Microwave Casseroled Chicken
Submitted by tiffany
Microwave casseroled chicken: whole roaster cooked in the microwave with cream of celery soup, egg noodles, and mixed vegetables. Full dinner in 50 minutes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
35 minREADY
50 minThis is mid-1980s microwave cooking at its most ambitious. A whole roasting chicken cooked right in the microwave with a side of cream of celery noodles arranged around it. Published in an era when microwave cookbooks promised to replace the oven entirely, the recipe still works today for a surprisingly tender, juicy bird when you follow the power and timing carefully.
The bouquet sauce (sometimes called Kitchen Bouquet, a caramelized browning sauce) does the visual work that the microwave cannot. Brushed over the chicken skin, it gives the finished bird that oven-roasted color microwaves otherwise never deliver. Butter thins it out so it spreads evenly. Apply half before cooking, the other half when you flip the chicken midway.
The two-stage power schedule is the secret to not ending up with a rubbery bird. Three minutes on high to jump-start the surface, then drop to 50% power for the remainder. High power the whole way through turns the outer inch of meat into shoe leather while the bone is still cold. Medium gives the heat time to reach the center without scorching the edges.
Kitchen Tips
- Start chicken breast side down. The dark meat on the bottom takes longer, and the juices baste the breast as it cooks. Flip halfway as the recipe specifies.
- Drain the fat and liquid from the casserole before adding the noodles. Otherwise the noodle layer turns into soup instead of a sauced side.
- Let the chicken rest 5 to 10 minutes, tented loosely with foil, after cooking. Resting finishes the cook and lets juices redistribute. Legs should move freely and juices run clear.
- If you do not have Kitchen Bouquet, a mix of soy sauce and a pinch of brown sugar fakes the color reasonably well.
Variations
- Swap the cream of celery for cream of mushroom or cream of chicken for a different flavor base. Both work with the same technique.
- Stir a tablespoon of curry powder or paprika into the butter-bouquet mixture for a spicier exterior.
- Use rice or orzo in place of egg noodles for a different side to catch the juices.
Ingredients
Directions
Defrost vegetables in package at High, for 2½ to 2½ minutes.
Set aside.
Place chicken in 3-quart casserole breast side down.
In custard cup, melt butter at High for 20 to 45 seconds.
Add bouquet sauce.
Brush back of chicken with half of butter mixture.
Microwave at High for first 3 minutes.
Reduce power to 50% (Medium).
Microwave for remainder of first half of cooking time.
While chicken is microwaving, combine remaining ingredients in small bowl.
After half of total time, drain fat from casserole.
Turn chicken breast side up, brush with butter sauce mixture.
Arrange noodle mixture around the chicken.
Microwave for remaining time, or until chicken is tender, and legs move freely.
Stir noodle mixture before serving.
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