Help! I’ve bought the world’s smallest chicken

[RosieMilkJug]

It is labelled as a medium size but is tiny. I have 4 adults to feed tonight.

i need to bulk it out with something so I’m thinking about putting it in a roasting tray with a can of tomatoes, garlic and white beans the roasting the whole lot together. Would the sauce be too greasy?

What else can I do with a chicken to make it go further?

tia

Or stuffing but I have bread so I could make my own?

Ah fair enough!

I use James Martin's recipe for Yorkshire puds but there are two quite distinct variations which need slightly different cooking temp/method. I'll find it for you just a sec.

I'd use this as an opportunity to use every single bit of veg from the freezer (leaves more room for Christmas foods!).

If you chop 2/3 rashers of the bacon and add to the onion it will liven up the flavour.

Yorkies: 4 flat tbs plain flour, pinch salt, punch baking powder, two eggs added in a well in the centre and gently stirred. Add milk as the mixture thickens - enough to coat the back of a spoon but not too thickly - probably no more than 5/6 oz. Pour into really hot fat once the casserole is out and then don't open the oven until risen and golden. aunt Bessie's are better

Google nigella's praised chicken. You poach it instead of roasting it and it seems to make a chicken go further!!

You can still serve it as a roast!

Chicken, potatoes, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings and peas!

Alternatively do you have spices? Chicken and bean chilli with homemade foolproof flatbreads.

Nothing heathen about adding Yorkshire puddings lol. I used to add Yorkshires to stretch meals further.

Yorkshire Puds (makes 6 decent sized ones):

140g plain flour
200ml milk
4 eggs

Whisk to smooth consistency.

6 hole muffin tin, small drop of oil in the bottom of each hole, heat in oven until hot then pour in batter mix equally. Cook on 190 or 200 degrees (fan oven) for around 25- 30 mins.

I was raised to only have yorkshires with roast beef. Doesn't mean I follow that belief 😉

Sorry OP, I assumed you had a box of stuffing, flour, milk and eggs already in your cupboard. Just bulk it out with your veg, and that baguette. Otherwise tinned soup for a starter is a good call.

Me too. Growing up it was only ever associated with beef or sausages (toad in the hole). Now I’ll have them with anything. 😄

Thanks for the Yorkshire pudding recipes.

All sounds enough for four to me.

Remember, food cooked with love is always as good as expensive ingredients.

Fool proof Yorkshire pudding recipe that never fails me is 125g plain flour, 2 eggs, 200ml milk and a good pinch of salt. I put everything in a jug and blend it with my stick blender. Hope your meal goes well. x

I think a roast would be more satisfying than the beans/tomato idea.

If you follow a recipe for the Yorkshires they’ll most likely turn out well. Even if they don’t rise they’re still tasty and filling.

chicken cooked with the bacon laid over the top, Yorkshires, potatoes, greens, peas, cauliflower cheese and gravy and you’ve got a great dinner even if it’s a small chicken.

You can make the gravy just from the meat juices, flour and the cooking water from the greens/peas plus a stock cube if you have one or plenty of salt and pepper.

Pigs in blankets on the side.

Is it over 1kg? If so, I would just do extra sides and stuffing.

I’m fairly sure I could feed 8 with that and have plenty left for a risotto.

😆😆😆. Any advances on eight plus leftovers?

I've got a medium chicken for dinner tonight for two of us and I'm hopeful there might just be enough left for a sandwich tomorrow.

Cooking it in a sauce with the fat coming out of the chicken would be horrible.

Add sides as per Christmas dinner - roast and mash potatoes, stuffing, yorkshires, pigs in blankets, veg

If you think about what people enjoy about a Christmas dinner, it's all about the sides

Don't suppose you need or want another recipe @RosieMilkJug --Sorry, got called away to help DH and it took me ages to find the right one as well because all my bookmarks died with my iPad. Hopefully you've worked out what you want to do now.

The cooking juices/fat would not be horrible...that's where most of the flavour is! Loads of dishes are made like that, it's a perfectly legitimate cooking technique; if fat offends you or you have to avoid it for health reasons you can always skim it off at the end.

But I suppose that's a discussion for another day!🙂

Have a good Sunday dinner @RosieMilkJug and hope it all goes swimmingly!

@RosieMilkJug Nigella has a delicious one pot chicken and orzo. I'd go for that.

www.nigella.com/recipes/chicken-in-a-pot-with-lemon-and-orzo

Sorry op I don't have anything else to suggest but I really fancy a roast now.

I wouldn't add any tomatoes. I'd roast it and try to add in extra veggies plus Yorkshires if you have the ingredients, Stuffing in the back of the cupboard? It can be a cheap addition. But i'd probably just say to everyone 'hey this is what XXX think is a medium chicken!'

Tomato Bruscetta for starter (if you have fresh toms). Maybe white bean dip if you have crisps to serve with it. Or tomato and bacon soup. Also are you one of the four? If so make sure you’re not too hungry and you can have a smaller portion if all else fails! Do you have dessert? Make pancakes perhaps (assuming you’ve got ingredients, as similar to yorkies). If not can you text one of them suggesting they pick something up? I generally appreciate being told what to bring by hosts. Just remember people are coming to see you, not for a free feed, you’d hope, so if all else fails make a joke of it and you’ll be grand. Make everyone toast to the teeny tiny chicken, poor wee Stuart Little 😁 Godspeed