Recipe Inspirations

McCormick is trying to keep America cooking!

New Recipe Inspirations are prepackages seasoning mixes that are proportioned for a family dinner. And I think this will help the American College student from gaining the Freshman 15, the Junior 5 and the Senior 20!I tried these for homecoming because we are all operating on a budget these days and I didn't want to come out of pocket for $20 meals all weekend. For about $20 I made enough food for 6 people. Beat that #GHOE!

Notice that this recipe doesn't have salt added, there's already salt in the broth. I would only suggest adding pepper if you feel you need it but the paprika in the mix is enough spice for the recipe. This is kid friendly! Great for family and turkey replacement at Thanksgiving.

#GHOE Chicken!

2 Whole Chickens, rinsed and dried
Apple and Sage Pork Chops Mix ( Garlic, Sage, Paprika, Thyme, Allspice)
2 sticks of butter or margarine
1 large sweet potato, sliced
1 large red onion, sectioned
3 red/yellow eating apples, seeded and cubed
4 red potatoes, cubed with skins on
1/4 red wine vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar is also acceptable, or Balsamic, but the flavor will be different)
1 16 oz can of chicken broth, low sodium
6 cloves garlic, slices
2 limes, juiced
1 bunch fresh parsley

For this recipe you'll need a very large roasting pan, remember you can downsize to 1 chicken and use half the butter, small onion, small yam, and 3 cloves of garlic.

Ideally, for best results, butterfly your chicken! Everyone should have a pair of kitchen shears, just cut along the backbone of the chicken and lay it flat in the pan.

First, cube, cut, slice all the veggies and mix them on the bottom of the roasting pan. Lay butterflied chickens on top, skin side up. Take half a stick of butter, rub it along the skin of both chickens.

Mix the McCormick spices together in a bowl, they are individually packaged so open each of the six packets and mix it with your fingers. Sprinkle seasoning over the buttered chicken. Try to make it even. For more flavorful chicken, mix the butter and the spices and massage it under the chicken skin and into the meat.

Melt the rest of the butter in the same bowl, microwave it, then add the vinegar, lime juice and 8oz of Chicken Broth. Do NOT add the limes or the zest to the chicken, it will make the chicken bitter (I know from experience). Pour the mixture over everything. It's okay if the spices don't stick to the chicken. Add the remaining broth to the pan.

Sprinkle sliced garlic over the whole pan.

Rough chop the parsley. You can even get away with just pulling the leaves off the bunch and not chopping at all. Scatter the parsley on top.

Cover the pan in foil and place in the oven. Set the oven to 325F or 350F. This will take at lease an hour to cook. After an hour, check for done-ness by cutting into the leg/thigh joint of one chicken, if the juices run clear its done, if it's still red or pink, leave in the oven for 30 more minutes on 400F. To finish off, take the foil off the pan and set the oven to broil. Keep an eye on it and let the chicken brown.

Once the chicken is done, let it rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting. This will preserve the juiciness.

Serve pieces of chicken and veggies in a bowl with some of the juices. You won't need to reduce the liquid because there will be a TON of flavor in the broth, if you want you can skim off the oil. You can always make a gravy with cornstarch or flour, but I don't think you'll need it.

Serve with a salad or steamed green veggies. I thought I would need brown rice, but the potatoes are starch enough.