Dealing with a Whole Chicken

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Heather

Chicken Cut Into PartsWhile chicken is available almost everywhere in the world, in some places it doesn’t come neatly portioned into boneless breasts, or even into bone-in parts.  So, assuming you don’t want to roast a whole chicken in your galley stove, what do you do with a whole chicken?  With a little practice, you’ll find that it’s quick and easy to break down a chicken into component parts, or even to extract boneless, skinless breasts.  Remember to work on a cutting board that’s easy to sanitize.  Using the largest board available on your boat will make the process easier.  Here’s how to get started:

The basic strategy is to separate the chicken into parts at its joints, rather than trying to cut through any of the heavy bones. You will want to use a good sized knife like a chef’s knife or medium slicer. Too small a knife will make it harder to cut through the joints and to split the keelbone. After you have done this a few times and know where to find the joints you will find you can just contour the knife down and slightly under the body and cut right through the joint in one smooth motion. For now we’ll start with a more detailed description:

1. Start by removing the thigh and drumstick: grasp the drumstick, then pull the drumstick and thigh away from the body and feel for the joint. You will probably want to slice the skin apart close to the body and press the thigh down flat to expose the joint. Place the knife onto the joint and change the angle relative to the joint. When the alignment is right you’ll feel the knife start to slice down through the joint. Using moderate pressure, cut through the joint and then the skin below to separate the thigh and leg from the body. Carefully feel for the thigh joint, then cut through it to remove the leg.
2. Separate the thigh from the leg: lay the thigh and leg down and flex the joint. Place your knife on the joint and change its angle until you feel it line up. Slice down and through the joint. If you feel a large amount of resistance you probably need to change the angle of the knife to the joint. Although it does take moderate pressure to cut through the joint, when the alignment is right the knife will pass easily through the joint. Separate the thigh and the drumstick by cutting through the joint.
3. Next remove the wings: grasp the wing and pull it out from the side of the body to locate the joint. Slice the skin so you can see the joint. Using the knife,cut through the joint. When you get the alignment right, the knife will slide through the joint easily with only moderate force. After the knife is through the joint, continue the cut through the skin and other tissue to separate the wing from the body. Depending how you are going to use your chicken parts you may want to separate and dispose of the wing tip. Once again, flex the wing tip to locate and open the joint and slice through it. Wing Removal
4. Repeat steps 1-3 on the other side of the bird.
5. For boneless breasts, remove the meat from the breast: position the body breast side up with the bird perpendicular to you. Slice the skin lengthwise along the ridge of the keelbone. If you want skinless breast go ahead and peel the skin down over the breasts. Working lengthwise along the side of the keelbone, carefully slice the meat away from the underlying structure keeping the knife tight against the bones. It helps to make small cuts while pulling the meat away from the bone until you learn the shape well enough to allow removal of the breast with minimal damage. Turn the bird 180 degrees and repeat with the other breast. Set aside the carcass for stock if you wish. Boneless Chicken Breast
6. For bone-in breasts, remove the backbone: grasp the backbone and the pointy end of the breast and pull them apart so you can see where the rib cage is. With the knife, slice through the thin ribs on both sides of the body towards the wide end of the breast. Grasp the back bone and pull it out flat so the skin side of the breast and the back bone are up. Using the knife, slice through the joints connecting the breast to the backbone. Set aside the backbone for stock. Backbone removal
7.Split the breast: turn the breast skin side down and line the knife up lengthwise with the keelbone (the pale translucent cartilage). Using firm pressure, cut through the keelbone separating the two halves. For many recipes you may want to halve the two breasts into four pieces. Turn them skin side up and segment into two equal portions by slicing through the keelbone crosswise. Bone-In Breast

When you are done you will have 8 or 10 pieces of chicken (depending on whether you sectioned the breasts) ready for cooking. When cooking for two we find we can get two meals out of a chicken; breasts one night; thighs, legs, and wings for a second.

Now that you have your chicken broken down, here’s a nice way to grill bone-in chicken pieces:

Grilled Lemon Chicken:

Lemon Chicken DinnerThis recipe is even better if you brine the chicken before grilling, but feel free to skip this step if you don’t have the time or inclination to mess with brining!  To brine the chicken, combine 1 quart of water and 1/4 cup table salt (or 3/8 cup kosher salt) in a gallon zip-lock bag or large bowl.  Add the chicken parts and refrigerate for about an hour and a half (or less if that’s all the time you have).  Before continuing with the recipe, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse well, dry with paper towels, and season with pepper.

