So, I must admit that back in my 20s, I was NOT the epitome of an amazing cook. I could burn water without trying. I even remember calling my mother to ask her how to make hard-boiled eggs. But then, one glorious day, my monthly Cosmo arrived in the mail with a DIY recipe on the front cover that caught my attention immediately: Engagement Chicken. At the time I was living with my boyfriend (now hubby) and desperately wanted to get engaged, so I ripped my Cosmo out of the plastic wrapper, flipped through like a mad-woman to the recipe and started reading. Chicken, lemon, some other ingredients I'd never heard of. I could do this!! Then the headline under the picture of the perfectly cooked chicken caught my eye: Make this chicken and within a month, your boyfriend will propose to you. I don't think my ass could have rocketed off the couch any faster. I was at Hannaford quicker than you could say round-cut diamond, speeding up and down the aisles with my ripped-out recipe in hand, mowing people down while chucking ingredients into my basket. The recipe was more simple than I ever imagined, and the chicken came out really good, especially with my limited cooking skills. Okaaaaaaay...so maybe I forgot to mention that I might be a little gullible. He didn't propose within a month, but he loooooved that chicken dinner so much, it's become one of my "famous" dishes that everyone salivates over!
Now, I think I've come a long way with my cooking skills since my 20s. I love opening my pantry and just grabbing a bunch of random stuff and whipping up something amazingly delicious out of nothing, so god knows that I just can't leave any recipe alone. I am a serial tweaker. There...I admitted it. I will take any recipe and change the ingredients just to see what happens, usually with damn good results. This chicken recipe was no exception. It was absolutely delicious with the lemon, but I wondered what else I could try. Don't ask me why I thought of beer, since I can't stand the taste or the smell, but I started experimenting using it in certain recipes and it has made a HUGE difference. The beer adds a whole new flavor to the chicken, cooks it in HALF the time and keeps the chicken so moist while it is cooking that it is literally falling off the bones by the time it is done. Wanna know the even more awesome part? I have tried this with my Thanksgiving turkey and it came out AMAZING!!! (Hellooo to-die-for Turkey-Day recipe!) Alright, I know...shut up and tell you how to make it already!!!
Lemon Beer Chicken with
4-Cheese Mashed Cauliflower
What You'll Need:
For Lemon Beer Chicken:
13 x 9 pan, glass or metal, coated well with non-stick spray
1 Whole Chicken (the bigger it is, the more leftovers you'll have!)
1 lemon (small if the chicken is under 5lbs, large if the chicken is over 5lbs)
1 12oz can of beer (I have found I get the best flavor using a can of Blue Moon, but use your fave beer!)
4-5 slices of pre-cooked bacon, not heated
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1-2 tbsp. margarine
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Onion powder (to taste)
Parsley (to taste)
For 4-Cheese Mashed Cauliflower (double for a larger portion):
1 head of fresh cauliflower or 1 bag of frozen cauliflower florets
1/2 cup Hannaford Inspirations 3-Cheese Blend
1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar
Hidden Valley Bacon Ranch dressing
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
What To Do:
Preheat your oven to 375 and spray your 13 x 9 pan well with non-stick cooking spray, like Pam. Set your pan near the sink with a few paper towels. While your oven is preheating, remove the plastic wrapper from your chicken (doing this in the sink can save a big mess!), remove the bag of innards from inside the chicken and dispose of them and rinse the chicken well inside and out with cool water. Pat the chicken dry with the paper towels and set the chicken in the pan with the breast side up. Open your beer can, pour a small amount of beer around the chicken in the pan, and insert 2 slices of unheated, precooked bacon into the beer can. Make sure the opening of the beer can is facing the ceiling and insert into the chicken, open end first. the lemon in half, cutting one half into thin slices, and the other half into 4 small wedges. Place the wedges in the 4 corners of your pan so they are floating in the beer. Take the slices of lemon, lift the skin on the top of the chicken breasts and slide 2 slices of lemon and 2 pieces of bacon underneath the skin. Repeat on the other breast with the remaining slices of lemon and piece of bacon. Sprinkle salt, pepper, onion powder and parsley on the skin of the chicken until covered and put in the oven, setting your timer for 35 minutes.
After 35 minutes, take your chicken out and using a good pair of forks, rotate your chicken so that the breasts face down. Baste the chicken with the juice and beer in the pan, and put back in the oven, setting your timer for 35 minutes. Repeat this process for 3-6 hours, depending on the size of your chicken, being sure to rotate and baste your chicken and every 30-35 minutes. The chicken is done when the meat is white, no pink juice leaks out when you cut into the breasts, and the skin is a nice golden brown color.
About an hour before your chicken is done cooking, cut your cauliflower in small pieces into a large pot (or, if using frozen cauliflower, follow the directions on the package to boil your cauliflower). Boil fresh cauliflower for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain well, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add cheese and squirt about 1-2 tbsp. of ranch dressing into the pot with the drained cauliflower. Mash with a hand masher or use electric beater until blended. (It will be slightly lumpy when done, so don't over mash or mix it!)
Serve with warm bread and butter and enjoy!
Leftovers will keep for up to a week in a good, air-tight container and
taste amazing once they sit overnight!
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