Getting a Hand with Holiday Cooking from Handi-Foil

Mmm.... the holidays bring back some of my favorite childhood recipes, smells and memories. Now as a Mom I have my own food traditions to uphold. I enjoy the love I can put into my food and the chance to spend the holidays with my family. That doesn't mean I look forward to the mountains of dishes I will create.

Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving Dinner, throwing a holiday party or sharing your holiday favorites with friends, wouldn't it be nice if the cooking, taking and storing of your food was hassle free?

Handi-Foil is a great option for saving time. Handi-Foil offers a whole range of pan options to have all of your favorite holiday dishes covered. From simple storage containers for leftovers, to cake pans and roasters, there are even  Eco-Foil options that made from 100% recycled aluminum. I was sent an assortment of pans to use for some of my favorite holiday eats. I made an herb roasted bird and rosemary  potato rolls for my family.

The herb roasted chicken is a classic my Mom likes to make. My husband has never been a big fan of turkey, so this is my compromise. Simply dressed with an herb compound butter, the meat is tender, juicy and aromatic. Really, the recipe couldn't get much simpler.

I grabbed whatever herbs were still lingering in my garden. Some thyme, rosemary, chives, parsley, garlic and lemon will add big flavor without a lot of salt or preservatives.

I made up my compound butter ahead of time, it just needs to come to room temperature before dressing the chicken.

Herb Compound Butter

You Will Need:
1/4 c. unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon, zested
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 c. herbs, a combination of your choice
Olive oil to
Salt & Pepper to taste

Chop the herbs roughly and grate or press the garlic cloves. Add all the ingredients to a food processor or heavy duty blender, such as a Blendtec. Add enough olive oil so it will mix together. Refrigerate until you need it and let it come to room temperature before preparing the bird.

Preparing the actual chicken, or turkey with the compound butter is very easy. You can see how I do it from start to finish in my video.

Herb Roasted Chicken

You Will Need:

1 small chicken

Herb compound butter

2 onions

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1/2 lemon

1 roasting bag

1 Handi-Foil roasting pan

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Let your chicken and compound butter come to room temperature for 15 - 20 minutes. 

Gently separate the skin from the chicken by slipping your fingers between the two. Work compound butter under the chicken skin and then on top of the bird. Tie up or poke legs back into the bird to keep them tight to the body. (Check out this slick, no-string trussing trick in the video)

Place your bag inside the roasting pan and create a layer of vegetables and herbs. Set the bird on top and close the bag. Pull the bag away from skin if possible.

Bake at 450 degrees for around 25 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees for an additional 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your bird.

It was moist, juicy and simple. The herbs gave it a nice flavor to enjoy on it's own after roasting, but won't overpower the leftovers in case you want to use them in quesadillas or burritos later. That would be my husband's favorite way to enjoy that after turkey day stash.

Since the Handi-Foil pans were so easy to use, I also decided to make my husband's favorite potato rolls. I used one of the stuffing pans and it was the perfect size for one batch. I will be using my remaining 3 pans to make more rolls to freeze ahead for the holidays. That recipe I will share with you in my next post where I will also be able to give away Handi-Foil pans to two lucky readers. Stay tuned!

Be sure to check out the Handi-Foil website for a complete list of products to make your holidays easier. You can also connect with Eco-Foil on Facebook for more great recipes and ideas.

Now I want to know, what holiday dishes would you create up in your Handi-Foil pans?

*Disclaimer - This post is brought to you thanks to Handi-Foil, the most trusted name in recyclable container foilware products, made 100% in the USA. All opinions expressed are my own.