Drunken Chicken

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I think it's really the kick-off to summer.. and you will now have the perfect crowd pleasing meal.

Drunken chicken. That's right..... I said drunk.

As in beer.

It's pretty much the easiest thing I have ever made. Beer and chicken. That's it.

Cover the chicken in spices and lemon, and you put the beer can, half full of beer, in the chicken.

And then you stand him up on the grill.

Close the grill for about an hour..............

and you end up with the most delicious and beautiful chicken.

It feels like cheating it's so easy.

I paired mine with a side of red potatoes..

Gorgeous, right? This is the perfect Memorial Day weekend recipe! You just season him up, sit him on the beer can, and throw him on the grill. The beer really does work. It makes the chicken full of flavor and it practically falls off the bone. I will never make chicken any other way!

While my chicken was roasting away on the grill, we got the screened-in patio cleaned up. 

I see many summer nights here, crickets out, wine included.

Everyone have a safe Memorial Day! Salute your troops, tag me in your drunken chicken posts.... And, happy summer :)

XO

Full Recipe:

1 3lb chicken

1 can Budweiser (or beer of your choice)

Juice from whole lemon

2 Tbls olive oil

1 Tbls salt

1 Tbls pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 garlic clove, chopped

1. Preheat grill to medium - high heat. Clean your chicken and remove giblets from inside.

2. Mix lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl. Brush the mixture onto the chicken- get the mixture on the inside too.

3. Using a can opener, open remove the top of your beer can. Pour out (or drink) half of your beer, and add the chopped garlic clove to the remaining half of beer in the can. 

4. Slide your beer can inside of the bottom cavity of your chicken, stand him up so that he is resting on the beer can and sitting up right. 

5. Place your chicken with beer can inside, directly on the grill, and cook for one hour or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.

Note: Getting the half can of beer inside the chicken, while trying not to spill the beer and have the chicken stand up on it's own can be awkward. Slide the can inside the chicken as far as it will go, and once you stand it back up, it will rest on it's legs and use the beer can as support. 

Tip: I checked on mine a few minutes in, and the flames were beginning to burn a portion of the chicken, causing it to stick to the grill. I placed a piece of foil under that part of him to try to keep that part from burning.

hungry gal update - summer feels

Maintenance on the blog has taken a few weeks, what a time warp. I am learning the older I get the faster time goes by.

Things have been crazy lately! Work is busier than ever and summer is upon us I mean it's here, aka, beach, sun, travel.... seafood.

See?... Food. 

My week at the beach was everything and more. Tons of sleep, plenty of vino, heaping amounts of fresh seafood.. only deepening my love affair with the ocean. It was glorious.

It has been so difficult getting back in the swing of things this week, post-vacay. 

I am so pumped for summer. The warm nights, the wine on the patio, smokey meats on the grill.... it's the best.

I have so many amazing summer recipes to share with you in time for the holiday weekend! ... As always, standby :).

XO

Cheesy Baked Ziti

Just in time for the weekend, I thought I would share this beautiful casserole-style bake ziti I made this week! I am a big pasta lover myself, and this is one of my go to's! 

One of the reasons it is so great, is because it  makes such a large dish! If you have a large family to feed, this is perfect. Or in my case, extra for lunches. It heats up really well the next day! 

And come on, you can't go wrong with noodles and heaping amounts of cheese. You just can't.

Once you throw your tomato sauce together, you let it bubble and let all of the flavors cook down. In the meantime, you will boil your noodles.

Tip: you are totally welcome to use jarred sauce if you'd rather! I do it all the time. I love Classico sauce.

Once your sauce is all delicious and bubbly, you will combine your cooked noodles with egg, half of your sauce, Ricotta cheese, and Mozzarella..

This is where I debate finishing the recipe and just eating cheesy noodles..

Once it's combined, you're going to spread half of the noodles into the bottom of your baking dish. 

Tip: make sure it is a "lasagna" pan. It is just the right size and depth.

After you have your noodles laid out in the bottom of your dish, you will spoon generous tablespoons of Ricotta cheese and spoon fulls of your remaining sauce to make a layer, and then more noodles on top of that, more Ricotta cheese, and more sauce.. top it off with shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan...

Bake for 25 minutes...

And you have noodly cheesy goodness!

Try to exert a little self-control, and let it cool for 10 minutes or so. If you cut into it too soon, it may have a soupy, less layered, texture.

ENJOY! 

XO

FULL RECIPE

• 1 (16 oz.) package ziti pasta
• 2 cups (16 oz.) ricotta cheese, divided
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (you can add more if you want it extra cheesy)
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes with juice
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. Saute onions and garlic in a skillet over medium heat for 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Let sauce simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking dish. I used 9x13 lasagna pan.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup Ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and an egg. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of your sauce, add your cooked noodles and coat them in this mixture.
5. Add half of the coated pasta to your baking dish, then drop the surface with tablespoons of Ricotta cheese. Add the rest of the pasta sauce on top. Top with more dollops of Ricotta cheese. Layer top with remaining pasta mixture, top with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until bubbling around edges. 
7. Let cool for 10 minutes, and then dig in :)