How do I cook stewing Hens with a roaster?? I'm vegetarian HELP!?

Question

Have 2 stewing hens and a roaster...I'm vegetarian...but they are thawed and need to be cooked for the rest of the family...I'm not sure what to do with them...advice would be great thanks.

Answer 1

The stewing hens should be cooked in a large pot, covered with water. For flavor, add a couple bay leaves, salt, pepper, garlic gloves (more or less, as you prefer), a peeled onion cut in chunks, and some celery stalks. (Don't include the giblets in the pot---they will make the broth cloudy and strong-tasting) Depending on their size, you should bring them to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for one and a half hours or a little more, until the meat is tender. Remove the chicken to a large pan. Let it cool until you can handle it. Remove the skin and bones, and use the meat for sandwiches, in chicken salad, or just eat it as it it. Strain the liquid and use it as a base for soup, gravy, sauces, etc.

The roaster needs to be cooked slowly in the oven for best results. It's a bigger, fatter bird, designed to be roasted whole. Here's simple recipe for roast chicken. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/231348

Answer 2

Sure. I think the only difference is size.

An easy way to cook them: Put them in a pan (like a cake pan). Put some garlic powder and onion powder on them. Put a little water in the pan (may 1/4 inch--a lot of water will cook out of the chickens). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350. One chicken takes about 1 hr 15 min; three will probably take 2-1/2 hours or so. I then just pull the meat off the bones and separate white and dark meat on the platter.

Another way: Cut them into pieces. (Cut off the leg-thigh; cut the leg from the thigh. Cut partway where you think the joint is, then wiggle them around a bit to find the exact joint. Then cut the wings off. Then cut the body in 1/2. Look inside the cavity and you'll see most of it is held together only by soft tissue; cut that. Around the neck area there is cartilege; you'll need to cut through that to finish separating the halves. Then cut the back in half where it naturally breaks. As for the breast: Cut the wishbone off. It's hard to find. Feel along the skin side until you feel a bone, about 1/3 of the way from the wide end to the narrow end. Cut straight down behind that ("behind" being toward the narrow end of the breast) until the knife stops. Then turn the knife toward the wide end and slice all the way through. It will resist at the end because the bones are connected with cartilege. I usually finish removing it by pulling it off. Then separate the remaining breast into two pieces by cutting it lengthwise. There's bone there; you'll have to cut to the right or left of it. First, cut through the tissue in the vertex of the V left when you removed the wishbone. Then break the bone by hand. You're just breaking a small piece of it so that you can get the knife in to cut the rest of it. (Or, just leave the whole breast in one piece and let the meat-eaters divide it up!)

Put the pieces skin-side up in a cake pan. Liberally sprinkle sasoned salt on it. Do not cover or add water. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes (for one chicken). Maybe your family will know when it's done. The skin should be dry and crisp (may not be, with three chickens). The meat will separate fairly easily from the bone.

Hope this helps! You're sweet to be doind this for your family.

Answer 3

Wash the chickens inside and out.

Rub them on the outside with olive oil (natural tenderizer)

Salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder on the outside. I like to use a can of chicken broth to cook them in.

Put them in the roaster and slow cook them @350 for about 1 1/2 hours, then cook them to a lovely golden crispy brown by taking the roaster lid off and baking them for another 20-30 minutes.

If you want something different, try roasting them in pinapple juice and honey. Serve it with a garden salad and hot rolls. If you want more veggies make some fresh steamed green beans.

Answer 4

rinse them thoroughly, inside and out.....take out the package of "innards" from the inside of the hens......season them with salt, pepper, a shake of onion powder, a shake of garlic powder.....put them in ur roaster, add prolly a cup of water to the bottom of the roaster....put the top on the roaster, and bake @ 350 for approximately 1 1/2 hours (depending on the size).....you might not have to cook it quite that long, i like ours falling off the bone tender, so you could reduce your cooking time to an hour probably. You can also put stuffing in them if you wish:)

Answer 5

if you want first wear food gloves. make sure you take out the neck & the package of giblets out of the birds. & wash the hens & pat dry. we like to put lemon pepper on them & cook acording to the roaster instructions if desired you could put carrots, celery an onion & a couple of garlic cloves cut up around the hens while cooking & if they dont like lemon pepper, you could put maybe garlic pepper or salt & pepper & garlic powder. you can serve with rice or noodles & a salad

Answer 6

It would be better to put the two hens in a LARGE pot add water, onions, celery, carrots, salt and pepper and cook ALL DAY long, serve with noodles or rice for dinner. Stewing Hens are OLD hens and need lots of cooking to not be tough.

Answer 7

I think you just jam that spit thing through them and turn on the roaster and cook 'em.
(I'm also vegetarian.)

Answer 8

ONLY difference between the 2 is the amount of fat on them. Cook the same. One probably weighed about 6 ounces more than the other due to fat. (Overweight chicken...lol)