An Everyday Treat Fit For A Holiday

Turkey breast is on sale a lot lately–at least in my neck of the woods. Recently, I got a two-for-one sale that was a great deal because the price per pound was awesome.

I love turkey and eat it often so this was a boon for me. This time I wanted to try something a little bit different that just plain old roasting. Well, this is plain-old-roasted but with a little kick.

Julia Child did something like this on one of her old shows but with bone-in skin-on chicken breasts with the wings attached. I recently remembered that and decided to try it with this turkey breast.

This is so good and juicy. It has a wonderful flavor too so this is something that’s “every-day” but really good enough to be the star of your Easter or Thanksgiving meal.

Herb Butter

The secret to this turkey’s flavor is a simple herb or “compound” butter.

I used a combination of fresh thyme and sage in this butter along with a must-have of mine: garlic. If you’re not that into garlic, then it can be totally eliminated.

As for the herbs I used, I prefer more thyme than sage–which I find a bit medicinal if there’s too much of it. However, these are the most traditional herbs to use with poultry so they work very well. Another good one to use is rosemary. It imparts a fine flavor to chicken and turkey, even though I think most people associate it with lamb. You can use any fresh herbs you like and if you use different herbs each time you make it, it’s always a different dish!

Naturally, you must start with room-temperature butter so it will be easy to mix and to spread. I highly recommend using unsalted butter–in any cooking. That way, you control the amount of salt and left out entirely, this turkey breast is perfect for anyone eating a low-sodium diet.

Lift The Skin But Don’t Remove

The flavored butter goes between the skin and the breast flesh.

Just gently run your fingers between the skin and the flesh to separate it from the membrane. Then you rub the butter on the flesh and pull the skin back over to cover it up. I did save back a little butter to initially baste the turkey breast after about 40 minutes in the oven. After that, there should be enough rendered butter and fat in the roasting pan to baste throughout the cook time.

The Recipe

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Butter Herb Turkey Breast

Turkey breast basted with butter and herbs is wonderful for your Easter table.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: turkey breast

Servings: 8

Calories: 523kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 6 lbs bone-in turkey breast
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 2 tbs finely chopped fresh thyme OR fresh sage, OR fresh rosemary
• 1 clove finely minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a rack in a large roasting pan.
• In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, garlic, pepper, salt and the herb you chose to use.
• Gently separate the skin on the turkey breast from the meat, but do not remove the skin.
• Rub half of the butter mixture over the breast meat. Gently pull skin back into place. Rub the remaining butter mixture over the top of the skin.
• Roast for 2- 2 1/2 hours or until internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Baste periodically with pan drippings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 67g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 861mg | Potassium: 10mg | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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Addictive!

I can’t think of a better way to describe these yummy ranch oyster crackers.

You take one handful promising yourself that is all you will eat. Then you take another. And another. And another…

That’s how it goes with these. Again I am always amazed at something so easy and made with things you probably have on the shelf already, is just so darned GOOD.

Oyster crackers are perfectly sized for this recipe. However, any “mini” crackers would probably work well. Maybe even regular (unsalted tops due to the seasoning) saltines would suffice. They’d probably break apart, but with this it would hardly matter.

Easy To Make

You only need 5 minutes or less to prep this awesome snack.

It has ingredients most of us already have in our pantries. The only thing you may not have is lemon pepper seasoning–and that’s an optional ingredient anyway. I do encourage you to use it because it imparts a very pleasant “bite” to the flavor. I also recommend an unsalted variety if you plan to buy some because the commercial ranch seasoning is pretty salty. If you’re watching your salt intake or prefer to control the seasoning in your foods, you might like my recipe for low-sodium ranch seasoning because you can completely control the salt.

All you do is mix all the coating ingredients in a bowl then toss the crackers. Now that’s pretty easy!

Little Cleanup

One of the best things about these ranch oyster crackers is there’s not much to clean up after you’ve made them.

If you use my tip about using parchment on the baking sheet, you won’t have to clean it. All you’ll have is a bowl and a couple of measuring utensils!

The Recipe

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Ranch Oyster Crackers

Ranch oyster crackers are so easy to make and even easier to eat!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade crackers, oyster crackers

Servings: 4

Calories: 380kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 5 cups oyster crackers

Coating

• 1 oz dry ranch dressing/seasoning mix (1 envelope)
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning optional but very nice
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• Mix all coating ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oyster crackers and toss until all of them are coated.
• Spread crackers on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake 10 minutes; gently stir the crackers. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 1107mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 3.1mg

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Another One-Pot Wonder

This chicken dinner proves once again that you don’t need every pot and pan in your cupboard to make a great-tasting meal!

