How to Make Swinging Chicken

How to Make Swinging Chicken

 

52 Unique Techniques for Stocking Food for Prepper
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I don’t watch a lot of TV – I just don’t have time for it, but the other day I happened on “Swamp People” and saw a guy hanging a chicken from a tree in order to make what he called “swinging chicken”.

I was intrigued, and a basic internet search did not come up with much, so I pondered on what he was actually doing, what the benefits were, and per my usual alternative search terms.

Well after a little study, and the term “coffee can chicken” I figured out what was going on.

Basically, if you take a number 10 can, poke some holes (4-6) about 1 inch from the bottom of the can, place about 10 burning charcoal briquettes in the bottom, and then insert a small whole chicken double rapped in heavy duty aluminum foil, in 3 hours you have a very tender roasted chicken with very little work.

All the warnings from the sites mentioning coffee can chicken revolved around the hot can burning up the grass it sits on, so the tv personality improvised a solution by attaching a loop of bailing wire to the top and hanging the chicken from a tree.

Obviously, if you wire a can of coals and chicken to a tree limb, you have to stay nearby – I would hate for neighborhood dogs to try to get agt the chicken, upset the coals, and burn down your house…

Use some uncommon sense when trying this, but I will tell you – it is worth it, and when mixed with my cooler cooked corn on the cob, you can have a great meal without doing a lot of work…

How to Make Homemade Chicken Bacon

 

52 Unique Techniques for Stocking Food for Prepper
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Yesterday we showed how easy it is to make bacon – we do it at our house every chance I get – but to be honest finding good quality pork belly can be difficult at times so I am always on the lookout for alternatives.

We tried rabbit bacon and found it to be – well blaaa, it was tough and not very meaty.

However, chicken bacon was pretty good – if you like turkey bacon.   Chicken Bacon tastes just like turkey bacon.

Personally I think bacon that is not pork based is a horrible lie, but my wife wants to limit my intake of the meaty goodness so that I wait until I am at least 50 before I stroke out, so she makes me eat more turkey bacon than I would choose to on my own.

Making it is the exact same process as pork bacon – but since it does not have as much fat, I wanted it to have more flavor so I coated it in maple syrup during salting, and then again as I put it in the smoker.

I have made many posts about ho to make bacon, but since bacon makes the world go around I am adding a link to an article on how to make bacon jerky.

My wife eats turkey bacon, she uses it in her 21 day fix diet.  Personally I’d rather eat less real bacon than more fake bacon.  But its personal preference.

How to Make the Easiest Chicken and Dumplings Using Tortillas

 

Recipe: Chicken and Dumplings
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Last week we opened a 2 year old can of chicken the wife and I put buy a couple years ago.

We did that to show you that home canning does have its place in long term food storage even though I would not recommend keeping your food for that long.

Today I will show you one of my favorite recipes for using canned chicken as well as a tip for making EASY chicken and dumplings that I learned from my mother.

Flour tortillas are an easy way to make the dumpling portion of chicken and dumplings.

Ingredients:

  • Chicken
    • Either you can boil a whole chicken and pick the meat off, or you can use chicken you canned at any amount you desire
  • Chicken Stock
  • Flour Tortilla Shells
  • Cream of Chicken Soup
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Cheese (if desired)

Equipment:

  • Stock pot
  • Ladle

Procedure:

1.Fill pot 2/3 full of Chicken stock and bring to a boil
1.If you using chicken you have picked from a whole chicken use the water you cooked it in, otherwise use the water from your canned chicken. Add additional water to fill pot to desired level.
2.Add chicken
3.Add soup
4.Rip (or cut depending on your levels of neatness) several flour tortillas into pieces approximately the size of a business card.
5.Drop tortilla pieces into the boiling water until the surface is covered with tortillas. Let cook 20 seconds or so before pushing them under the water with your ladle.
6.Repeat step 5 until you reach your preferred “dumplings” to chicken ratio.
1.Remember that tortillas will swell as they cook.
7.Add seasonings if desired
8.I like to add cheese to the mix, as it cooks, but you can throw some on the top of each bowl or leave it out entirely.

Alternatives:

Sometimes I use cold stock to make dumplings by mixing in All Purpose flour and stock until I get a dough and then dump spoonfuls of the dough into the coiling water.

I also make a lot of chicken and rice by cooking the rice in the stock instead of adding dumplings.

At my house I make this a lot and then eat it at work. A big pot lasts me a week.