Important question
The only thing I will eat with gravy is turkey and that's only because I don't like turkey but it seems to be THE thing to eat for Thanksgiving. So slathered in turkey drippings the fowl tastes better. Don't think I've EVER eaten chicken with gravy!!
I'm not a pro chef, but my wife sure loves to cook. She's also a food network junkie, but she actually gets ideas from the shows, and gets recipes, and actually enjoys cooking stuff. And she's really good at it, too. (Bonus for me!)
I highly doubt an onion in the pan would do anything other than make any resulting gravy taste better. It might make your kitchen smell nicer, too. but as for the chicken itself, I doubt it'll do anything.
I assume you mean a whole, intact chicken, and not a segmented/ separated one? Whenever we pan roast, I do the pre-separating with a boning knife (and/or shears), and all the pieces lay flat in the pan, so they both simmer in the juices and bake the skin crispy on top. Best of both worlds. We cook it with all kinds of veggies, including onion, so it's got all kinds of goodness in there.
Normally, if we do whole birds (turkey or chicken) I deep-fry it with the turkey fryer, in peanut oil. So no gravy, but the bird is fantastic.
I highly doubt an onion in the pan would do anything other than make any resulting gravy taste better. It might make your kitchen smell nicer, too. but as for the chicken itself, I doubt it'll do anything.
I assume you mean a whole, intact chicken, and not a segmented/ separated one? Whenever we pan roast, I do the pre-separating with a boning knife (and/or shears), and all the pieces lay flat in the pan, so they both simmer in the juices and bake the skin crispy on top. Best of both worlds. We cook it with all kinds of veggies, including onion, so it's got all kinds of goodness in there.
Normally, if we do whole birds (turkey or chicken) I deep-fry it with the turkey fryer, in peanut oil. So no gravy, but the bird is fantastic.
if the onion is inside as mentioned it will absorb some taste. but in the pan it is just used for gravy afterwards. and chicken can be pink and not kill anyone or even make them sick. it has to get to an internal temp of 170 to kill everything, but can still sometimes be pink if it was near a blood vessel that never drained off.
well, since were onto onions here are some tips
The best way to avoid crying when dicing an onion is to use a very sharp knife and to move as quickly as safety permits.
1. Cut off the end of the onion end with the small roots sticking out.
2. Cut it into half lengthwise, so that the end that is still together is cut into half.
3. Now remove the skin and may be one of the layers to clean the onion.
4. Holding your knife parallel to the cutting surface slice the onion parallel to the cutting surface so that you are making slices that are 1/4 inch from each other. Remember to never make a cut that would break through the end of the onion. The onion will come apart if you slice through the bottom end.
5. Turn the onion. Make lengthwise slices remembering not to cut all the way to the end . The onion will still be in one piece and look like half an onion.
6. Turn the onion and chop the onion all the way to the back of the part that is still together.
7. You will have perfect small dices of onion.
8. Now chop the other part of the onion the same way.
The best way to avoid crying when dicing an onion is to use a very sharp knife and to move as quickly as safety permits.
1. Cut off the end of the onion end with the small roots sticking out.
2. Cut it into half lengthwise, so that the end that is still together is cut into half.
3. Now remove the skin and may be one of the layers to clean the onion.
4. Holding your knife parallel to the cutting surface slice the onion parallel to the cutting surface so that you are making slices that are 1/4 inch from each other. Remember to never make a cut that would break through the end of the onion. The onion will come apart if you slice through the bottom end.
5. Turn the onion. Make lengthwise slices remembering not to cut all the way to the end . The onion will still be in one piece and look like half an onion.
6. Turn the onion and chop the onion all the way to the back of the part that is still together.
7. You will have perfect small dices of onion.
8. Now chop the other part of the onion the same way.
Originally Posted by TheToon,Jun 11 2008, 08:20 PM
More importantly, Lainey what the F are you doing in the kitchen to begin with??

As far as the onion, maybe Mom did put the onion in the cavity. I'll have to ask her.
Lainey, as mentioned above the onion will not flavor the chicken if put in the pan. It will impart some flavor if placed in the cavity. For maximum flavor if you are going to use the pan drippings for gravy-use what we refer to as the holy trinity- onion,carrots and celery. Rough chopped is fine. Place the bird on top of the aromatics (as we call them ) and roast until done 160-170 degrees always use a thermometer to get it right. Doing so will insure food safety and avoid overcooking and drying out. The caramalization on the pan bottom , essence of the aromatics, pan drippings and some seasoning will yield a flavorful gray should you so desire.
Originally Posted by zzziippyyy,Jun 11 2008, 07:54 PM
well, since were onto onions here are some tips
The best way to avoid crying when dicing an onion is to use a very sharp knife and to move as quickly as safety permits.
1. Cut off the end of the onion end with the small roots sticking out.
2. Cut it into half lengthwise, so that the end that is still together is cut into half.
3. Now remove the skin and may be one of the layers to clean the onion.
4. Holding your knife parallel to the cutting surface slice the onion parallel to the cutting surface so that you are making slices that are 1/4 inch from each other. Remember to never make a cut that would break through the end of the onion. The onion will come apart if you slice through the bottom end.
5. Turn the onion. Make lengthwise slices remembering not to cut all the way to the end . The onion will still be in one piece and look like half an onion.
6. Turn the onion and chop the onion all the way to the back of the part that is still together.
7. You will have perfect small dices of onion.
8. Now chop the other part of the onion the same way.
The best way to avoid crying when dicing an onion is to use a very sharp knife and to move as quickly as safety permits.
1. Cut off the end of the onion end with the small roots sticking out.
2. Cut it into half lengthwise, so that the end that is still together is cut into half.
3. Now remove the skin and may be one of the layers to clean the onion.
4. Holding your knife parallel to the cutting surface slice the onion parallel to the cutting surface so that you are making slices that are 1/4 inch from each other. Remember to never make a cut that would break through the end of the onion. The onion will come apart if you slice through the bottom end.
5. Turn the onion. Make lengthwise slices remembering not to cut all the way to the end . The onion will still be in one piece and look like half an onion.
6. Turn the onion and chop the onion all the way to the back of the part that is still together.
7. You will have perfect small dices of onion.
8. Now chop the other part of the onion the same way.
along the lines of cookiing tradition the way mom didi it.
a friend recounted this story.
his wife used to cut off the ends of the pot roast.
he asked why. my mom always did it that way.
so they called his mom and asked why did she cut off the ends.
Her mom replied becuase "well that's the way my mom did it."
so they called her grandmother and asked why.
Oh that, well when your mother was little we didn't have a pan big enough to fit the whole roast so I just cut of the ends to make it fit.

maybe your mom just liked baked onions
a friend recounted this story.
his wife used to cut off the ends of the pot roast.
he asked why. my mom always did it that way.
so they called his mom and asked why did she cut off the ends.
Her mom replied becuase "well that's the way my mom did it."
so they called her grandmother and asked why.
Oh that, well when your mother was little we didn't have a pan big enough to fit the whole roast so I just cut of the ends to make it fit.

maybe your mom just liked baked onions












Oops forgot TMI in the post