I’ve gotten lazy in my old age. The last thing I want to face now is a sink full of dirty pots and pans. However, I still want great tasting food and if I can do it all in one pan, I’m sold.

This is one of those meals. The chicken combines so well with the tangy sauce, it’ll be a recipe that you’ll come back to again and again.

Subtle Flavors

Lemon is one of my favorite things to pair with chicken. It really brings out the flavor and adds bright and tangy notes to something that’s rather bland.

Have you noticed that fresh lemons are rather pricy lately? That has not escaped me either, but I’ve found a rather good solution. When lemons go on sale or you can find them reduced for quick sale–buy lots of them. Then juice and zest them all and freeze it. Of course freeze the zest and the juice separately. I usually put all the zest in a freezer bag and take out what I need for a recipe. With the juice it gets a little more complicated. What I do there is freeze it in two tablespoon amounts in a freezer bag and some with 1/4 cup amounts because those are the amounts I will generally use. That way I don’t have to thaw and then re-freeze a larger amount.

Chives also add a lovely delicate flavor to the sauce. If you grow them on a windowsill garden, you’re all set. However, I would only advise using dehydrated ones in a pinch. Fresh chives always taste better so use them if you can. I’ve never had success at growing them for some reason, so I will bite the bullet and buy them in the store when I need them.

A Touch Of Creaminess

The sauce has a touch of creaminess to it as well.

The original recipe called for creme fraiche. I can get that in my local market, but it’s quite pricy. A great substitute is sour cream, although that might make the sauce a bit more tangy. There are recipes for making your own creme fraiche, but I find the taste of it somewhere in between sour cream and cream cheese. It’s not as tangy as sour cream, even though sour cream is the most convenient substitute. If you want more of the authentic taste minus the cost, just beat 4 ounces of softened cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of sour cream until it’s very smooth.

The Recipe

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Chicken In Lemon Chive Sauce

The chicken combines so well with the tangy lemon sauce, it’ll be a recipe that you’ll come back to again and again.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, chicken thighs

Servings: 4

Calories: 556kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 tbs butter
• 8 each bone-in chicken thighs skin removed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• 1 tbs flour
• 10 oz hot chicken stock
• 2 lemons, zest and juice
• 4 tbsp full-fat sour cream OR creme fraiche
• 3 tbsp snipped fresh chives

Instructions

• Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat, add the thighs and brown all over until golden. Season with salt and pepper and then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the onion to the pan and fry for 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, add the hot stock and bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
• Add the rind and juice of the lemons, and return the thighs to the pan. Season again and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over a low heat for about 35-45 minutes, or until the thighs are tender.
• Stir in the sour cream and nearly all the chives.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 556kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 214mg | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 32.7mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Adapted from Mary Berry

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Simple flavoring.  Delicious results.

Forget all those fancy marinades, flavorings, rubs, etc.  

This chicken gets a great infusion of herbs and flavorings from the “stuffing.”

The lemon gives a hint of tartness and the herbs under the skin infuse a delicate flavor to the breast meat.

I used thyme because I love the flavor with chicken, but sage, oregano and tarragon would work very well too.  Rosemary can be used, but go light on it–too much will taste medicinal!

The potatoes are just simple oven roasted potatoes–since these were baby potatoes, I only peeled around the center for “looks,” but you can peel completely and just roast in pan juices.  No more seasoning but a light salting is necessary.

Citrus Thyme Roast Chicken

• 1 (5-7 lb) roasting chicken 
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 small onion quartered
• 2 stalks celery, cut in 3-inch pieces
• 6 (approx) stalks fresh thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2-1 tsp paprika
• 2 tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  


Wash chicken and pat dry inside and out.


Loosen the skin on the breast by running your fingers between the skin and the breast meat.  Place a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme between the skin and breast meat.


Fill cavity with onion, celery and the remaining thyme.


Place chicken in roasting pan (you may use a rack if you want).  Drizzle with about 2 tbs of olive oil. Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika on top of chicken.


Roast for approximately 2-3 hrs or until a thermometer placed in thickest part of the thigh registers 175 degrees F.


Remove from oven and let bird rest for 15 minutes.  Remove lemon, celery and onion from cavity, carve and serve.

Citrus Thyme Roast Chicken

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