Baked Chicken stuffed with Steamed Pork Buns

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I guess I've been crapping the perverbial bed on the blogging front. That, and being on the lam has sadly prevented me from writing anything.  Anyway, I thought I'd share a new recipe/creation I custered up the other night. I was walking to the supermarket with an empty tank at around 6pm. I'd been smoking and drinking coffee all day, so I was starving yet jacked on the nick and the caff. I had been thinking I'd make a chicken soup. Pretty easy, throw everything into a pot, watch some tube, occasionally stir, and there it is. Instead, I noticed that the supermarket had whole chickens on sale for 40nt. Tired and lazy as I was, I couldn't pass these tasty little guys up, so I bought the biggest one I could find, and began walking home, thinking all the way of how I would bake this little chy chy.

When it came to the mental tetris game of what can I make with what I already have, fitting ingredients together, using whatever leftovers I can, etc etc, I realized I didn't have what I needed to make a decent stuffing. I had potatoes and carrots that had been roasted the previous night, so that would provide a nice bed to soak up the juices of the bird, but I had no stuffing. While I was walking, I came upon a steam bun stand. They make homemade Taiwanese pork buns. Juicy little numbers that are a little crispy at the bottom where some of their juice has carmelized on the grill. Immediately, I had found what I needed to substitute everything that makes up a good stuffing; salty, fatty meat, breadcrumbs that should take on a rather chewy texture, and a rich body.

Long story short, I diced up these little bad boy steamers, threw them into the pan with some diced onion, garlic, celery, a little soy sauce to keep in tune with the Asian style bun, some diced brown mushrooms, a little white whine, butter, some other savory spices, some cumin, a little chicken stock, and a couple tablespoons of cornmeal. When this mixture was all clumping together, I let it cool down, then I stuffed the bird. I then rubbed the chicken with turmeric, coarse salt, cracked pepper, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. The remaining stuffing I spread around the chicken, covering up most of the last night's potato and carrots.

I baked the chicken-covered in foil-at 200 Celsius for 30 minutes. I then pulled out the chicken, took off the foil and baked it uncovered at 220 Celsius for another 30 minutes, this giving the skin a nice brown tan. I pulled it out again, dropped a little dollop of butter on the chicken, recovered it, and baked it at 180 Celsius for another 15 minutes. When it was finished, I must say the meat was falling off the bone. The bottom layer of potatoes and carrots were caramelized and full of flavor from the drippings, and the stuffing was some of the best I'd ever had. It is a shame I took no picture. But in it's ease of execution, you should definitely try this one.