Apple Cider Brined Chicken #CooktheBooks

This chicken spends the night in an apple cider brine and then is brushed with an apple cider glaze during the final stages of roasting.  It is juicy, tender and delicious but most importantly of all it is easy peasy!!

I was inspired to make this roast chicken after enjoying our Cook the Books selection.....

This month's selection was chosen by Debra of Eliot's Eats .  Debra invited us to join her in reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.  The time period for this selection just began and doesn't end until the end of January.  This is a wonderful story.  If you want to pick it up and join us you can learn how right here.

I absolutely loved this story.  My regular readers know that my husband and I adopted a teenager last April.  This lovely young lady had been in the foster care system for many years and was living in a residential group home when we learned of her.

The protagonist in this novel, Victoria, has spent her entire life in the foster care system.  First being moved from home to home to home, some better than others and finally being moved from residential group homes to another to another until finally aging out of the system and being put out on her own with very little help and/or support.

This is a very real problem in our country today and I could tell that the author had a very good grasp and knowledge of the subject.  The feelings and actions portrayed by the Victoria were eerily familiar to me. 

Victoria meets a lot of people and ends up with a pretty big support network which she works very hard at sabotaging.  I will let you meet all of these people in Victoria's life when you read the novel but I do want to mention Grant.  

Victoria meets Grant and he is able to break down her defenses, for a while....you will have to read it....no spoilers here.  Neither Victoria nor Grant cook at all but Grant is willing to learn and comes home when they first meet with a chicken and instructions on how to roast it.  It turned out lovely. 

This isn't surprising because roast chicken is so easy peasy.  Grant and Victoria's story starts with a roast chicken and the novel ends with them, again, sharing a roast chicken.  Of course, I had to roast a chicken to share with you.

You will also find this review and reviews of other food related books over at FoodiesRead.  

#chicken, #brining, #roasting, #easy, #applecider,

Entrees, Chicken

American

Yield: 8 Servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Apple Cider Glazed Roast Chicken

This chicken spends the night in an apple cider brine and then is brushed with an apple cider glaze during the final stages of roasting. It is juicy, tender and delicious but most importantly of all it is easy peasy!!

prep time: 8 H & 15 Mcook time: 2 Mtotal time: 8 H & 17 M

ingredients:

• 3 qts. water
• 1 qt. apple cider
• 1/4 c. kosher salt
• 1 T. peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 roasting chicken (about 6 lbs.)
• 2 c. apple cider
• 1 onion, quartered
• small handful of parsley
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed

instructions:

How to cook Apple Cider Glazed Roast Chicken

1. Combine the water, cider, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf in a large pot.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir until the salt is dissolved.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely
2. Wash the chicken and place it in a large (2 gallon capacity) zip top bag.  Pour the brine over the chicken.  Seal and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry.  Place chicken onto a rack in a roasting pan, fill the cavity with the onion, parsley and garlic, tie the legs and tuck the wings underneath the back of the chicken.
4. Place the 2 cups of apple cider into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir until thickened and reduced to a glaze like consistency.  Set aside.
5. Roast in a preheated, 400* oven until an  internal temperature of 175* is reached, about 1 1/2- 2 hrs. , basting occasionally with the glaze.

NOTES:

Recipe adapted from one found at Cooking Light.

Calories
231.25

Fat (grams)
10.35

Sat. Fat (grams)
2.87

Carbs (grams)
12.80

Fiber (grams)
0.62

Net carbs
12.17

Sugar (grams)
9.53

Protein (grams)
20.86

Sodium (milligrams)
3241.97

Cholesterol (grams)
65.78

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