A one pan meal is always a life saver, and if it’s a whole roasted chicken then that’s the ultimate comfort food for everyone! It just fits right on for this holiday season, as otherwise the menu preparation itself takes a lot of time to finalize while we are busy cooking, wrapping up the gifts, & partying. Yes, Christmas is here & the mood is on!

In my home, whole roasting a full chicken mostly happens during Thanksgiving, and that’s because we are not much of a turkey people. For Previous years during Thanksgiving I had roasted a simple Garlic Rosemary Chicken and then a complex Whole Roasted Tandoori Chicken – both turned out to be pretty delicious. So, this time for Christmas I thought to try something different… Spatchcock a whole chicken with a simple turmeric marinade!

So, what is spatchcock? The term spatchcock means butterflying the bird; in a way it’s like prepping the bird to resemble a butterfly, by removing its backbone and sternum and spreading the two halves of the breast so that it stays flat. The advantage of this process is that it cooks evenly and takes less time than roasting a whole chicken. Plus, the skin turns out to be crispier while the meat stays utterly moist; it just falls off the bone very easily and boy, soooo delicious! I have used a buttery garlicky lemon turmeric spiced marinade here in this recipe which blends perfectly with the roasted potatoes and carrots.

Not only for celebrations, but this spatchcock chicken will also make a simple n quick sheet pan dinner meal on your table any day, and I’m sure the whole family would love it. Any leftovers can also be re-used later in your soups, salads, or even sandwiches.

Enjoy, Merry Christmas, n Happy Cooking…!

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Turmeric Spiced Spatchcock Chicken

Turmeric Spiced Spatchcock Chicken… Crispy on the outside & Juicy Succulent inside…!! A Fuss Free Minimal Ingredients Recipe served with Roasted Baby Potatoes & Carrots, the Simplest One Pan Dinner…!  

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken roast, spatchcock chicken, whole chicken roast

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• One whole chicken (4.6 pounds)
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp cilantro chopped + more for garnish
• ½ tsp black pepper + more
• Salt (generously)

For the Veggies

• 3 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
• 2 lb. baby potatoes (sliced into half)
• Olive oil (as required)
• Salt and pepper
• Cilantro for garnish

Instructions

• Preparation of the oven: Preheat oven to 425-degree F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and keep aside.
• Preparation of the marinade: Prepare the marinade in a small bowl by mixing softened butter with turmeric powder, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and chopped cilantro leaves. Using a fork, mash the butter and mix well with the remaining ingredients, keep aside.
• Preparation of the chicken: Take the whole chicken and remove its giblets and pin feathers, clean inside out and pat dry with paper towels.
• Onto a cutting board, place the chicken breast-side down with the legs facing you and identify the backbone of the chicken. Using a sharp kitchen shear/scissors, remove the backbone by cutting through the ribs along its sides all the way from the bottom to its neck. The backbone can be used later for other recipes (soups/sauces), or else you may discard it. Spread open the rib cage and make an incision over the breast bone using a knife to pop it open.
• Season the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Then flip the chicken onto the parchment lined sheet pan with breast-side facing you.
• Using your hands, press down gently on top of the breast so that the chicken stays flat, tuck in its wings. Now carefully insert your fingers under the skin through the breast and thighs to loosely separate the skin from the meat. Ensure not to tear the skin.
• Divide the marinade, insert a half under the separated skin and spread it as much as you can all over the breast and the thighs. Rub the rest of the marinade all over the skin.
• Preparation of the veggies: In a large bowl, mix potatoes and carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread them evenly on the pan to fill the space around the chicken.
• Baking: Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until an instant thermometer reads 165-170 degree when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

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Although Summer is starting officially in a few weeks, the heat has already kicked in here at St. Louis and its time for something cooling & refreshing.

Here is my summery take to the classic Moscow Mule, combining fresh raspberries with its core ingredients, making it a truly delightful cocktail. It’s refreshing, colorful, fruity n crisp.

Moscow mule is perhaps the easiest cocktail to make, because it has got only 3 core ingredients – Vodka, Ginger Beer and Lime. The lime keeps you refreshed on any hot day, while the ginger beer keeps your equally warm and cozy during the winters. So, to me it’s a drink favored throughout the year. This cocktail is usually served in a copper mug which keeps it chilled and fresh, but regular cocktail glasses would do as well.

Cheers!!!!

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Raspberry Moscow Mule

A Toast to this Summer with a Twist to a Classic Cocktail… This Refreshing Raspberry Moscow Mule is definitely going to be your Favorite Drink of the Season…!!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword cocktail, drinks, moscow mule

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 10 -12 raspberries
• 2 oz vodka
• 6 oz ginger beer
• ½ lime squeezed
• Ice cubes
• Mint leaves (garnish)
• Lime wedges (garnish)

Instructions

• Muddle the raspberries and strain into a cocktail shaker.
• Add lime juice and vodka, shake the shaker well to mix all the ingredients.
• Into a copper mug filled with ice cubes, pour the contents of the shaker and top with ginger beer.
• Garnish with mint leaves, a lime wedge, and fresh raspberries (optional).

The post Raspberry Moscow Mule appeared first on Pepper Delight.