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds) cut into parts
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced and made into paste
  • 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

Instructions:

To make garlic paste, finely mince garlic then sprinkle lightly with salt, kosher or coarse grained if possible.  Drag the flat side of a chef’s knife back and forth over the mixture until the garlic is reduced to a smooth paste.

Olive oil and garlic paste are simmered as the base for the lemon sauce.

Olive oil and garlic paste are simmered as the base for the lemon sauce.

Heat olive oil and garlic paste in a small saucepan over low heat for a couple of minutes until garlic starts to sizzle, but does not brown. Remove from heat and mix in lemon or lime juice along with the thyme.

Heat your grill well.  Place chicken, skin side down, on the hot grill and cook, turning and moving the pieces as needed to ensure even cooking.  Continue cooking until chicken is dark golden brown, about 15 – 17 minutes for legs and wings and 18 – 20 minutes for thighs and breasts.  As each piece reaches the dark golden brown stage, remove it to a plate.  The chicken will NOT be completely cooked at this point.

Brush each partially cooked piece of chicken with the lemon juice mixture and return to the grill.  Heat for about 5 minutes longer, turning each piece and brushing with the lemon once or twice more.  When the chicken is done, remove from the grill and brush one more time with the lemon mixture.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanks to my favorite skipper, Chris, for sharing his chicken butchery and grilling expertise with us!

Fair winds and following seas,

Heather, The Cruising Cook

 

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Sodastream Review: You Had Me At Seltzer!

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Heather

Home Made Seltzer and OrangeFor years, I’ve seen the Sodastream and other carbonated drink makers and wondered if one would be a good addition to the boat.  Storage of bottled or canned drinks is always a problem aboard, and if you don’t have a car and ready access to a mega-mart, loading up on soda can be a real chore.  We’ve also encountered a lot of off-tasting flat soda in Mexico due to age, heat, and improper storage. It’s really disappointing to break out a cola and find it flat and lifeless. We like to drink fruit juices mixed with seltzer on Legacy in addition to a modest amount of soda and tonic water.  I hate buying and carrying all that carbonated water back to the boat, so I decided to purchase a Sodastream and put it through its paces.  To my delight, I discovered that it worked even better than I had hoped!

The Sodastream Genesis with 1 liter and 1/2 liter bottles.

The Sodastream Genesis with 1 liter and 1/2 liter bottles.

I bought a Sodastream Genesis, which is modestly sized, simple to use, and needs no electricity or batteries.  It has a small footprint on the counter (6″ wide and 9″deep), and stands 16 1/2″ tall.   I plan to put it in a nook that currently holds my seldom-used airpot thermos.  My first test was to make plain seltzer.  I filled the provided bottle with tap water and put it in the fridge to chill.  Once it was cold (which helps the carbonation process), I uncapped the bottle and screwed it onto the Sodastream “tap”.  The directions say to briefly press the button on the top of the machine several times until you hear a loud buzz, then continue pressing for a total of 3 – 10 loud buzzes, depending on your desired level of carbonation.

On my first attempt, I under-carbonated the seltzer because I mistook the hiss of adding carbonation for the “loud buzz” noted in the directions.  On my second try, once I reached the “loud buzz” stage it was unmistakable.  I’d call the loud buzz more of a loud “blat”.  For our tastes, five “blats” is about right.  The initial carbonation level is a little high, but the seltzer or soda retains its fizz better in the fridge than when the initial carbonation is lower.  The process was incredibly easy, and it takes well less than a minute to carbonate a liter bottle.  Once the water is carbonated, you can use it as seltzer or add flavorings to make soda, tonic, lemonade, or tea.  In addition to commercially available flavors, small amounts of fruit juice or essences can be added to make flavored water.

When drinking carbonated beverages other than seltzer, we generally stick with diet versions.  In our normal cruising grounds of Mexico, our options are limited to diet cola and diet lemon-lime (7-Up or Sprite), and occasionally Diet Dr. Pepper.  I’m not a fan of cola (unless mixed with rum!), so I hoard whatever other flavors I can find.  We also like tonic water, but it is very rare to find diet tonic in Mexico.

Carbonating a 1/2 liter bottle.

Pressing the button sends a shot of carbon dioxide into the bottle.

We tried a wide variety of the soda mixes, including the six diet flavors that were included in the starter pack with our machine.  Along with my taste testers, I tried Diet Cola and Cola Zero mixes.  The Diet Cola didn’t impress us, but it was okay when mixed with rum.  The Cola Zero was very close to Coke Zero, and it made a good all-around cola.  If you’re someone who is extremely loyal to one brand of cola, you might want to try the cola syrups before purchasing a Sodastream.  I’ve heard that it is possible to buy real Coke or Pepsi syrup made for fountain use, but I didn’t investigate this option.

