Roast chicken meal and ideas for nibbles

boo81

I was wondering if anyone could give me some good ideas for doing a roast chicken. Ive only ever done one before and went very well, now im cooking for 6 just 2 days before christmas.

Now I would like it to be a bit different as everyone will be bored of turkey so I would like to have a sauce or something to liven it up maybe and I will still like stuffing but also with a twist and maybe some different (but easy) potatoes.

I want it to be relatively simple and cheap but very tasty.

Also I want some nibbles for them before the meal (savoury) and afterwards (sweet) but need some ideas for things that will store ahead and be nice to just nibble on. I was also thinking of a christmassy cocktail but ot sure about that either - oh dear!

Any help would be great girls and guys!

thriftmonster

Chicken Stanley is nice - you need a casserole dish large enough to take the chicken (or use foil over your tin). Peel and slice 2 large onions and make a nest of them in the casserole and bed down the chicken in them. Cut up 4oz butter and dot over the lot. Roast at 190C for about 1.5 - 2 hours, but baste with the onion butter every 15 to 20 mins. Take the lid off for the last 15mins to brown. Take the chicken out to carve and stir a small pot of cream into the onions and butter and serve as a sauce with the chicken.

Nibbles: Cheesy biccies:
Crush 2x 25g packets of plain crisps. Stir in 2.5oz of flour and 3.5oz grated cheese and a tsp mustard powder. Melt 3.5oz marg or butter and stir into the dry mix. Make small balls, flatten slightly and bake at 180C for 8-10 mins or until golden. Cool.

HTH

Penelope_Penguin

Take the chicken, season it, and grate and squeeze a lemon over. Shove the rest of the lemon into the cavity. Roast as normal. When you make the gravy, add some cream before serving - Lemonny Chicken. We have it with roast potatoes and seasonal veg.

Try these older threads:

Help with time and cost effective nibbles
Bookclub nibbles and snacks
Party snacks and nibbles.

HTH, Penny. x

kunekune

I do a nice stuffing. First, make your cornbread (easy to find recipes for this). Then crumble it, and mix it with: chopped onion, celery and red peppers, sweated in butter and olive oil, some chopped cooked prawns and then cajun spice mix. It is different, but yummy enough that it cuts down the meat being eaten.

windowshopper100

I did potatoes boulangere at the weekend....

Serves 4-6, depending what else you're serving.
900g potatoes
largeish onion
150ml milk
150ml stock, chicken/veg - Marigold veg powder
Salt and Pepper

Generously grease an oven dish, shallow but deep enough if you know what I mean!
Peel and slice potatoes fairly thin
Slice the onion thinly
Layer potatoes, then onion then salt and pepper
Layer again until end up with layer of potatoes
Season and dot with butter
Pour in milk and stock and put in oven 45 mins 180oC.

It's quite forgiving if you leave it in the oven to keep warm - just remember to turn it down.

Add small pot double cream instead of milk and a bit of garlic for Dauphinoise potatoes.

windowshopper100

Just remembered savoury nibble:

Cheesy chilli natchos:
However many bags of natchos you need
Grated cheese - lots
Jar of minced red chilli - top of herbs and spices shelf???
Jar of sliced jalapenos - Mexican aisle

Put a layer of natchos in a large shallow micro proof dish
Cover with grated cheese
Get a teaspoon and dip the end in the jar of chilli then 'flick' tiny bits over the cheese, so you end up with red dots over it, and up the walls - to taste.
Dot a few jalapenos over. To taste also.
Repeat with natchos, cheese, chilli, jalapenos.
Add a few more natchos and cheese.

Microwave a couple of minutes depending on micro power, size of dish. Until cheese melted anyway.

Hope these help.
WS100

I know the chilli and jalapenos are something you've got to get specially, you may be able to get away with a sprinkle of dried and crushed, but I've not tried that. They do last ages though.