Kettle Turkey Pot Roast (tastes like beef!) - Copy Cat Chuck-A-Rama Recipe

Kettle Turkey Pot Roast

Imagine tender chunks of savory turkey that fool you into thinking you are eating slow simmered roast beef! 

I LOVE this recipe. My family loves this recipe. I think you will love it too.

Chuck-A-Rama does a great job of making their kettle turkey pot roast. Have you had it? It's by the roast beef, you must try it. It tastes like very tender roast beef with yummy carrots and potatoes, swimming in a tasty broth.

I have also had another version of this at a restaurant I can't remember the name of, that was equally delicious. This version version had a delicious thicker gravy and a ton of black pepper - zowie! A bit much for tender mouths. Chuck-A-Rama's Kettle Turkey has a much thinner brothy sauce that is delicious, but makes a lousy gravy, since it just runs off everything.

I decided it was time for me to recreate a version at home that is the best of both worlds. I wanted a thicker gravy-like sauce that wasn't quite so peppery. I wanted the big chunks of tender fall-apart meat. I wanted it to taste beefy, not like turkey. And I wanted lots of carrot and potato chunks too.

I'm thrilled with the results and my family loves it. I created this recipe around 2008,and I have made it when ever I see turkey thighs being sold at my local market. It's great that you do not have to thaw the meat first. This recipe is very forgiving, as you will see with the 2 variations I have listed below the recipe.




Crock Pot Turkey Pot Roast:

1 large onion, diced into cubes
2-3 turkey thighs (about 3 to 4 lbs, frozen)
1 t. seasoned salt, to taste
60 grinds fresh black pepper
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 envelope dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1-2 t. organic beef base
1/4 c. sherry cooking wine, optional
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. Herbs de Province
1 bay leaf, optional
2 3/4 c. water
1 3-ounce package brown gravy mix (or mushroom)
12 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
6 to 8 potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into big chunks
4 to 6 ribs celery, cut into big chunks, optional


Method:

Place the cubed onion in the bottom of a large oval shaped crock pot.

Season the frozen or thawed turkey thighs with seasoned salt and pepper. Place in the crock pot on top of the onions.

Add to the crock pot the garlic, onion soup mix, beef base, sherry, Worcestershire, Herbs de Province, bay leaf, and water.

Cover and cook 3 or more hours (until the meat is fall-of-the-bones tender).

Lift meat out of the crock pot and remove skin and bones, leaving big chunks of meat. Set aside.

To the crock pot add the package of brown gravy mix. Stir to combine with the hot liquid remaining in the crock pot.

Add all of the chunked carrots, potatoes, and celery to the crock pot. Toss to coat with the sauce.

Return the boned turkey to the crock pot. Lay the meat on top and gently spoon some of the sauce over top.

Place lid on crock pot and cook another hour or so, until the vegetables are tender.

Add more water as desired. Check for salt before serving.


Alternate Methods:

Alternate Method # 1 (Use this if you want to cook the meat ahead of time, my favorite method):

Right before you go to bed: Place the diced onions in the bottom of the crock pot. Lay the frozen turkey thighs on top. Season the meat with the salt and pepper. Pour in about 1 cup of water and put on the lid. Cook on low while you sleep. In the morning, remove the meat and remove the skin and bones and set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredient listed together, tossing the vegetables well to coat. Lay the big chunks of turkey on top. Spoon sauce over the meat. Cover and cook on lowest setting until the vegetables are tender. Add water as desired. Taste for salt before serving.

Alternate Method # 2 (use this method is you are going to be gone all day):

Dump all of the sauce ingredients and into the crock pot, starting with the water, onion soup mix, brown gravy mix, beef base, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, Herbs de Province, bay leaf, onions, and garlic. Stir well. Season the frozen or thawed turkey thighs with the seasoned salt and pepper and nestle into the sauce, spooning sauce over top. Lay all the vegetable chunks on top. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender. Remove the meat and skin and de-bone. Place back into the crock pot and gently stir before serving.

Moki is hoping for a turkey treat! Please mom???

Moki has been such a good patient boy...

Enjoy, 

Leila

Tender Chinese Lion Head Meatballs - Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free

Lion Head Meatballs 

These taste amazing! They are so flavorful, moist and tender. They are unique enough to serve to company and your family will love them too.