The Diet Tonic syrup made a perfectly acceptable tonic water.  We’re looking forward to having gin and tonics aboard Legacy without added sugar!  I also liked the Diet Dr. Pete, which wasn’t exactly like Dr. Pepper, but it was pretty close and quite tasty.  The Diet Cream Soda, Diet Root Beer, and Diet Ginger Ale were hits, while the Diet Lemon-Lime was the hands down favorite.  We also tried a couple of oddball flavors that were part of the sample pack:  Diet Cran-Raspberry that tasted vaguely cranberry-like, but was refreshing, and a Diet Red Grapefruit that was just okay and smelled more like grapefruit than it tasted.

A bottle of soda mix will make 12 liters of soda.

The pump makes for neat dispensing, but may be less useful on the boat.

Given how cheap Coke and Pepsi are in most parts of the world, I don’t think that our Sodastream drinks will be cheaper than purchased soda, but the convenience, lack of trash, and variety of flavors available make it a worthwhile investment for us.  I found the Sodastream Genesis on sale for $89, and the flavorings cost from $4.99 to $6.99 per 16.9 ounce bottle (which makes 12 liters).  In addition, I purchased additional carbonating bottles, including a couple of 0.5-liter bottles, and a pump that can be used to dispense syrups. I like the convenience of the pump, but don’t think it will be practical aboard Legacy, where I will keep the syrups stashed away in lockers.  I’m still eyeing a $7.99 “cozi” that fits a liter bottle, which might be useful for taking cold beverages to potlucks or other boats.

The biggest issue I see for cruisers is replacement of the carbonating cylinder.  In the U.S., Bed Bath and Beyond and other retailers offer cylinder exchange for about $10 as well as selling spare cylinders for about $20.  Before returning to Legacy (by car) in the fall, we plan to exchange our used cylinder and buy a spare.  Since each cylinder makes about 60 liters of soda, we expect that we’ll have sufficient supplies for the season.  For cruisers who spend extended time outside the U.S. or fly back to the boat, the cylinder issue may be a deal-breaker.  You probably cannot carry the pressurized cylinders in your airline luggage.

The Bottom Line:  If you cruise in areas where replacement cylinders are available or regularly travel by car from the U.S. or Canada to your boat, a Sodastream may be a worthwhile addition to your galley equipment.  If you are out of the country for extended periods of time, or only fly back and forth to your boat, continuing to buy soda and seltzer may be a better option.

Making Carbonated Beverages with the Sodastream

One bottle of soda mix produces the equivalent of 34 cans of soda.

One bottle of soda mix produces the equivalent of 34 cans of soda.

The special Sodastream bottles are easily screwed onto the carbonator.

The special Sodastream bottles are easily screwed onto the carbonator.

Adding carbonation to water. The Sodastream bottles have a fill line prominently marked on the bottles.

Adding carbonation to water. The Sodastream bottles have a fill line prominently marked on the bottles.

The flavor mixes come with a cap marked for varying sizes of bottles.

The flavor mixes come with a cap marked for varying sizes of bottles.

Only unflavored water should be carbonated. Flavorings are added after the water is carbonated.

Only unflavored water should be carbonated. Flavorings are added after the water is carbonated.

The freshly carbonated and flavored soda (in this case root beer) shows a good amount of fizziness.

The freshly carbonated and flavored soda (in this case root beer) shows a good amount of fizziness.
Posted in Cruising, Reviews | 1 Comment

The Well-Equipped Galley – Favorite Gadgets

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Heather

Heather's Goto GadgetsMuch has been written about setting up boat galleys for cruising, but everyone has certain items they can’t live without.  I find that there are a handful of things I reach for again and again on Legacy, although they are choices that might not be obvious to others.

A digital instant-read thermometer has many uses in the galley.

Top of my list is a digital, instant-read thermometer.  We originally purchased it to check the doneness of grilled or roasted meats and fish, but it has proved useful for other tasks as well.  When baking bread, we use the thermometer to check the temperature of the water in which we dissolve yeast, as well as checking to see if the bread is done.  Properly baked crusty breads will have an internal temperature around 200 degrees.  I’ve also found our instant-read thermometer vital for making yogurt and cheeses. Because the thermometer is such a work-horse in our galley, we invested in a good one.  We love our Thermapen, which reads very quickly (an important consideration when your hand is hovering over a hot grill!) and is splash-proof.  While these professional thermometers cost about $95, less expensive digital thermometers are commonly available for around $20.

