I’m not totally convinced we’re going to be invited to a Friendsgiving this year, as that would require an active group of…friends. I know I’ve already mentioned the loneliness that comes with my decisions to be sober, childless, not religious and a person who refrains from yelling on social media, but it’s particularly poignant during the holidays. I’m not going to bore you by wallowing in it, but if you’re lonely too, don’t let that stop you from cooking and/or enjoying the dishes you might see at a Friendsgiving.
I started my Faux-Friendsgiving preparations on Sunday, when I defrosted a whole small chicken. It took nearly 48 hours, and then on Tuesday night I rubbed it with kosher salt, sugar, smoked paprika, poultry seasoning, mushroom seasoning and baking soda, which is both a tenderizer and a browning agent. I let it sit in the fridge uncovered on a wire rack nestled into a sheet tray until this morning.
Even though Japanese curry isn’t a flavor I grew up with, there’s something incredibly festive and nostalgic about it and if I had to guess, I’d say it’s the combination of clove and umami. It’s really the perfect thing to puree with butter and smash under/over the skin of a chicken. Right now mine is roasting on a bed of onions, shallots and cloudy apple cider, low and slow— 275F for at least five hours, basting every hour on the hour. Tonight I think we’ll eat it simply with rice and a little cucumber salad. Tomorrow, a big to-do!
Yep. A whole chicken is a multi-day project at my house! It either gets roasted in the oven or braised in the slowcooker. Then, we make bone broth in the slowcooker.
Sometimes the chicken gets eaten, sometimes it’s saved for other recipes.
I’m craving homemade from scratch Chicken & Dumplings!