this dish was the flipping bomb-diggity.  I literally could not stop eating it nor exclaiming loudly to Scott that this, “Is freaking awesome!”  It was everything I hoped it would be, full of flavor, just a bit spicy, and totally saucy.

I put this on top of some Jasmine rice but you can use whatever rice you like.  Or maybe some noodles?

If you don’t dig on beer or don’t have any (which is a shame), stock/broth of your choice can be used.  I wouldn’t recommend water only because using a flavored liquid helps give the dish a little more umph and depth.

If you like super spicy, feel free to bump up the chili garlic sauce amount or even add in some red pepper flakes or jalapenos.  Totally up to you!

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 8

Today’s tip is also about brining because there’s always more to learn!

The basic base for a brine is water right?  But brining liquid doesn’t have to be just water based, oh no friends, you can use anything.  A list of things I’ve used in brining include:

• Wine
• Beer (hellz yeah!)
• Apple Cider
• Unsweetened cranberry juice

All that sounds pretty tasty right?  And it totally is!  A brine consists of:

• Liquid
• Salt
• Sugar
• Seasonings and miscellaneous veggies

Some people don’t use sugar when they brine but that’s not a practice I subscribe to, so for the purposes of this post, we will be talking about a sugar and salt brine.  I typically will use just a touch less sugar in my brine than salt.  If it’s a straight-on even amount, I find that the meat becomes too sweet and you lose some of the savory components of a lovely roast or grilled dinner.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you are using a liquid that tends to be on the sweeter side, for example apple cider or even the cranberry juice, you will need to take this into consideration when creating the brine.  You will have to add in even less sugar than you normally would because the meat will be able to pull sugar out of the liquid as it’s brining.

The same rule applies if you are adding in a sweet aromatic to help season the brine, such as some fruit.  Fruit contains a good bit of sugar and you will need to factor that in as you create the brine.

An example of a sweeter type of brine is one using apple cider and cranberry juice.  While I did use unsweetened cranberry juice, cranberries still contain sugar, so keep that in mind.

Andrea’s Apple cider brine for Two bone-in Chicken breasts:

2 bone-in chicken breasts

For the liquid:

• 1C unsweetened cranberry juice
• 3C apple cider
• 2C water
• 1/4C kosher salt
• 1.5 TBSP brown sugar

Seasonings and aromatics:

• 1/4-1/2 yellow onion chunked
• 2 large carrots
• 1/4 green pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 chipotle peppers + 2 spoons of sauce
• 2 small red apples cut in half
• 3 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chili powder (salt free)
• Large pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 dashes of cayenne pepper
• Small dash of cinnamon

In a very large mixing bowl combine the ingredients for the liquid brine.  Stir until all the sugar and salt is dissolved.  Add in the remaining ingredients and stir.  Add in the chicken breasts, add more water so that the chickens are completely submerged and covered with liquid.  Make sure the bowl is large enough that the chickens have plenty of room and they are not stacked on top of each other.  Brine for about 6 hours.  Remove from brine and rinse under cold water.  Pat dry with paper towels and season the chicken with seasonings of your choice.  I used:

• Garlic powder
• Ground pepper
• Rosemary
• Smoked paprika
• Chili powder

Place in roasting dish with a splash of broth for basting.  Bake at 375 until cooked through, about 20 minutes to half an hour.  Allow to rest for two minutes and then serve.

This made one of the best brines we’ve had for some time.  The chicken was totally tender with just a hint of sweetness in the background but not so much that it over powered the savory spices.  You could use this brine for chicken legs as well or even try it with some bone-in pork chops.

Because I used two juices, plus apples in this brine, I kept the brown sugar down to a minimum.  You could even get away with using 1TBSP of brown sugar as well.  I used 1.5 TBSP just to play it safe.

Since I brine a good bit whenever we have poultry or pork, it gives me a chance to play around with combinations.  Experimenting with brines is so much fun!  Give brines a chance guys because you can walk away with some mighty tasty dishes!

Here’s a list of last year’s Thanksgiving Tuesday Tips!

