Monroe Farms Chicken

I cooked my first whole chicken tonight! Big, whole anything has always intimidated me in the kitchen, and since I am usually cooking for 2, it is usually unnecessary. That being said, a family friend has recently started raising organic chickens, and this one came straight from his Rowland, NC farm. I couldn't resist. My mom loaned me her "Tipsy Chicken" ceramic baking dish to get me started. 

It was quite the experience...but, 3 calls to mom, 2 gags, and 1 glass of wine later, it was an overall success! My pictures spare you the gruesome details of a whole raw chicken. I am so thankful for, but often forget, the modern conveniences of buying boneless skinless and 99% fat free chicken breasts at the grocery store...

The first step (after the unpacking, washing, and patting dry) was getting it situated correctly on the pan. There is a cup in the middle to fill with your wine of choice (hence the name "Tipsy Chicken"). This was phone call #1 to mom...I couldn't find the hole!!

 Next, I used an olive oil to baste the skin. I chose my cousin Scott's homemade rub for seasoning.

This is the foil plug for the neck...phone call #2 to mom...

 In the oven it went...

In the meantime, I made Boone Hall Farm's Sauteed Kale. I usually make kale with chicken broth and garlic so this was a nice and flavorful variation. Cole liked it too, except for the red bell peppers that kept appearing on my plate!

Boone Hall Farms Sauteed Kale

1 lb. fresh kale (stemmed and washed)

1 sweet onion, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

4 slices of bacon, diced

salt and pepper to taste

Brown bacon in a large skillet. Add onions and peppers and saute for 1 minute. Deglaze with balsamic vinegar. Add kale, and continue to saute until kale is tender, but not overcooked. Season to taste. 

An hour and a half later (with a run squeezed in), the chicken was perfectly cooked, and we enjoyed it fresh off the farm and hot and juicy out of the oven. The initial drama was quickly forgotten as I took a bite. 

Other things on the menu this week...
My recreation of Trio's Penne-Goat Pasta (downtown Greenville)
Cooking Light's Shrimp with Lemon Saffron Rice
Chocolate-Chip Coffee Muffins (I am treating myself one morning!)
Chicken with Pepperoni-Marinara Sauce
Panko and Parmesan Tilapia