It’s Hot…really hot in St. Louis. Summer is at its peak, rocking the 100s! Every now and then you hear about heat advisories n heat waves in the news. At this temperature if you plan to do a barbeque or an outdoor summer party, you might want to really think about a good refreshment, something which both kids and adults enjoy equally! And if it’s made with berries, I’m sure it’s going to be a winner…

I love to make fresh fruit drinks, especially with berries. The bright colors are so eye catching and appeasing that you know something way cool is coming up! During my early school days in India, the only colorful drinks we had were either soft drinks or squash, both made artificially. Our go-to refreshments were Coconut Water, Lime Soda, and Kulukki Sherbet. Coconut being abundant in my home town, we had no dearth of coconut water which is an evergreen and the healthiest drink of them all. After drinking all the water from the coconut, we used to hand it back to the seller and have him cut it open to then savor the ooey gooey tender flesh. In fact, he used to make a natural spoon out of the husk for us to eat it without dirtying our hands!

Lime soda was preferred more during the summers; lime squeezed into a chilled soda with some salt and sugar. There is no natural energy booster better than a fresh lime soda; one drink and you are all pumped up to get onto your next task of the day.

Talking about Kulukki Sherbet, that was a drink found only in certain towns during those days but now has gained a lot of ground. Kulukki means ‘shaken’ in Malayalam, and the drink was named so after how it was made. It’s a mix of lime juice, sugar syrup, soda, basil seeds, and a few other spices, all shaken vigorously until well mixed and frothy… n that was my Favorite! I remember those days when my brother used to take me to the beach in the evenings and on our way back home we used to stop at the juice stalls in awe to see the art of making these sherbets. The stalls were so crowded in the evenings with people back from a tired sunny day’s work, all looking for some refreshments. The server used to shake the sherbet for minutes and I used to wonder how they kept on doing it all day without feeling tired? But every drop of that drink was worth their effort…!

Anyways let’s get back to my drink of the day… have you tried making ginger syrup? This was the first time I tried one and it was simple, it’s just sugar syrup with ginger infused. So here I have for you today, a light fruit drink with blackberries and YES, it’s non-alcoholic. To prepare this drink, simply muddle blackberries with lemon and mint leaves, stir in the ginger syrup and top with soda. It’s Light, Refreshing and soo Delicious, Cheers!

Enjoy…!

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Blackberry Lemon Ginger Cooler

Cool off this summer with a Blackberry n Lemon infused Cooler in a Ginger Syrup… Flavorful, Refreshing & Light, Perfect to keep the heat at bay…!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword blackberry drink, summer drink

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For making ginger syrup

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 inch ginger (peeled and thinly sliced)

For making Blackberry Ginger Cooler

• 10-12 blackberries
• 8-10 fresh mint leaves (plus for garnish)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup ginger syrup
• Ice cubes
• ½ cup water
• Club soda/carbonated water

Instructions

• To make the ginger syrup, combine water, ginger and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring it to boil. Allow it to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and keep the syrup aside to cool.
• Muddle blackberries with mint leaves until properly mashed together. Add the ginger syrup to the mix and squeeze the juice of a lemon, stir well. Strain and pour to the serving glasses with ice cubes.
• Top with club soda. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and blackberries.

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I hope you all remember the Strawberry picking trip from my recent Peach Strawberry Galatte post, we had an amazing day at the Eckerts Belleville Farm, Illinois and came back home with bags full of strawberries. After making a few galattes & smoothies, I still had some strawberries left and with summer around the corner we decided to finish them up in style by making this yummilicious Strawberry Ice Cream. Like any other gal with a sweet tooth, I too love Ice Cream…! And this is the time of the year you can eat it guilt-free. Homemade Ice Creams were always an un-accomplishable dream for me earlier, as we didn’t have a churning machine I thought we couldn’t make one without it. But, the success of my last year’s No-Churn Oreo Ice Cream gave me the confidence to make my summer Ice Cream batch for the year.

I have used graham crackers in this recipe to resemble the textures of a strawberry cheesecake, but the difference here is that I am not using cream cheese. Using graham crackers is purely optional; you can replace it with fresh strawberry slices, pistachios or any nuts. In a no-churn ice cream recipe, the condensed milk provides the sweet base while the whipped cream gives the creamy texture. When blending the strawberries, make sure not to do it too long as we do not want it to puree, instead do it just enough to break down the fruit. And the end result is an Ice Cream which is Creamy and Smooth…!

Make sure to store the ice cream in an airtight container before freezing or wrap the pan air tight. Allow it to stand at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. This is one of the easiest no–fail fresh fruit desserts which can be prepared in advance for parties and get together.

Enjoy this delicious summer treat…!!!

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No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream

Beat the Summer Heat with this Homemade Cool Treat…! No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream with Crunchy Graham Crackers and Fresh Strawberries… Super, Easy n Delicious…!!!!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword ice cream, no churn, strawberry ice cream

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberries
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz.)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4-5 graham crackers (crushed)

Instructions

• Wash and hull strawberries. Slice into half and blend the strawberries in a blender just enough to break it down, do not puree it.
• Crush the graham crackers and keep aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Fold in condensed milk.
• Line a parchment paper to a standard loaf pan, add half of the whipped cream mix. Pour half of the strawberry sauce evenly as the second layer. Using a toothpick or chopstick, make a swirl (this is purely optional; I love that swirl style on my ice cream while I scoop it). Top with crushed graham cracker bits.
• Repeat the process by pouring the other half of the whipped cream mix, strawberry sauce and graham crackers.
• Wrap it tightly and freeze for at least 6 hrs.
• For best results, let it stand in room temperature for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!!

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