This is a traditional Chinese recipe that my mother revamped before 2005. She uses turkey, extended with tofu instead of pork and Tamari instead of soy sauce, which contains gluten. The high-fiber psyllium flakes bind the turkey and tofu together beautifully with out the need for wheat bread. The only change I made was to replace the 1 t. fructose she calls for for the 1 t. xylitol stated below.

These are very quick to put together. then let them simmer away.

LION HEAD MEATBALLS Recipe:

12 ounces Extra-firm tofu
3 T. Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
1.2 t. White pepper
1 t. Garlic powder
1 t. Xylitol
2 T. Mirin (wine)
1 T. Black sesame seeds
2 t. Sea salt or BioSalt (recipe on this blog)
2 T. Chopped dry onion
1 bunch Scallions, sliced thin
1/4 c. Fresh coarsely ground ginger root
1 T. Dark (toasted) sesame oil
1 T. Psyllium flakes (whole psyllium husks)
2 T. Melted deodorized 76 degree coconut oil
1 1/2 pound Ground lean white turkey meat
Large green cabbage leaves, blanched
4 c. boiling water


Method:

Put in a food processor and rough puree:
Tofu, Tamari, pepper, garlic, xylitol, and Mirin.

Then add:
Black sesame seeds, salt, dry onion, sliced scallions, grated ginger, dark sesame oil, melted coconut oil, psyllium flakes, and the 1 1/2 pounds meat.

Mix all together and then "goosh" together like meatloaf (mixing with your hands).

Form into tangerine-sized balls.

Wrap in large, blanched cabbage leaves (use 2 to 3 smaller leaves, if you don't have enough big leaves). Wrap burrito-style.

Place in crock-pot. Cover with 4 c. boiling water. Simmer 2 hours, or until meat is cooked through.



Variation: 
Place in a large stock pot. Cover with 4 c. boiling water. Bring to a boil, then simmer 1 hour.


Enjoy,

Leila.

Delicious Additive-Free Poultry Seasoning

Perfect Poultry Seasoning Spice Blend (Salt-Free)


I like making my own spice blends, I have control of everything they contain, they are fresher and I can customize them to my family's tastes. I like a sage-y poultry seasoning, with out too much thyme to overpower the blend.

I like to add this seasoning to my homemade creamy chicken noodle soup recipe, as well as other poultry dishes, like fried chicken, turkey stuffing, gravies... It it also nice as a poultry rub with added sea salt.


Poultry Seasoning Blend Recipe:

6 T. rubbed sage leaf
2 T. rosemary, crushed
2 T. marjoram
2 T. oregano
2 T. ginger powder
2 T. thyme
1 T. coriander seed, ground


Method:

Mix spices together and package as-is, OR Grind together in a spice mill if you prefer it ground.


Enjoy,

Leila

On-The-Go Grilled Chicken Strips - A make ahead recipe

On-The-Go Grilled Chicken Strips 

I have wanted the convenience of pre-sliced char-broiled chicken breasts in my freezer, at my beck and call...for topping salads, adding to wraps, soups, sandwiches, whatever...

So Yesterday I lightly brined a large bag of thawed chicken breasts (I counted 17 breasts), in a large stock pot with some herbs and spices. I let it brine 24 hours, but you could brine the chicken for less time if you wanted. The brining is very easy to do, and it infuses the meat with flavor and keeps the meat tender and moist.

I then poached the chicken in the brining liquid until it was a little over half-way cooked through. Then we got our outdoor grill fired up and finished them off there, to create that nice grilled flavor. I first poached the chicken so that we didn't have to stand outside in the cold for a long time (it is January after all). You can skip the poaching step if you want to stand outside and tend the grill for a longer time.

I let the grilled chicken cool and then sliced it up and portioned the slices into quart-sized freezer storage bags. I Popped the bags in the freezer and they are ready to go at a moments notice.


