Tune into 9 & 10 News The Four on Monday, September 30th at 4 pm EST. I will be making my Garlicky Mushroom Stuffed Roast Chicken and my Chicken Pot Pie Spaghetti Squash. Both recipes are featured in my cookbook, Meals From the Mitten: Celebrating the Seasons in Michigan, in the fall chapter.
Updated 10.3.19 - Here's a link to video to the food segment.
Garlicky Mushroom Stuffed Roast Chicken Serves 4
Garlicky Mushrooms 16 ounces whole button mushrooms, stemmed ½ cup Garlic-Herb Compound Butter (recipe below)
Chicken 1 (3- to 4-pound) roaster chicken 2 tablespoons Garlic-Herb Compound Butter 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 tablespoon House Seasoning (salt, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion and smoked paprika)
1 large onion, peeled and sliced ¼ cup chicken stock
Fresh parsley or chives Fresh sage and thyme Preheat oven to 400ºF.
PREPARE MUSHROOMS Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Place about 1 teaspoon of garlic-herb butter into each mushroom cap. Set aside.
PREPARE CHICKEN Remove giblets from chicken cavity and discard. Dry the skin of the chicken with a paper towel. Rub butter all over chicken and under the skin of the breasts. (Be careful not to break the skin.) Rub oil over the buttered skin and sprinkle with House Seasoning. Place half of the mushrooms inside the chicken cavity, then tie the legs together with twine. Tuck the wings under, then place the remaining mushrooms in the center of a roasting pan, butter-side up. Place chicken on top of mushrooms, then add onion to roasting pan. Pour chicken stock over onion.
ROAST CHICKEN Roast chicken for approximately 1½ hours, or until thermometer reaches 165ºF. (After 30 minutes, I place a piece of aluminum foil over the chicken so it doesn’t brown too much. Don’t wrap foil around chicken; lightly tent it over the top.)
When chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove mushrooms from cavity and place in the hot pan drippings. Lightly tent chicken with foil and let sit for at least 20 minutes before carving. Remove onion from drippings and place in a serving dish; keep warm until ready to eat.
ASSEMBLE
Add mushrooms to a separate serving dish, and keep warm. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or chives.
Serve chicken with fresh sage and thyme, onion, mushrooms and gravy.
GARLIC-HERB COMPOUND BUTTER ½ cup butter, softened 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon fresh sage, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
Mix together butter, garlic and herbs in a small bowl.
GRAVY Pan drippings (approximately 1 cup) 1 cup chicken stock 2 tablespoons cornstarch Salt and pepper
Strain pan dripping into a measuring cup and let rest until the fat separates. Skim off any fat from pan drippings and discard. Add rest of drippings to a saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock and cornstarch. Slowly pour mixture into hot drippings to make the gravy. Whisk until thoroughly combined and thickened. Season to taste.
NOTE I stuff both chickens and turkeys this way, with garlic-herb-buttered mushrooms. The mushrooms help moisten the meat while roasting, and the mushrooms are perfectly browned, roasted and seasoned when done.
If you’re roasting a turkey, add all mushrooms to the cavity and place the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan. Roast at 325ºF for 15 minutes per pound, or until fully cooked.
Chicken Pot Pie Spaghetti Squash Serves 4
Spaghetti Squash 2 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeded 1 tablespoon canola oil Salt and pepper Pot Pie Filling 3 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage ½ cup chopped onion 3 tablespoons flour 1½ cups chicken stock ¾ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ½ cup heavy cream 2 cups blanched mixed vegetables (peas, green beans, carrots, corn) 1 cup cooked chicken, cubed ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cut into 4 pieces the same size as spaghetti squash halves 1 egg, beaten Fresh sage leaves, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
PREPARE SQUASH Brush the inside of squash with canola oil, then place cut-side down on a baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fork-tender. Using a fork, lightly scrape the squash strands inside the shell. Sprinkle strands with salt and pepper, then set aside until ready to assemble.
MAKE POT PIE FILLING While the squash is baking, make the pot pie filling. Add butter, sage and onion to a large skillet over medium heat and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. Add stock, salt and pepper, and continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes. When mixture starts to thicken, add heavy cream. Turn heat down to low, then add veggies and chicken. Stir in Parmesan and remove from heat.
ASSEMBLE Add ¾ cup pot pie filling to the inside of each squash half, and top with a piece of puff pastry. Brush pastry with egg and bake for 15 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown.
Garnish with fresh sage leaves.
NOTE
If fresh vegetables are not available or in season, use frozen mixed veggies that have been thawed.
This dish can be made without the spaghetti squash; simply add pot pie filling to ramekins and top with puff pastry (cut to individual size), then bake.
Optional -
Here's how I make a vegan pot pie version for a Meatless Monday Meal.
I take 2 cups of raw cashews and soak them in water for 2 hours. I then drain the cashews and add them to a blender with 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Next, add 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast along with several cloves of roasted garlic, 1 tablespoon of granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Blend everything together until thoroughly combined.
Add all blended ingredients to a sauce pan and heat on medium low until bubbly. Add extra water if it's too thick, also add extra salt and pepper to taste. Then continue to add mixed vegetables and some roasted mushrooms to replace the meat. Add all ingredients inside the roasted spaghetti squash and enjoy! (You could toast some vegan bread and add to the top of this dish for some extra crunch, if desired.)
Happy Meatless Monday!
