Here are just two recipes that would adapt well to a roasting bag:
1. Smouldering Chicken
If you love Hot Wings*
If you love hot wings, then I have an outstanding barbecue chicken recipe for you. I call it Smoldering Chicken. It doesn't burn your mouth, but leaves a warm glow. And the flavor is amazing. Trust me; when you read the ingredients, you will probably think that this chicken is beyond the taste buds of ordinary mortals. It looks like it will be blistering hot. But it isn’t. It will surprise you. (By the way, this is one of my eldest daughter’s, and husband’s favorite chicken. She made certain that I had written it down, after I created it.)
Originally, this recipe was for use with a kettle-style charcoal grill, but for this post, I will modify the cooking technique for the oven bag. Enjoy.
Sauce:
1/3 cup Sriracha brand Hot Sauce
2 tbs. Tabasco Pepper Sauce
1 tbs. good soy sauce
8 to 10 chicken thighs, with the skin removed
Mix the sauce ingredients together. Pour into a 1 gallon freezer bag & add the chicken pieces. Move everything around inside the bag until the chicken is well coated with the sauce. Press the air from the bag and place it in the refrigerator for two hours. Make your side dishes during this marinating time.
Preheat your oven to 375' F. Place the chicken into your cooking bag, laying the bag flat on parchment lined cookie sheet. Leave space between the pieces. Seal the bag. Place into your oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes. Test with an instant read meat thermometer. Remove the chicken when the temperature reads 160 degrees.
Serve with vegetable kabobs, baked beans, or other summertime foods such as salads, grilled fruit, cold melons, etc.
2. Baked Bulldog Chicken, Oven-Fried Chicken
I call this one bulldog chicken because the memory of its flavor will stay with you like a bulldog on a bull.
Preheat the oven to 375' F.
Place the following ingredients into a shaker bag:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/4 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. granulated onion powder
In a suitable bowl, make an egg-wash from 2 large eggs whisked with 1/2 cup water.
Skin the chicken thighs and dredge in seasoned flour. Dip in the egg-wash, and then again in the seasoned flour. Shake excess coating from the chicken and place into your cooking bag. Spread the pieces around so that they sit flat on a cookie sheet, in the bag. Don't crown the pan. Fry on each side for 6 minutes. Remove the chicken to a foil-lined pan and place into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Bake for 40 minutes. When done, remove the chicken and add a cup of milk to the bag. Swish it around to capture all of the great juices, then pour into a pot. Thicken with cornstarch, or a roux. Use as gravy for the side dishes, or on top of the chicken.
This should be enough for 12 chicken thighs. Increase as desired.
Italian Chicken in a bag.
Ok, I'm putting this one together as I type, just for you.
Ingredients:
1 tsp. Rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried sage, or thyme
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (or parmigiano reggiano if you prefer)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cracked, black pepper
1 cup tomato puree
6 chicken pieces
Put the herbs, onion, and cheese into your cooking bag. Add the chicken and shake until the pieces are well coated. Add the tomato puree and massage until all of the chicken is coated. Seal the bag and bake for 40 minutes. Serve over pasta or fluffy brown rice.
Chicken and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 whole, roasting chicken, 3 to 5 lbs.
1 stick softened butter
granulated garlic
coarse grind black pepper
Kosher Salt
8 oz. sliced mushrooms of choice
1 yellow onion, quartered
Preheat oven to 400' F.
Wash and dry chicken, inside and out, then dry with paper towels. Place the onion quarters into the chicken cavity. Run the whole outside with the butter. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, and garlic. Place with the mushrooms into the cooking bag, and seal. place the chicken breast side up onto a baking sheet. Roast for 13 minutes per pound. Serve with your favorite sides.
That gives you three recipes that should work very well in your roasting bag. Mind you, you won't get crispy skin on a roasting bag as steam will develop and help cook the chicken. But where flour is added to a recipe, that same steam will help create a luscious gravy or sauce to go with the chicken.
Try a couple of the above with carrots, or potatoes, or uncooked, fresh green beans, or rutabaga, or even asparagus added to the bag. You will find as you think about what you've already done, new ideas will come to you.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North