ON-THE-GO JUICY GRILLED CHICKEN Recipe:

1 large bag of frozen chicken breasts (about 16 breasts)
2 T. sea salt
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 t. Italian seasoning (or other seasoning of choice)
1/2 t. onion powder
2 c. hot water
water to cover the chicken

Method:

Rinse the thawed chicken and place in a large stock pot.
Fill the pot with water, to just cover the chicken
Smash the garlic cloves with the salt in a mortar and pestle. (the salt helps with the garlic smashing).
In 2 cups hot water, add the Italian seasoning, onion powder, and smashed garlic-salt mixture.
Stir to completely dissolve the salt. Add the salt water (brine) to the chicken in the pot.
Refrigerate, letting the chicken marinate in the brine for up to 24 hours, (alternately you can marinate the chicken in zip-lock bags)

The next day:
Bring the pot of chicken to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, so that it is barely simmering.
Simmer about 10 minutes, then check the chicken for done-ness (is that a word?).
You want the chicken to be a little over half-way done.Remove chicken from the pot carefully.
place partway cooked chicken on a preheated outdoor grill.
Grill until cooked through, turning so that both sides have nice grill marks.
Cut into thin slices as soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle.
Portion meat into quart-sized freezer bags and freeze for future use.


Shortcut:
You can just brine the chicken for 1 to 2 hours by doubling the salt in the brine and diluting with less water. Before poaching the chicken, rinse the meat and poach in clean water. You may add more spices to the cooking water if desired. Then proceed as above.


Note: Use Gluten-Free seasonings and onion salt if that is a concern for you.

Chicken in the seasoned brine

Grilling the partially poached chicken

Don't let the chicken dry out while grilling

The grilled chicken is cooling before being sliced

The moist, sliced chicken

Packaged for the freezer

Enjoy!

Leila

Copy-Cat Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad Recipe - Delicious!

Rotisserie Chicken Salad (A Copy-Cat version of Costco's Rotisserie Chicken Salad)

The Best Rotisserie Chicken Salad

This Chicken Salad is superior to the rest, in my humble opinion. It is seasoned perfectly. It's not dry and bland, and it isn't overloaded with mayonnaise either. There is the perfect amount of finely diced celery and onion. The meat stays fresh tasting and the salad stores well.

We like shopping at Costco. My husband and I joke about our regular "Costco Dates". One day, Costco sampled their rotisserie chicken salad and of course we bought some. Our family pretty much inhaled it. Today I went back to Costco for more and they were sold out. However, they did have their 42-ounce packages of their cooked rotisserie white chicken meat for sale. We have tried that before and have really liked it because it does not taste oxidized, like left-over chicken usually does. Ugh - I hate the taste of oxidized meat, and I seem to be one of the very few people who seem to notice it.

I had the idea earlier to duplicate Costco's chicken salad, so now that they were sold out, I decided today was the day. I was really pleased with how my version turned out. We enjoyed the chicken salad on romaine lettuce leaves, topped with avocado and a sprinkling of smoked paprika and fresh ground pepper. On the side was a fresh fruit salad of pineapple, mandarin oranges, sliced bananas, drizzled with raw honey and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

For an even better fruit salad see this kitchen Cheetah recipe for "Easy Decadent Fruit Salad", our families favorite!

This made a tasty and fast meal and I have lots of chicken salad left over for quick meals later.

I like how this chicken salad is low-carb. Since you control the choice of seasoning, it's easy to make gluten-free too. By the way, Costco's rotisserie chicken is gluten-free and free of MSG.


Tip: Try using our Easy Juicy Roast Chicken Recipe (better than Costco's Rotisserie Chicken) instead of Costco's packaged chicken. It tastes even better and it's less expensive too!


Rotisserie Chicken Salad Recipe:

42 ounces (2 lb 10 oz package) Costco's rotisserie-cooked white chicken meat
2 c. finely diced celery (about 8 to 10 celery ribs)
3/4 c. finely minced sweet onion
1 c. Best Foods mayonnaise
1 t. freshly ground pepper (50 grinds)
1 t. McCormick Season All OR Beaute and the Feast's Seasoned Salt, to taste


Method:

Hand shred the cooked white chicken meat and put in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Add the celery. onion, mayonnaise, and pepper, and a scant 1 t. seasoned salt.

Mix together well. Taste for seasoned salt, and add the rest of the seasoned salt called for, if desired.

Chill or serve immediately.

Use as a filling for lettuce wraps, celery sticks, pitas, or sandwiches. Also great as a side or on top of your favorite green salad.



Tip: You can substitute Costco's rotisserie chicken meat for the "EASY ROAST CHICKEN" recipe on this blog. It just takes more time and planning to make it from scratch.

