Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: What's your favorite chx. dinner?
The catch phrase "Winner, winner, chicken dinner" has been going around with my boys and their friends lately. At least it's not the Subway jingle "five dollar foot long" any longer. But it's driving me nuts because it's stuck in my head.
It did get me thinking about what's referred to as "chicken dinner." Growing up, my grandparents would take us to church and Grange chicken dinners which were usually chicken and bisuits with mashed potatoes and some overcooked vegetable during the winter. Summers, my parents would sometimes get BBQ chicken with slaw at summer fests or fire department events.
For me, now chicken dinner is grilled beer can chicken and grilled potatoes and veggies during the summer. In the winter, it's usually a roast chicken with smashed potatoes or rice with a pan gravy. And there are some folks I know who always think of chicken dinner as their favorite fried chicken picnic. What's yours?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
24 Comments:
Yeah, I'm not wild about that expression either. :)
Your chicken dinner sounds delicious. I love beer can chicken, although I've never made it myself. For me, the perfect chicken dinner is one with a Mexican twist--grilled chicken with red peppers and almonds over a grilled tortilla, with a side of guac.
Here's a pic, if you're interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxcriden/2598963689/
maxcriden at 9:54PM on 06/26/09
Garlic and Oregano Beer Can Chicken from Weber's Charcoal Grilling, "The Art of Cooking with Live Fire" by Jamie Purviance is an outstanding chicken recipe, and the carcass makes a great soup.
dmcavanagh at 10:13PM on 06/26/09
Grilled butterflied chicken marinated in lemon, Evoo, fresh oregano, basil and garlic, served with grilled zucchini and tomatoes.
juliette527 at 10:26PM on 06/26/09
hey @dhorst - how are you???? chicken 'n biscuits sounds really good..... and i do like beer can chicken on the charcoal grill.... but one of my favorite chicken recipes is just plain old roast chicken.... with lots of lemon and garlic, sometimes i stuff it full of whatever fresh herbs i've got laying around. cilantro is really my favorite. the poochies always stick around for the scraps.... as i'm sure miss ellie would, herself.
or .... a good fried chicken cutlet! with homemade seasoned breadcrumbs: fresh parsley, garlic, romano cheese and sesame seeds... with a nice chunk of lemon to squeeze on top. that and a big garden salad does it for me.....
pooch at 10:31PM on 06/26/09
I struggle between 3 ways on that question: 1) Chicken breasts marinated in olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper and sliced lemon for 4-5 hours then grilled. 2) Chicken cutlets pounded out and dredged in flour, salt and pepper then fried in oil and butter and served with buttery vermicelli with parsley and cheese or last 3) My mom's way, she used skinned thighs and slow poaches them simply in water with salt and pepper. Isn't it funny how we almost always for basics when thinking of favourites!?
Quasibonko at 1:01AM on 06/27/09
Really good fried chicken, roasted chicken with stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and corn, chiken marsala, chicken adobo, this is soo hard I love it all.
pjracz10 at 2:22AM on 06/27/09
Edna Lewis' fried chicken, mashed potatoes with cream gravy and succotash. I know it's old, traditional and bordering on trite (probably not healthy either) but it never fails to please.
Truth is I'm always on the prowl for new ways with chicken and just this week I've done a lot of research on chicken adobo and will probably run it into the ground real soon.
If it weren't for the oven clean up, I'd be devoted to the simple roasted chicken in all of its many variations...
czken at 7:43AM on 06/27/09
Your boys are getting that from ESPN's SportsCenter. I have heard the term originated from the craps pit crews in Vegas. Anyhoo...chicken dinner ................
My favorite is chicken scallopini. Started making it a few years ago when veal became to pricy to bring home to feed all of us. Pound the chicken cutlets and dredge in egg and parmesan and saute in butter. I usually make a sauce from the goodies in the pan and some white wine along with sliced mushrooms. I have served it with a pasta alfredo or if I'm feeling frisky with a risotto and a salad with a light vinagrette.
finsbigfan at 8:29AM on 06/27/09
my favorite chicken dinner is a simple roast chicken... with a herb mix stuffed inside w/ lemon and garlic and roasted carrots, parsnips and onions cooked in the pan along side the chicken.
Alm25 at 8:52AM on 06/27/09
I roasting a whole chicken with lemons and garlic. My SO sautees chicken breasts in red wine, garlic and a splash of worcestershire sauce.
But I would have to say that my favorite chicken dinner of all time is good old fashioned fried chicken (soaked in buttermilk, dredged in spices and flour, breaded and fried or baked).
gingercookiewithlime at 9:56AM on 06/27/09
i love roast chicken....fried chicken....all chicken, really. man, it is tough to choose!
i also love throwing chicken into a wok-it cooks it quickly and leaves it hot and super juicy
gastronomeg at 10:42AM on 06/27/09
Hmm... Roast chicken (usually with lemon, garlic and some good paprika) with mashed potatoes and plenty of steamed veg, along with really good onion & mushroom gravy. That's my perfect chicken dinner.
honeybaby789 at 12:35PM on 06/27/09
Despite the multitude of ways I love chicken, I'd have to say my favorite is roast whole chix with the following seasonings stuffed under the skin prior to roasting:
olive oil
fresh garlic smashed to a paste with salt
freshly ground pepper
chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
chopped fresh rosemary
wine or fresh lemon juice
...Mix well in a small bowl.
Take handfuls of this stuff and press it either with your hand or a wooden spoon under the skin on the breast, into the thighs and over the drumstick meat. Truss the chicken and roast.
I mostly try not to duplicate flavors in one meal but this chicken cries out for its customary accompaniment, parsley garlic potatoes.