Given the right ration of liquid to rice the cooker produces perfect rice every time.

A rice cooker produces perfect rice without heating up the cabin.

Next on the galley hit parade is our small rice cooker.  Unlike full-size rice cookers, ours cooks a reasonable amount for a couple or small family — one to three cups of raw rice.  We run it off Legacy’s inverter, and it is an easy way to make a side dish without heating up the cabin.  It’s also possible to find small rice cookers with a steaming basket that sits above the cooking rice.  With that, one would be able to make a full meal of rice and either steamed veggies or fish without ever lighting the stove.  On the boat, I have a rice cooker made by Black and Decker.  My “off the boat” rice cooker is made by Rival.  Small rice cookers are available for less than $20.

A digital scale is great for measuring ingredients, portioning servings and other kitchen weighing tasks.

Last season, we added a small digital scale to our galley.  It’s a piece of equipment I’d never considered until Chris started mixing bread dough using weight ratios.  A digital scale is small and flat, so doesn’t take up much room.  In addition to baking, we use the scale for mixing powdered milk, apportioning meat before freezing, and to evenly divide portions of bread or pizza dough. One challenge with the digital scale is using it when anchored in a swell. It acts a very sensitive accelerometer and the weight rises and falls as waves pass under the boat. Usually this effect can be ignored, but in large swells it might be necessary to average the highs and lows.

Using the stick blender to puree soup right in the pot.

Using the stick blender to puree soup right in the pot.

The last item is an immersion blender, also known as a “stick blender”.  Ours was very inexpensive (about $20), but does a great job.  It comes with a tall cup that can be used for whipping cream or other small quantity items.  It’s great for making pureed soups because it’s less messy.  I blend soups and sauces right in the pan, rather than having to transfer hot liquid into a traditional blender.  It’s also an easy way to make breakfast smoothies.  Put the ingredients right in the tall cup, blend, and pour into glasses.  However, if you are using frozen fruit, don’t put it in the cup first.  Add other ingredients, then the frozen fruit, so that it doesn’t make a frozen clump in the bottom of the cup! The immersion blender has almost completely replaced my traditional blender on board.  The latter is now relegated to deep storage and brought out only to make margaritas and other “umbrella drinks”. So, those are my top choices for less common galley items.  What are yours? Fair winds and following seas, Heather, The Cruising Cook

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Cooking up a Childhood Memory

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Heather

Run-Over ChickenRecently my childhood best friend, Connie, reminded me about our favorite lunch from the elementary school cafeteria.  We always called it “runover chicken”, but it was actually creamed chicken over mashed potatoes.  I decided to try to recreate the recipe and move it into the 21st century.  Sometimes capturing a piece of our childhood is more important than gourmet dining!

Heather and Connie - 2004

Heather and Connie share memories during a visit to Ohio.

I hadn’t thought of “runover chicken” in years, but as soon as Connie mentioned it, I could see our lunchroom in my mind and vividly recalled our time spent together there.  Connie generally brought her lunch, but she was always allowed to buy lunch when “runover chicken” was on the menu.  School cafeterias, especially in the heartland of the 1960’s, aren’t known for fine dining, but food doesn’t have to be fancy to trigger strong memories.

Grilled flat chickens in La Manzanilla.

Grilled flat chickens in La Manzanilla.

Since I was making “runover chicken”, I figured it made sense to start with a “flat chicken” – a butterflied and grilled chicken bought at the Pollo Asado stand in La Manzanilla, Mexico.  A rotisserie chicken would be another good choice.

In our 1960’s school cafeteria in Ohio, creamed chicken was served over mashed potatoes.  This mixture is also delicious served over split biscuits or rice for a more traditional Southern meal.

Runover Chicken

Serves 3-4

  • ¼ cup butter
  • ½ small onion, finely diced
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 cup milk or half-and-half
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 8 ounces cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

Melt the butter in a skillet.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 – 3 minutes.  Add the bell pepper and continue to cook for another couple of minutes.  When the veggies are softened, add the flour and cook, stirring, until a roux forms and cooks to a light golden color.  Gradually add the milk and chicken broth, stirring.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens.  Stir in shredded chicken and simmer to warm through.

Remove from the heat and add the white wine vinegar.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika.  Serve the creamed chicken over mashed potatoes, biscuits, toast, or rice.  Sprinkle with minced parsley or paprika to make it pretty, if you wish.  Enjoy and think of your childhood!

