Roasted Chicken for the Holidays
Ingredients:
1 Fresh Whole Chicken Family Roaster
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 salt and pepper or any preferred spices to fit the holiday menu
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven and non-glass roasting pan to 275°F. Remove giblets from chicken; discard or reserve for use in stuffing or gravy. Remove roasting pan from oven. Spray a cooking rack with nonstick cooking spray and place inside the hot roasting pan. Baste chicken on all sides with melted butter, then generously with salt and pepper. Carefully place chicken on its side on the cooking rack. (You can use small baking potatoes on either side of the chicken to keep it balanced. When the chicken is done, so are the potatoes!) Roast chicken for 20 minutes. Turn chicken to opposite side and cook 20 minutes. Finally, turn chicken so breast is facing up and cook and additional 20-30 minutes or until done (internal temp 180°F) and golden. Let chicken stand a few minutes before carving.
Andouille Sausage Mac and Cheese
Ingredients: 1 12 ounce package fully cooked Aidells Cajun Style Andouille Sausage
1 pound Macaroni Pasta
1/3 cup butter
1 small onion
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 cups grated cheddar
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne
1 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat Andouille Sausage in a skillet for 8-10 minutes until heated through. Remove the sausage from the skillet, and set aside. Boil salted water and stir in macaroni according to box instructions. Cook until Al dente (firm but not hard). Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the chopped onion for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook and stir the butter, onion and flour for 2 to 3 minutes to make a roux, and remove from the heat. Whisk in the milk and cream a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all has been incorporated, and return to low heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to finish cooking the flour. Whisk in the Cheddar cheese until is incorporated and the sauce is hot and smooth. Pour the macaroni into the cheese sauce, and stir to combine. Add in the Sausage, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Spoon the macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crumbs are brown and bubbling. Let stand for 15 minutes after baking, to set before serving.
Loaded Cornbread
Ingredients:
10 slices Wright® Brand Naturally Hickory Smoked Bacon
1 package cornbread dry mix (about 8.5 oz.), prepared
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup jalapeños, fresh, diced
3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375º F. Place 10″ cast iron skillet in the oven. While that gets hot, cook up 10 slices of bacon until crispy (to make crumbling easier). Allow the bacon to cool slightly, crumble bacon into a bowl, and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, combine cornbread batter and cheddar cheese. Reserve to the side. In small sauté pan over medium low heat, cook onions and jalapeños until the onions begin to caramelize. Using oven mitts, remove hot skillet from oven. Evenly distribute bacon, onions and jalapeños across the bottom of the skillet. Pour prepared cornbread mix over sauté blend. Place skillet back into the oven for 4 minutes. Baste bread with butter and return to oven. Repeat the basting procedure every 2 minutes until the cornbread is golden brown and slightly firm. Serving Size: 4