Lentils With Chicken and Kielbasa

It appears that we went straight from summer to winter as it is snowing like crazy outside and it was 80 degrees just a week ago. Hopefully we'll see some nice fall days and the snow isn't a sign of what kind of winter we will have.

The cooler temperatures call for some heartier meals and so last night I decided to make up a pot of lentils. I baked a few chicken breast that I had seasoned and added that to the lentils, but left over rotisserie chicken would work just as well. The sausage gives it just a little extra flavor and the home grown carrots, of which I have an abundance, provided a little sweetness to the mix.

Lentils With Chicken and Kielbasa
1 lb lentils
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large carrots, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large celery stocks, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 chicken breasts, baked,diced and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 package cooked kielbasa cut in half, sliced and sauteed until slightly browned
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
Salt and pepper

Rinse lentils, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes and drain. Set aside.

In a large stock pot heat oil and add carrots, onion, celery, red pepper and garlic. Saute vegetables until they are slightly tender, about 10 minutes. Add lentils, broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered (with the lid not completely closed) until lentils are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Add cumin, paprika, chicken and sausage. Stir well and simmer another 10 minutes (most of the liquid will be absorbed). Salt and pepper to taste and serve with sourdough bread.

Lemon and Basil Roast Chicken

OK, it actually has some orange in there also. And garlic. But that makes for a long recipe title. Fact is, this is just some darn good chicken. It's lemony-basily-orangy-garlicy and very moist. I actually take the leftovers (if there are any) and make chicken salad sandwiches the next day. Yeah - this is a two-fer.

I'll let you in on a little secret of how I get it so moist. I brine it. I know, that probably seems like a lot of work for a little chicken, but that's how they turn out the best and when I cook, I want the best bang for my buck. That's just how I roll. If you don't want to go to all the trouble of making the brine and soaking the chicken overnight, you can put the thawed chicken in an ice water bath for a few hours and it will help to re-hydrate the chicken. Yes, unless you are independently wealthy and can afford fresh (which I cannot), then your frozen little bird is going to be a bit dehydrated. Give it a shot, what do you have to lose.

Lemon and Basil Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs
1 lemon
1 orange
1/4 c semi-dry white wine
3 cloves garlic,quartered
1 bunch fresh basil (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Rinse chicken well (remove all gizzards), pat dry and place in a roasting pan breast side up.

Quarter orange and halve lemon. Squeeze most of the orange juice into a bowl and the juice of half the lemon. Reserve orange. Slice the other half of the lemon. To the juice add white wine and stir.

With your fingers, very carefully separate the skin from the breast meat. Place 2 slices of lemon between skin and meat on each side of breast. Stuff the chicken (loosely) with a few reserved orange quarters, lemon quarters, basil, garlic and butter. Pour juice / wine mixture over chicken, getting some under the skin and in the cavity. Salt and pepper the skin.

Bake at 325° for approximately 1-1/2 to 2 hours (basting at least once half-way through the baking time) or until a meat thermometer reads 165°. If the chicken skin becomes too brown, cover with foil for remainder of baking time.