Plan out Thanksgiving

Prep and chop veggies ahead of time

Brining is your friend

Simmering stock with veggie trimmings

Comments: 4

Cocoa-Chili Rub

I have seen people use cocoa powder before in savory recipes and it always interested me.  However, I’ve never been inspired enough nor had that spark of creativity to come up with a use for it till now.  I was watching some Food TV one Sunday morning and at the same time thinking about what I can make for dinner that evening.  I like to create sort of traditional Sunday Suppers for us and when the warm weather arrives, both of us love when Sunday Supper includes grilling.

I started going through the inventory sheet in my mind of things I had on hand that I could use with cocoa powder.  One of my favorite combinations is dark chocolate and dried cranberries.  Normally I’m not much of a fruit + chocolate person but there is just something about the slight bitterness of dark chocolate paired with the sweet tartness of cranberry that makes me sigh with delight.

I decided to work with this combo and create a grilled chicken dish around those flavors.  I knew this would be perfect to try out on some chicken thighs and bringing out poultry means making a brine.  That’s where the cranberry comes in.  Ready to cook with chocolate?

Andrea’s Cocoa-Chili Rubbed Chicken Thighs

For the Brine:

• 1.5C Unsweetened cranberry juice
• 2C Water
• 1/3C Kosher salt
• 3TBSP Packed brown sugar
• 1/4-1/2 Medium onion, chunked
• 2 stalks celery, chunked
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2tsp Ground Black pepper
• 1tsp Garlic powder
• 2tsp Chili Powder
• 1tsp Smoked paprika
• Pinch Cayenne pepper
• Pinch Red pepper flakes
• 5-6 Bone-in chicken thighs

For the Rub:

• 1tsp Dark Cocoa powder
• 2tsp Chili powder
• 1/2tsp Garlic powder
• 1tsp Grill Seasoning (salt free)

The brine gets created first.  In a large deep bowl combine the cranberry juice, salt, sugar, and water.  Stir everything together until the salt and sugar are dissolved.  Then add in the onions, celery, and remaining seasonings, stir to combine.  Add in the chicken, and then add more water so that the chicken is completely covered and submerged in the brine.  Place bowl in the fridge and allow the chicken to brine for at least 6 hours.

About an hour before you are going to grill the chicken, remove the chicken from the brine.  Give a quick rinse and pat dry, placing chicken on a plate.  Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl.  Then rub down the chicken with the cocoa chili rub making sure that the entire thigh is covered.  Allow the chicken thighs to sit in the rub for at least 1/2 an hour.

Heat grill and cook the thighs until cooked through, about five minutes each side.  Remove from grill, allow thighs to rest for about 2 minutes and then serve.

This recipe turned out so much better than I expected.  Admittedly I was a little nervous working with cocoa powder in a savory dish because I had never done that before.  We’re always afraid of the unknown, right?  As it was grilling, the chicken smelled amazing.  Which made Scott and I both very excited to try this new dish!  We kept pacing around the deck watching the clock so we could eat already.

The thing that stood out the most was the visual presentation, the chicken having a nice dark color from the rub.  Chili powder is a deep color on it’s own, by adding the cocoa powder, not only does it add another depth to the flavor but it also brings more richness to the color of the chicken as it cooks.

Grilled Chicken Thighs

The flavor of the chicken was beyond what I was expecting.  Chili powder has a spicy heat to it which is enhanced by the sweet yet slightly bitterness of the cocoa powder.  It provides a rich deep flavor that I wasn’t quite expecting and ended up loving.

I don’t eat meat all that much and when I make something like chicken, I prefer bone-in skin on pieces.  The chicken is more moist as it cooks because of the skin and usually bone-in pieces are larger providing you with more for your money because they are also cheaper cuts of meat.  I don’t eat the skin, I take it off.  It’s purpose is to provide flavor and keep the chicken from drying out.  However, this does not mean you have to do the same.  If you prefer boneless, skinless, by all means use that.

I used unsweetened cranberry juice because it was going into a brine and I wanted to control the sugar amount.  Plus unsweetened juice is much better for you and there’s no worry of fake or chemical additives.

Cocoa-Chili Rubbed Grilled Chicken Thighs

I started with 1tsp of cocoa powder since this was my first attempt using it in a savory dish.  Next time I make this, I’m going to try adding a bit more cocoa and see what happens.  I’ll probably go up to 1.5tsp.  If you make this and want to pump up the cocoa amount, go for it!

This was a great intro recipe for using cocoa powder in savory dishes.  I can’t wait to start experimenting more and seeing what I can do!

Enjoy guys! And remember, always play with your food!

