certain chicken. Now, don't be bad ....I know what you are thinking...
but, it's not my ex-husband!!! It's the other type of chicken the type
that you CAN kill....
Yes, Elsa made a delicious, tangy, orange-lemony, whole roasted
chicken in a pan...and I was craving it for dinner! Did I have
the ingredients? Yes, I did!!!
A whole chicken, oranges, lemons, onions, oregano, chicken bouillon,
salt and pepper.
Then, I looked for a pan where the chicken would fit. The only one
that was right was just too sad looking....No!!! This could not
be happening!!! It was time to say goodbye to my faithful....ugly...
pan. GASP!!! Panic mode set in. That meant running to Wal-Mart
and buying one. That also meant a lot of $$$. I felt faint....but still
grabbed my car keys and drove to the store.
Once at Wal-Mart I walked straight to the kitchen-ware area.
There I stood. I searched for the right size with my keen eyes. Once
I found the right size...could I find the right price? No! My blood
started boiling, my blood pressure started rising, my eyes started
bulging out my sockets! Somebody help me...Rachel Ray and
Paula Deen want to kill me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had to be strong...and grabbed the cheapest 12 Qt pan with one arm
as I clasped my purse to my chest with the other, then headed to
the 20 items and less register...where I paid $40.00 for it!!! I thought:
If I ever become famous with my blog I will have my own line of
cookware..." Rebel Cook Cookware...you can dish out great
food , without dishing out your hard earned money at the
register!"
Before I started with dinner I washed the pan. As I dried it I shook
my head and said, "It will never be the same chicken", then sighed...
and continued, "from now on it will remind me of this new pan!".
I rubbed the fryer with oregano,
salt, and pepper. Then tied
the legs with string. Once the
olive oil in my new pan was hot I
put the chicken in and let it
brown.
After a few minutes it was time
to flip it and let it brown on it's
belly....this part always remind
me of a tanning bed...so give it
a nice tan!
Once browned I take out "le
poul et" and add a couple of
onions thin sliced...until
caramelized. Yum, it smell
sooooooo good!
Then I add the juice of 4 big,
sweet Valencia oranges and 1
large juicy lemon or 2 if you wish!
Add some more oregano to the
sauce and 1 tbs of granulated
chicken boullion, a little more
salt and pepper....a dash of
sugar.
Now it's time for this chick
to hit the "hot tub"...
I will put the cover on it and let
it in the "steam bath" until
it's tender. turning it once in
a while so all the flavors of
the sauce penetrate it.
Once the chicken is nice and
tender I will take it out ...
wait a few minutes to cut it in
pieces and check on the sauce.
If the sauce needs a to be
reduced I will turn up the heat
and let it simmer a bit more,
then the moment I have been
waiting for....tasting that tangy sauce to see if it needs more salt, etc.
Finally, ready to be served I
plated it, poured the sauce
over it and served it with
with arroz con gandules, a
great Puerto Rican
rice dish and plantains...but, it
is truly wonderful with mashed
potatoes and any vegetable
you prefer!!!
It's been a good 28 years since Elsa taught me how to make this
chicken ...and it's still one of my favorite recipes, even if I had
to go and buy a new pan!
Note: My ex husband and I get along fine. I just wanted to add
some "divorce humor" to this post!!! ;)
