Prepping for Thanksgiving!

Like the scouts say: be prepared! I'm doing a Turkey Test Run for dinner tonight. To be practical, I'm roasting a chicken, but poultry is poultry - yes? This recipe features a Black Eyed Pea stuffing with Delicata Squash. It might even make its way onto the Thanksgiving table!


For the Chicken:

Brine:
6 cups water
1/2 cup Kosher salt
1/4 cup Pickling Spice (or coriander, bay leaves, thyme and a garlic clove)
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Cracked Black Pepper

Olive Oil
additional Salt and Pepper

Soak the whole chicken in the brine for 3-5 hours. Rinse and pat dry. I put the chicken in the baking dish on a bed of paper towels and refrigerated uncovered for an hour. This dries the skin out (skin only! Don't over dry!) and lets it get crispy in the oven. Separate the skin from the chicken breasts with your fingers, starting at the leg end. Drizzle a little olive oil underneath each side and rub with salt and pepper to season the meat. Repeat on the outside to season the skin.

Stuffing:
1-2 hard rolls
1/3 cup each Celery, Carrot, Onion - diced
1 Tbs dried sage
1 cup Black Eyed Peas
Salt and Pepper to taste
drizzle with olive oil

Combine the ingredients in a single layer on a sheet pan. Broil on low 5-7 minutes, or until the bread is toasted and the veggies are roasted. Stuff into the cavity loosely as soon as the stuffing comes out of the oven. Save the remaining stuffing for the squash

Delicata Squash:
1 medium Delicata Squash
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Split the squash in half, lengthwise. It is similar in flavor to acorn squash, but a little quicker cooking. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper lightly. Top each half with the remaining stuffing and place in the same baking dish as the chicken. Bake at 375 for about an hour and a half (or until an internal thermometer reads 165). Remove from oven scoop the chicken's stuffing out into a separate dish. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 15 minutes to bring up to temperature, about 175 degrees.