Anytime I’ve ever liked something in a restaurant I’ve had my mom taste it so she could tell me what to put in it. I swear she’s a walking cookbook…. I’m learning… but I’m not quite there yet… She has this amazing knack for being able to recreate things. And that has made us very happy since one of our favourite restaurants closed and had it not been for her we would have to do without our favourite Lemon Ginger Chicken. That skill apparently comes from knowing how to cook really well … and from watching a whole host of cooking shows so also having a familiarly with how various cultures tend to cook.
The last time she was in the Czech Republic she bought a chicken seasoning packet and brought it home. It tastes so good that she decided to use the list of ingredients and bottle her own version… which of course she shared with me… and I like it so much… I’m sharing it here.
Czech Chicken Rub (*I used all dried spices)
- 1 1/2 T Garlic
- 1 1/2 T Parprikia
- 1 1/2 T Onion
- 1 1/2 T Black Pepper
- 1 1/2 T Whole Red Pepper
- 1 1/2 T Rosemary
- 1 1/2 T Thyme
- 1 T Parsley
- 1/2 T Oregano
- 1/2 T Basil
- 1/2 T Tarragon
- 1/2 T Sage
- 1 Bay leaf
- Approx 13 T Salt
Mix all powdered ingredients together and put any ‘whole’ spices into grinder or bullet then mix all of them together. Place into a spice bottle and use to season chicken.
Though the ingredient list called for almost 60% salt, to save on space and because I don’t care for the salt much, my spice container has everything minus the salt, which I add to taste, separately on the chicken.
For this chicken I first rubbed it down with olive oil then covered in the seasoning mixture… I seared in a cast iron frying pan and then baked for about 40 minutes to an hour depending on how big your chicken is at 350 degrees… I just slightly salted and it was fabulous.
I also roasted the vegetables separately and then served together in the dish, cooking them in the same dish at the same time would have greatly overcooked the vegetables… I like mine ale dente and just slightly crispy which is easy to do in the oven, top rack, on broil… just watch because they brown quickly.
Enjoy!