Two and a half weeks out from Thanksgiving and we ran out of whole birds on pre-order. After a few phone calls we have managed to source a few more from Mary's (of California) higher welfare range. What's alarming though is the now clear shortage of birds this year, across the industry in general, from higher welfare to commodity, small shop to supermarket. The reasons for this shortage range between lack of processors, lack of drivers, lack of workers in general. If you normally leave it until the last minute you might be disappointed, so this is just a reminder to beat the crowd and secure your peace of mind, be it from us or any other supplier.
If turkey isn't your thing and you scoff at the above tidings, then we have a few options to tickle your fancy, both English and American in nature, so please do check out our Holidays page, pop in to the shop or give us a call to discuss your options.
We're unveiling our new Autumnal Falls pie this week, which was inspired by the recipe below. Both the pie and the casserole dish below are simple in nature but rich and delicious in flavour, and they make the perfect comfort food. We hope you will at least try one of them.
We will be putting the recipes of our other pies up soon but if you have a hankering for one of those before that let us know and we'll send you the recipe.
See you soon,
Martin
Autumnal Chicken Bake
This is one of those perfect midweek meals for 3 reasons: 1) It tastes fantastic 2) You don’t need a load of ingredients and 3) It’s a one pot bake, which means you can throw everything in and settle down to the latest episode of Squid Games, or the game, or whatever you like while it cooks away. I use my Le Crueseut for this as I love how it retains the moisture but it’ll be as good in a regular casserole dish with a lid or even tin foil. This is a fantastic meal solution when you’re looking at bits and pieces of veggies in your fridge and are wondering if you should just order a McDonalds, but trust me, try including as many from the list as you have or can forage, and you will love it.
Autumnal Chicken Bake - Ingredients
4 chicken thighs OR 6 drumsticks OR 2 breasts
3-4 sprigs thyme and/or rosemary/sage
A little cinnamon
1 ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
The above are essential ingredients. I tend to add all or any of the following in order of preference:
1 cup quartered baby potatoes or similarly chopped sweet potatoes
1 cup cubed butternut squash
2 whole carrots chopped
1 leek chopped
½ red or white onion
½ cup peas or petit pois
1 cup quartered brussel sprouts
Equipment required
Some sort of oven-safe casserole dish, preferably with a lid
Autumnal Chicken Bake - Method
Step 1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 F. Prep your veggies like they should be, if they normally need cleaning, clean them, if they need peeling, peel them. Then chop them all up small if they aren’t already about ½ cubes or so.
Step 2. Remove the skin from your chicken. I feel thighs work best with this recipe but you can mix it up with skinless drumsticks too or instead, or if you prefer, skinless breasts.
Step 3. Place the chicken in your oven-safe dish, throwing your veggies in and around them too. Add the sprigs of thyme (a bonus sprig of rosemary or sage leaves if you want it extra herby) and the cinnamon.
Step 4. Season with salt and pepper (lightly, you can add more to taste when cooked) and pour over the chicken stock.
Step 5. Cover with lid or tin foil and bake for 50 minutes (or about 1 Netflix episode)
Step 6. Carefully remove dish from oven when done and remove the chicken to a spare plate. Stir the saucy vegetables up and season with a little extra salt or pepper if needed. Scoop the veggies into a bowl or plate and add the chicken to the top. All done! Enjoy.
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