Fair winds and following seas,

Heather, The Cruising Cook

“Runover Chicken” Illustrated

The onions and peppers are sweated in olive oil.

The onions, garlic, and peppers are sweated in butter.

The flour is added to the sweated vegetables and oil an cooked.

The flour is added to the sweated vegetables and cooked.

Milk is added to the roux to make the gravy.

Milk is added to the roux to make the gravy.
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Grilled Pizza

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Heather

Boat Grilled PizzaFriends of ours – Rob and Teresa on S/V Yohela – introduced us to grilled pizzas and we’ve been fans of the concept ever since.  Rob and Teresa were known for their “grilled pizza parties” aboard Yohela.  They would provide the pizza crusts, the grill, and sometimes the sauce and cheese.   Other cruisers would bring any toppings they had available such as pepperoni, sausage, black olives, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, etc.

Pizza dough is laid on the grill and cooked on just one side before topping.

Pizza dough is laid on the grill and cooked on just one side before topping.

All the toppings were arrayed buffet style.  Rob would grill one side of the dinner-plate-sized crusts and send them below for toppings.  Each guest would fix their pizza according to their preferences and deliver it back to Rob for further grilling.  It made for fun evenings and delicious individual pizzas.

We love pizza aboard Legacy, and good pizza is hard to find in many parts of the world.  We used to make pizza in the oven, but have switched to the grill to keep the cabin cooler.  Our grill is considerably smaller than the one on Yohela, so we make small rectangular pizzas and plan on 1 — 1 ½ per person.

The first step is to start with the crust:

Crust for Grilled Pizza

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup warm (105 – 115 degrees) water
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 3 cups flour
  • ½ cup cornmeal (optional; can substitute additional ½ cup flour)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Dissolve the sugar in 1 cup warm water.  Add the yeast, stir to dissolve, and allow to proof.  Combine 3 cups of flour or 2 ½ cups flour and ½ cup cornmeal, the salt, the yeast mixture, and olive oil in a medium bowl.  Beat until well mixed, adding more water or flour if necessary.  Knead about 5 minutes.  The added cornmeal makes a stiffer dough which is a little easier to grill.

Let the dough rise until double, about 1 hour.  Punch down and shape into small balls, one for each pizza. The number of balls will vary depending on the size pizza you plan to make.  This recipe makes enough dough for two full-sized pizzas.  Use immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

While the dough is rising, assemble the rest of your ingredients.  Here is a recipe for an easy pizza sauce:

The homemade sauce is reduced in the pot to a thick, spreadable consistency.

The homemade sauce is reduced in the pot to a thick, spreadable consistency.

Pizza Sauce:  Saute ¼ cup minced onions and 1 clove garlic, minced, in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Add one 14-ounce can tomatoes.  Puree with stick blender, season with salt, Italian herbs, a little sugar, and a little red wine vinegar.  Simmer until thick.  Add a splash of balsamic vinegar (optional) and simmer a few more minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with additional salt, sugar, herbs, or vinegar.

Prepare your other toppings:  grated cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, Monterey jack, or whatever else you have), pizza sauce or pesto, pepperoni or other meats, cooked chicken, assorted veggies and olives.

Cheese, pepperoni, olives, green peppers, and home made sauce for toppings.

Cheese, pepperoni, olives, green peppers, and home made sauce for toppings.

When preparing meat toppings, remember that the pizzas won’t be on the grill long enough to cook or crisp the pepperoni or other meats. We like to sauté pepperoni slices until crisped before adding to pizza.  Crumbled cooked chorizo or other sausage makes a good topping as well.  We sometimes make a great Mexican pizza with grated Oaxaca or Asadero cheese, cooked chorizo, diced green chiles, and diced red onions.  Yum!

Grated homemade mozzarella is sprinkled on the pizza.

Grated homemade mozzarella is sprinkled on the pizza.

Finally, assemble and cook the pizzas:  Roll out the crusts to a convenient size.  Cook one side of each crust over a hot grill briefly until the dough is firm and has nice grill marks.  Put the cooked crusts on a cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet or plate, cooked side up.  Add sauce, cheese, and any desired toppings on the pre-cooked side.  Return the pizza to the grill and cook briefly until the crust is done and the cheese melted.  Grilled pizza pros advise to use moderation in toppings.  If the layer of toppings is too thick, it’s hard to get the cheese to melt before the crust is incinerated!

Fair winds and following seas,

Heather, The Cruising Cook

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