Now that we've all mastered the art of social distancing, purchased all the TP and stocked our pantries, especially with my top 10 list, it's time to COOK. I pray that in a time like this, cooking isn't a mere afterthought, but silently you all are fighting for the title of Quarantine Top Chef! But, let's start here. A few quick tips for how to take a regular bird and make it delicious.
First......always brine your bird. 1/2 gallon water, 1/4 cup salt, 4 tsp sugar, 1 LB ice and 1/4 pickling spice should do the trick. Roast the bird.....I need to find and repost my perfect roasted chicken recipe. It's PERFECT. So meal one is roasted chicken with stuffing. Pro tip my mother taught me. Add tuna to your stuffing for an affordable way to make it taste amazing.
Second time, you should make curried chicken salad. Curry aioli; 1 cup mayo, 1 clove of smashed garlic and 1 heaping tablespoon of Pataks masala curry paste. Pro tip add pickled rum raisins to the salad to make it explode with even more deliciousness. Yes in my house I'm still on the same bird, but should you have a busy home you may need to refire another burd. IT'S TACO TIME! Listen, nothing's better than quick lunch tacos made with already roasted chicken. Add a few spices, some pico de gallo and boom!
Lastly is Arroz caldo a Filipino rice soup made from the bones and the remaining "pickings". Listen I'm not trying to be authentic here, but my version of this classic is chicken stock, day old white rice, ginger, garlic, green onions and chicken. Garnish with a 7 minute boiled egg and PERFECT. No wonder my neighbors came to visit and said that they heard I was a chef and wanted to know if I would consider doing a POP UP while we were all stuck at home? 🤔🤔🤔 It smells (explicit) amazing ova here.