Crescent Archives - My Halal Kitchen

Classic Roasted Chicken with Seasonal Vegetables

by Yvonne Maffei | Nov 20, 2014 | By Season, Chicken, Dinner, Entertaining, Fall, Poultry Dishes, Recipes, Winter

Everyone loves a classic roasted chicken and there are countless recipes in the world on to make the perfect one, and I certainly have my own that I stick to pretty much every time I have a craving for the comfort food that it is.What’s my secret?

Two things:

1) Butter and 2) fresh herbs.

They’re stuffed right under the bird’s skin and before roasting so that you don’t need to put much, if any oil on top or worry about basting the bird while cooking, either. You can also season the butter prior to stuffing it, but I simply season the top of the bird because it’s just less messy that way.

This beautiful bird below is a Crescent Halal chicken (whole roaster) that I purchase at my local Joe Caputo & Sons. They’re antibiotic-free, hormone-free, vegetarian-fed, 100% halal raised and processed (I’ve actually seen how it’s done, farm to fork both here and here).

I also tie the bird with cooking twine- once around the feet and once or twice around the body both vertically and horizontally so that it will cook more evenly and the wing tips don’t burn. You can also do this with turkey, on a much larger scale of course.

Speaking of temperature, it’s imperative to check the internal temperature of any meat and to do it away from the bone. It’s best to have a meat thermometer on hand for things like roasted chicken, turkey, pot roasts, lamb shanks, etc. All you have to do is know what’s the ‘done’ or ‘safe’ temperature for the type of meat and cut. In the case of roasted chicken, 165° F away from the bone (which is hotter) is considered safe by the USDA. Enter our giveaway here, sponsored by Crescent Foods, for your very own meat thermometer.

I also love to have vegetables with my chicken, pretty much any root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, especially in the Fall and Winter seasons, although I don’t cook them with the chicken (i.e. same pan); instead I put the bird on its own roasting pan and let it have its space and then in another part of the oven like on a separate rack, I let the vegetables roast with their own seasons, and of course olive oil and/or butter, too. It prevents the bird from sitting in oil while cooking and then worrying about all the separate cooking temperatures to deal with.

Enjoy the warmth of being indoors and cozy with family and friends over wonderful, delicious and healthy halal food this winter and give this recipe a try to see if it’ll be your go-to roasted chicken recipe, too.

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Sweet & Sour Beef

by Yvonne Maffei | Jun 21, 2014 | Beef

I don’t make Asian food that often at home, but I really do love it. I recently had a real craving for sweet and sour something– whether it be seafood, beef or chicken. Many of the recipes I found used ketchup for the sauce (which I’m not a huge fan of when it comes to cooking with it) and other prepared sauces for the ‘sweet and sour’ part. Instead, I tested my own version of a homemade sweet and sour combination that worked really well, particularly with a high quality Halal meat like the Billy Doe Meats.

The ingredients I used are fairly simple and can be found in just about any grocery store international aisle: cane sugar, pineapple vinegar (or any fruity vinegar- apple cider vinegar is particularly good here), tomato sauce, sesame oil or toasted sesame oil (or a combination of the two).

I also used some greens from my garden: kale, spinach, celery and Swiss chard. You can use just one of these, if you like.

If I had to choose just one, it would be kale- it’s thicker than spinach and tends to hold onto the meat a little better, if that’s all the greens you’re using.

But the Swiss chard does add some nice color when using the stems.

I also added carrots- shredded, but also the leftover chunky parts, as nothing is wasted. Garlic, too. Of course.

After everything is chopped, the larger parts plus the onion and garlic get sautéd in the sesame oil. You can use a wok or Dutch oven to do this.

I added ground ginger for added spice because I didn’t have fresh on hand. Either one works and freshly chopped is always preferable- to me, anyway.

Use high heat once those ingredients are in the pot.

Add the beef cubes. These looked fabulous.

And the tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar and corn starch.

Then the greens and shredded carrots, basically the thin stuff.

Now we’re seeing more color, which is always nice when you’re about to eat the dish soon after cooking it. Makes it so much more appealing.

Then you’ll need to cover it, reduce the heat and let the beef cook. The greens will actually add moisture to the meat, making it nice and soft after about 25 minutes. I like to serve it over rice or noodles, but I could it all by itself, too.

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