Tip: To save a ton of time, place the chicken (in 3 separate batches) in a food processor and pulse to shred. Do not over blend or you will end up with a Pâté (oops). I do prefer the texture of the hand shredded chicken over the food processor shredded chicken. It's for you to decide...


Here are photos of the salad making process:

Costco's packaged rotisserie chicken meat

You may shred the cooked chicken in a food processor to save time.

Pulse the chicken to "shred".

Chicken "shredded" in a food processor.

The Rotisserie Chicken Salad with hand shredded chicken - before mixing together

Freshly mixed hand shredded chicken salad - looks good!

Chicken Salad lettuce wraps - topped with avocado and smoked paprika.

Enjoy!

Leila

Copy Cat Costco Rotisserie Chicken - Easy Juicy Roast Chicken - Better than Costco's!

The Best Easy Roast Chicken (Gluten-Free)

Easy Juicy Roast Chicken

This really is the best roast chicken ever. Every time company has this chicken, they rave about it. Every time our family has this chicken, we rave about it.

It has been one of our families favorite meals for years. It blows Costco's Rotisserie chickens away - Just sayin'...

Yes, it does take longer to prepare than the time it usually takes to go to Costco and pick up a chicken, but this chicken is far more Delicious and the texture of the meat is superior. Plus you have to prepare the rest of the meal anyway.

Once you taste this recipe, you will crave it and want to make it again and again. Like my daughter said when she first tasted it, "Where have you been all my life?!"


Tip: You may use this roast chicken in my Copy-Cat Costco Rotisserie chicken Salad Recipe!


Easy Roast Chicken Recipe:

1 roasting chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1 large onion, cut into chunks
garlic powder
fresh ground pepper
sweet paprika
onion powder
butter, melted (and/or deodorized coconut oil)
McCormick Season All seasoned salt (make sure yours is gluten free)

Optional: Bake some potatoes and small yams at the same time.


Method:

Peel and cut into chunks 1 large onion.

Rub the inside of the chicken cavity with garlic, pepper, paprika, and onion powder.

Fill the chicken cavity with the onions and sew up with a needle and white string, or skewer closed.

Rub the outside of the chicken all over with melted butter and/or coconut oil (butter = best flavor).

Sprinkle the outside very generously with the seasoned salt (McCormick or Laury's).

Place the chicken on a rack placed in a shallow roasting pan.

Bake the chicken in a 350 degree oven for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, basting with the drippings several times. Baste the chicken about every 20 to 30 minutes, increasing in frequency as the chicken is almost done roasting. Be careful not to puncture the chicken's skin. The chicken will become a beautiful crispy golden brown.

If you are baking potatoes at the same time, I like to scrub the skins, pierce the skins well with a fork, an place them in the roasting pan along side the chicken. Baste them every so often with the chicken drippings.

Scrape up all the drippings and pour into a small serving bowl with a ladle.

Serve the chicken with the roasted onions and drippings on the side, along with the baked yams or potatoes if you prepared them.

The drippings are amazing drizzled all over the meat, onions and potatoes. Have extra seasoning salt and a pepper grinder at the table. Add a fresh salad and you're good to go!


Tip to speed cooking time:

Roast the chicken in a 400 degree oven on the bottom shelf for 30 minutes. then turn the oven down to 350 degrees. If the drippings start to burn, raise to the middle shelf


Variation:

Live on the edge and roast your chicken upside down! 

Why? The skin on the breast side is thin and dries out easily. The skin on the back has more fat under it and it will literally baste your chicken for you! Your chicken will be super moist and have a gorgeous crispy skin, almost like Peking Duck. I like the flavor of the basting juices, so still baste the chicken 1 to 2 times while roasting, but that's it. It makes the Easy Roast Chicken recipe even easier!


Tip to make even juicier:

Place your chicken breast side down in a large porcelain-lined, heavy cast iron pot or kettle. Roast in the oven, uncovered if you want a crispy skin. The sides of the pot help hold the moisture in the meat better.


Note: My dad loves Old Bay Seasoning used as the seasoning salt.

A beautiful Juicy Roast Chicken - Stuffed with onions.

Red New Potatoes were baked along side the chicken.

Delicious chicken, potatoes & onions drizzled with drippings & heirloom tomato salad on the side.

Enjoy!

Leila