Comments: 8

Substitute

I have been intrigued by the beer can chicken technique ever since I first saw it done.  At first I thought it seemed a little silly and then I realized that perhaps those folks were on to something.  Just maybe this would be an awesome idea.  However, when I saw it done it typically involved a smoker or using a grill for hours on end.

Those things did not appeal to me.  I just sort of stored the concept in the back of my mind.  Time had passed and if this were a video blog I would insert some sort of musical montage at this point but since it’s not a video blog, you’ll have to imagine one.  Be sure to include jazz hands, headbands, and 80s music.

Trust me it’s fitting because the person who brought the beer can chicken concept back to the forefront of my mind was Guy Fieri.  Bling, bling!  I saw him make beer can chicken in his oven.  “Oh snap, I can totally do that too!”  Cue me busting around the house gathering ingredients.

One problem was that I did not have a beer can.  Scott and I don’t drink beer out of cans.  Call us snobs, but whatever, I’m not doing it.  That’s just a road I am not willing to walk down and I also really like beer (as long time readers know) so I stick with bottles.  Not to worry, because I am a improvising whiz, I used a 7up can.  I also don’t drink pop; however, we have some on hand for company.  I dumped the pop and poured in some beer.  Beer can chicken was born.

Andrea’s Chili Rubbed Beer Can Chicken

• 1 roasting chicken
• 1 12oz can of beer
• 6oz of beer
• 1C chicken stock (have extra on hand)

For the rub:

• 2tsp of garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
• 2 TBSP of good chili powder
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Grill seasoning (to taste, I used about 1tsp)
• Cayenne pepper (to taste, I used a few sprinkles)
• Salt and pepper (to taste, check salt content of chili powder and grill seasoning before adding too much salt)

Combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl.  Either the day before or early in the morning the day you are going to roast the chicken, rub the chicken with the dry rub you just made.  Be sure to get inside the chicken and under the skin.  Either place in a casserole dish or plate with high sides and cover wtih plastic wrap.  Allow the chicken to sit with the rub in the fridge overnight or for  6-8 hours.

1/2 hour before you plan to start roasting the chicken, pull it out of the fridge and allow to sit on the counter to help bring the temperature of the chicken down closer to room temp.  Preheat oven to 375.  Fill beer can 1/2 way with beer (6oz of beer).  You can also add in garlic cloves and fresh herbs at this point for extra flavor.  Place beer can in the roasting pan and fit the chicken on top.  You may need an extra pair of hands to hold the can steady for you.  In the roasting pan you can add some veggies and chicken stock.  About a cup or more of stock to use as a basting liquid.  Either drink the other 6oz of beer or you can use that combined with the chicken stock for a basting liquid as well.

Place roasting pan with chicken in the oven and cook until the chicken is done.  About an hour and a half.  Use a meat thermometer to montior the internal temperature of the chicken.  While the chicken is roasting, baste about every 15-20 minutes.  This helps keep the outside of the chicken moist and from drying out.  Because the chicken is raised on the beer can, the entire chicken is exposed and will roast nicely when monitored.

When the chicken is done, remove from oven and give one last basting.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before removing from beer can and slicing.  The beer can will be hot and will also release steam, so take care when removing the can from the chicken.  It’s best to gently tip the bird over and remove the can while the chicken is laying flat.  You can coat the outside of the can with nonstick spray before cooking for easier removal.

Slice as you normally would and serve!

Chili Rubbed Beer Can Chicken

That’s one nice looking bird, isn’t it?  I have to say that I was nervous when making this for the first time.  I had visions of the chicken exploding or falling over and causing a huge mess.  That wasn’t the case at all.  It roasted nicely and smelled amazing as it cooked.

I used a red beer, Killian’s, when I made this.  You can use whatever beer you have on hand, but I do think a darker beer gives a little bit more flavor to the chicken as opposed to a lighter beer.  Feel free to play around with it though and see what what happens.

The reason to have extra stock on hand is because it will evaporate as the chicken roasts.  You may need to add more to the pan so your basting liquid doesn’t run out.

Normally I brine my chickens and chicken breasts before cooking them.  However, since this was the first time trying out this recipe, I wanted to see how it did without any outside influence.  I have to say that this produced one of the juiciest and tenderest non-brined roast chickens I’ve ever had.  I was pretty impressed with the taste.  Not only was it tender, but the rub, with the help of the beer steam, permeated through the entire chicken.  I would make this chicken again in a heartbeat and maybe tweak the rub a little bit as well.

