A Stoney Hedgerow Farm whole cut-up bone-in skin-on chicken needs minimal handling. Simply array the 10 pieces (2 each wings, breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and backs) on a baking tray and cook for 30 minutes at 300 degrees, then 40 minutes at 400 degrees. That’s all it takes to get crispy tender pieces of chicken.
I used to rub the skin with baking powder to enhance crispness, but sodium intake is a major issue in this household. When I experimented with rubbing some and not others, the result was equally crisp.
The crispness and tenderness of the minimally handled Stoney Hedgerow chicken pieces is probably a result of the feed and open-range lifestyle of the birds. Stoney Hedgerow eggs are unusually flavorful and come in a variety of colors.
In contrast, a boneless chicken breast needs more careful handling. It is easy to overcook a breast to the point of toughness.
Grilling may not seem the best way to avoid overcooking, but the correct doneness is actually relatively easy on a gas grill. Three steps are needed.
First, flatten the breasts to roughly equal thickness, so they cook uniformly. Second, marinade the breasts for a half-hour before cooking. Recipes call for marinating in a salt water brine, but again, salt is avoided in this household.
The alternative — actually the local option — is marinading them in around 2 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar. I get both from Evie Semertzides at Oxford’s Farmers Market. Evie’s Kofinas olive oil is also available at MOON Co-op.
Third, set the grill burners at medium rather than high. Turn the breasts a couple of times just as they begin to brown but before burning and drying out.
Leftover grilled chicken breasts form the basis for additional main meals. Saute in Kofinas olive oil slices of onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic — all from local growers — then add pieces of cooked breast.
Chicken was at the center of our meals for a week in late June as we recovered from a bout of Covid. Nothing beats chicken as a comfort food.
We are grateful to our good friend and neighbor Charles Ganelin and his wonderful mother Mitzi for hauling produce home from the Oxford Farmers Market and MOON Co-op two weeks in a row while we isolated and recovered. The bounty spilled across our kitchen counter.
We both tested negative July 1 and no longer have symptoms. By the time you read this, we will be ready to safely return to the farmers market and MOON Co-op.
MOON Co-op is Oxford’s consumer-owned full-service grocery, featuring natural, local, organic, sustainable, and Earth-friendly products. The store, located at 516 S. Locust St. in Oxford, is open to the public every day. See it online at www.mooncoop.coop.
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