Quarter new potatoes, toss with a small amount of salt and olive oil (more will be added later) and roast till golden brown. When they are done, toss the cooked potatoes in a large bowl with the following mixture:
Extra virgin olive oil
a TON of garlic smashed to a paste with LOTS of salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Handfuls of flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
Toss the taters or stir with a rubber spatula, then serve with the chix. If the potatoes are roasted with the herb mixture, it becomes brown and not at all fresh tasting.
therealchiffonade at 3:29PM on 06/27/09
My idea of a chicken dinner is any kind of chicken, two vegetables (one of them green) and a bread. maxcriden--you nailed it! Is there a way to make an emoticon drool?
*********
I've playing in the kitchen for almost 50 years and can cook and bake anything EXCEPT fried chicken. Popeye's is way better than mine, but I keep trying. I've followed all the different recommendations for brining vs. buttermilk, peanut oil vs. Crisco, battered vs. egg-wash-and-flour, temperature, salting before, during and after cooking, shallow vs. deep frying, par-frying and finishing in the oven--the results have been just okay, not great. For fried chicken, I adapted the Cook's Country/America's Test Kitchen recipe for oven fried pork chops and use boned breasts and thighs with the skin on. I guess I'll have to get the Edna Lewis cookbook.
For the 4th, one of my sons is serving grilled spatchcocked chicken. His idea is to make a paste of chili powder, mashed garlic, cumin and a splash of Cuervo margarita mix, then smear it between the skin and the muscle. When it's almost done, he says he'll start basting it with more margarita mix. It sounds very tasty to me, and probably will be because I don't have to cook it.
Two of my three daughters-in-law think we're gross because the boys and I will tell you that the best part of any fowl is the skin. Two fewer people to share it with!
betteirene at 9:55PM on 06/27/09
I actually have a recipe (a word of mouth type passed down from a friend) that's actually called "Chicken Dinner". It involves coating cut up pieces of boneless chicken in egg wash and bread crumbs and browning them in olive oil. Once cooked, you place the chicken pieces in a casserole dish, add about 3/4c chicken broth, a splash of white wine and bake for 30min. Add some cheese to the top and bake for 5 more minutes. My family likes it served with rice, green beans, and lots of Crystal hot sauce.
When ever I ask my husband what he wants for dinner, he always requests this. Other friends have raved about it as well.
Honestly it's pure comfort food. Our chicken dinner is definitely a winner!
labcab at 11:48PM on 06/27/09
In South Carolina "Chicken Bog" is a favorite. I'm sure there are recipes all over the internet. Many restaurants will feature it at least once each week as it's sort of an unofficial state dish. It's origins came from the days in which rice was a dominant crop in our low country. I recently kayaked an old rice field plantation.
I also grew up attending "The Grange" with my parents. I recall overhearing one of the most secret words of the Grange - "bountiful"
Nothing ever beat a Grange covered dish supper and there was usually a dish of chicken bog.
Poultrygeist at 6:33AM on 06/28/09
When I was a child, it used to be rotisserie chicken with fries. These days, my favourite is chicken kebabs (sometimes marinated in Indian spices, sometimes Moroccan or Greek-style) with rice, bulgur pilaf or a big summer salad if the weather permits. Yum!
HappyMuncher at 9:19AM on 06/28/09
My favorite....grilled chicken w/a vinegar based sauce...like those fireman's bbqs....tomato salad side w/salt spuds. Corn on the cob if it's in season...screams summer.
mepolo at 11:34AM on 06/28/09
@labcab That chicken recipe sounds great. I would like to try this recipe. have you ever made it with bone in whole pieces? So you fry the chicken till it is all the way cooked or almost done and finish it up in the oven?
pjracz10 at 6:38PM on 06/28/09
tomatoes, onions, curry powder, tumeric, cumin, coriander (fresh prefered), and chicken drumsticks... if i base it on childhood. its essentially chicken curry with salsa.
blizcheetah at 8:46PM on 06/28/09
I really like it with white onion, potato, garlic, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.
smile at 10:22PM on 06/28/09
We had chicken on the rotisserie today, and there's something magical about cooking chicken like that. I like it fine on the grill, but somehow it's better when it's dizzy.
Today was pretty simple. Just soaked it ahead of time in a little buttermilk with a splash of siracha. Sides were a vegetable slaw and potato salad that I made yesterday. Always better the next day, you know. Tomorrow we might eat the chicken cold. I looooove cold chicken. Almost any kind of cold chicken. Hmmm. Maybe that's my favorite.
Oh yeah, and second best is taking that leftover carcass and making a nice stock.
dbcurrie at 11:20PM on 06/28/09
@pooch--nice weekend here with a simple cookout at Taughannock Falls after hiking up the river bed, all wading in the water. Miss Ellie was ecstactic, and I think she liked the water even more than the hamburg and hotdog she got as a treat. She's just the greatest--and other people were remarking on what a great Golden we have. Okay, I'm shamefully done bragging.
How are you and yours?
What's up with the local farmers' markets? Are you selling any of your gourmet goods there? If so, when and where?
And the roast chicken--yep, that's what I love; garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs under the skin and rubbed into the cavity. My husband is the chicken and biscuit fanatic--there's something about gravy and bread with him. The next cool day I'll make chicken and biscuits for him, as he's going to be overseas for a couple of weeks soon.
dhorst at 12:05AM on 06/29/09
I guess we crave the comfort food of childhood. For me that's a hot hot garam masala and madrasi style chicken curry--Guyanese style, with plenty of bones to crunch through. On rice or Caribbean style roti and a big TALLLL glass of icy coke.
Eating with your hands only makes it better.
BananaMonkey at 10:53AM on 07/07/09