Ready to serve

The thing I loved most about this chicken was the color.  The smoked paprika and chili powder present a nice deep color to the chicken, so as it roasts it takes on a nice deep golden color.  As I mentioned before, since the entire chicken is exposed due to sitting on the can, the whole chicken turns crispy golden which is very impressive to look at and would make a great presentation for serving guests.

Enjoy guys!  And remember, always play with your food!

Comments: 7

Just like old times

When I was in middle school it was the 80s.  Hair bands and mall teen pop queens were in their prime.  And the thing to do back then was hit up the skating rink on Friday night.  Especially when you lived in a super small town and there was nothing else for you to do at that age.  The skating rink was a happening place and I taught myself how to skate.  And backwards skate.  And skate going around the corners with my feet turned out, heels touching.  My favorite thing to do was skate backwards and stop with my stoppers coming to a sliding halt.  My skates were white with blue wheels and a blue stopper.  And Velcro because when you are at the skating rink, it is all about the skating and not about wasting time lacing up your skates.  Oh and secretly crushing on the boys who preferred video games until the couples skate was announced.  Eventually I out grew my Velcro skates and moved on to bigger, more “adult” skates that I did have to lace up. I figured out a way to do it quickly with flair and grace.  I was still sporting blue wheels and a blue stopper though.  And, no, never pom-poms on my skates. I preferred the smooth classic chic look.

My favorite drink that I got every time I was at the rink was a “graveyard”.  This was a slushy that had all the syrups mixed in.  It became this deep purple color and it was the best drink a 12 year old could ask for.  The straw of course had the little scooper at the bottom so you get to the extra ice.  If I had extra money burning a hole in my jeans pocket then I got a slice of pizza.  Oh it was just some cheap frozen cardboard pizza run through a little toaster but to me it was perfection.  The cheese was all melty and stringy while the crust was crunchy and perfectly toasted.  I loved when I was able to get skating rink pizza!  Never had it again in my adult life until one day I got the bright idea to make a pita pizza.

It was a late night that found Scott and I both hungry.  We didn’t want anything huge but needed something substantial.  “Pita pizzas!” I said.  How easy is that, and pitas are good for you too!  So I made us some and heated them in the oven.  When they turned golden brown I pulled them out and served them up.  My first bite was heaven and I yelled, “OMG these taste exactly like skating rink pizza!” which I think I scared Scott a bit with my unbridled enthusiasm.  Immediately I was transported back to the rink with my blue and white skates eating a slice of pizza and sipping on my graveyard.  What a nice memory.

And I’ve been making pita pizzas for us ever since (I made one for Scott today!).  It’s a quick thing to make and pretty healthy when you break it down.  Even white pitas have loads of protein, are low fat, and low in carbs.  So today I bring you a concept more than a specific recipe.

Pita Pizzas!

You will need:

• Pitas
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded cheese of your choice
• Toppings of your choice

Preheat your oven to 400 and line a cookie/baking sheet with foil.  Spray with nonstick spray.  Put pitas on the cookie sheet and top with sauce, cheese, and toppings.  Bake for about 10 minutes or so until the cheese is bubbly and golden.  Remove, cut into 4 slices and serve!

Pita Pizza

My favorite way to make a pita pizza is sauce and plain old shredded moz cheese. Sprinkle some Ms. Dash Italian blend on top and call it a day. These are great for parties and get-togethers because everyone can make their own! Have out a bunch of different cheeses and toppings so that people can pick what they like. Making sure to have plenty of meat options (sausage, ham, pepperoni) and veggie options (onions, peppers, spinach, tomatoes).  You can put out salsa and beans as well for topping choices. Since people are making their own they have more freedom over what they would like to eat. It makes for a fun activity and gets everyone in on the cooking!

And you can also grill these.  The side that’s going to be on the grill, brush with a little olive oil or veggie oil.  Top how you like, toss on the grill and cover for a few minutes till the cheese is melted and the pita is crispy.

These are simple, quick, and awesome to eat.  And if you’ve had skating rink pizza then perhaps these will bring back memories for you as well!

Enjoy guys! And remember: always play with your food!

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