Not "The Best Fried Chicken"
I worked in a lot of fast food restaurants as teen and young adult. I started to earn money to go to the movies or eat out, but it ended up helping me get through college. From the prep to the cooking to the serving to the cleaning, it was some of the hardest work I’ve done. I remember how quickly my days flew when I was on the clock.
Around 3pm today, I started thinking about preparing a nice meal for dinner. Then I remembered how I had hinted I might make some lunch for some people at work tomorrow. Within 10 minutes, I had a plan to handle both. 5 hours later, my plan was demolished, I was extremely frustrated at a magazine that promised the best fried chicken ever, and the day was gone.
I’m not even going to go into the recipes, because they failed me or I failed them. I’m not sure which. I will say that rosemary infused honey is some of the best finishing sauce ever created. (1/2 cup honey brought to a simmer with 2 tbsp unsalted butter and rosemary sprig. Remove from heat, let steep for 30 mins.) Of course I forgot to get a picture of it!
French Bread
The rest of the meal was a huge disappointment. Boston Market taught me how to quarter a chicken, but I learned tonight that I can only accomplish the task after the chicken is cooked. Raw chicken is another story. Note to self- ALWAYS buy the pre cut chicken when you need it cut to cook. My homemade bread actually rose this time, but it was still too dense. I think I didn’t let it bake long enough.
Still, I’m not giving up. The second chicken went in the oven to roast with the rosemary infused honey slathered under the skin. I basted it with chicken stock. It will become chicken salad, because I can make a mean chicken salad (big pieces of roasted chicken, mayo to cover, celery, dried cranberries, salt and pepper to taste). I still have the broccoli slaw for tomorrow. Plus, my mac and cheese is never bad. Not the best tonight, but not bad!
Rosemary Infushed Honey Roasted Chicken
My day may be almost gone, but at least I’ll sleep as good as I did when I closed the restaurant. Now, how many dishes do I have left? Ugh.
Update:
The roasted chicken was awesome!!! Super juicy, a hint of honey, so good! I peeled big pieces and added to 3/4 cup mayo, a handful of dried cranberries, 4 stalks of thinly chopped celery, salt and pepper to taste.
To make the chicken, start with the rub of 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1.5 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator. 30 minutes before cooking, pull out the chicken. Make the rosemary infused honey mentioned above. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin of the bird and smother the honey underneath. Roast at 350, tented with foil, until bird is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
