Page 1 of 1

Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 6:16 pm
by Jenise
A friend sent me a tape from a segment of Oprah where a woman demonstrated the dish that earned the grand prize of a $1,000,000 from Pillsbury for a dish called Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing wherein she used the maple syrup provided in the kit to make a glaze for the chicken and added the diced frozen waffles to some spinach. Both are then baked (in separate dishes).

A quick Google turned up the actual recipe, which I've printed below. It's a miracle of simplicity and completely unpretentious, which in fact most of these prize winning recipes admirably are. I couldn't have thought of it because I just am not that open-minded about products like a Dunkables (which prior to seeing the Oprah clip, I didn't even know existed). Had I understood a million smackeroos were at stake, I might have tried, though.

Anyway, here is the golden recipe for your perusal and comments. Please note the Rachel Rayed intro which brags "Ready in less than 30 minutes!" while Step 2 clearly begins, "Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes."


Anna Ginsberg
Austin, TX
Bake-Off® 42 (Orlando, 2006)
$1,000,000 Grand Prize Winner

Quick Meal!
Ready in less than
30 minutes!

Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing
Prep Time: 35 min ; Start to Finish: 1 hr
Makes: 2 servings Nutrition Information

An old-fashioned chicken dinner is updated for two, with a surprising ingredient that makes the spinach stuffing extra special.


9 Pillsbury® Dunkables® frozen homestyle waffle sticks with 3 syrup cups (from 1 lb 1.3-oz box)*
2 tablespoons peach preserves
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts (1 lb)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon beaten egg white
1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen spinach, thawed, drained, or 1 1/2 cups Green Giant® frozen cut leaf spinach (from 1-lb bag)
1 tablespoon chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate or 8-inch square pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix contents of syrup cups from waffles, the preserves and Worcestershire sauce. Place chicken, skin side up, in pie plate; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon syrup mixture over chicken.

2. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, toast waffle sticks until golden brown. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Cut waffles into 3/4-inch cubes; set aside. Spray 1-quart casserole with cooking spray (or use 9x5-inch nonstick loaf pan; do not spray). In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in waffle pieces and broth, breaking up waffle pieces slightly to moisten. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning and sage. Remove from heat; cool about 5 minutes. Stir in egg white and spinach. Spoon stuffing into casserole. Sprinkle pecans over top.

3. Twenty minutes before chicken is done, place casserole in oven next to chicken in pie plate. Spoon syrup mixture in pie plate over chicken. Bake chicken and stuffing uncovered 20 to 25 minutes longer or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (170°F) and stuffing is thoroughly heated. Spoon remaining syrup mixture from pie plate over chicken. Serve chicken with stuffing.

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 6:36 pm
by John Tomasso
In a word, no. Not to me, anyway.
I was going to say that chicken and waffles just don't go together at all, until I remembered a couple of soul food places in Harlem at which the specialtiy of the house is fried chicken and waffles.
I won't knock it until I've tried it.......

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2006 9:15 pm
by Robin Garr
Jenise wrote:Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing


Credit for creativity (and as John notes, <i>fried</i> chicken and waffles is a classic pair for urban soul-food eateries), but it wouldn't be worth a million bucks to me.

I moved this from WLDG, by the way, assuming you meant to start it here. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll move it back, or you can. :)

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2006 8:16 am
by ChefCarey
There is a tipoff in the recipe.

*Any* recipe that indicates one may employ "butter OR margarine" was written by an ageusiac for other ageusiacs, hypogeusiacs, dysgeusiacs and, quite possibly, Communists.

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2006 10:32 am
by Jenise
and, quite possibly, Communists


There went my coffee! ROFL, Chef.

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2006 10:39 am
by Jenise
and as John notes, fried chicken and waffles is a classic pair for urban soul-food eateries


I absolutely did not know this. Next question: why?

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2006 11:06 am
by Robin Garr
Jenise wrote:I absolutely did not know this. Next question: why?


Good question! I really don't know, it just is! ;-)

I guess maybe there's something celebratory about it. But it's true, a lot of fine inner-city eateries specialize in "meat and three" (a blue-plate special of a meat choice and three veggies/side dishes) and "(fried) chicken and waffles."

Here's a review of a splendid chicken-and-waffles place in Louisville that I wrote a few years ago. Sadly it's closed now, but might give a general impression.

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2006 2:47 pm
by Bill Spohn
Robin Garr wrote:Here's a review of a splendid chicken-and-waffles place in Louisville


Right next to that Pork and Pancakes joint, across the street from Beef n' Buns?


But then I've never understood chicken-fried steak...or is that steak-fried chicken? Nor the seemingly national predeliction for smothering what was more or less decent food in luke warm wallpaper paste and calling it gravy, nor.....

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2006 3:18 pm
by Robin Garr
Bill Spohn wrote:Right next to that Pork and Pancakes joint, across the street from Beef n' Buns?


Close.

But then I've never understood chicken-fried steak...or is that steak-fried chicken? Nor the seemingly national predeliction for smothering what was more or less decent food in luke warm wallpaper paste and calling it gravy, nor.....


You're barking up the wrong tree. I don't like chicken-fried steak OR sawmill gravy. :)

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2006 4:22 pm
by Chris
Jenise, Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles is a small chain in SoCali. You apparently did not frequent one of them when you resided there? My son and I always meant to visit one because we were intrigued when we heard them mentioned in one of Quentin Tarantino's movies.

http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com

According to the site, there is one in Long Beach.

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Fri May 26, 2006 6:15 am
by Bernard Roth
Who would want to eat like this, much less cook like this?

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Sat May 27, 2006 3:59 pm
by Jenise
Chris, did hear of Roscoe's (referred to simply as Roscoe's without the 'Chicken and Waffles') but never ate there. Only soul food place we ate at was one whose name was the zip code for Memphis, TN, and whose owner and cook had once been an Ikette. I can't say I loved the food but I loved the fun time I had eating there, wherein the Ikette's son would dash into the middle of the room periodically and recite the menu with "21, count 'em, 21! side dishes" for the sake of the new arrivals, or make late-breaking announcements about what they'd run out of. It was a hoot.

Bernie, who'd want to eat like that? Not me....

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2006 9:32 am
by ChefCarey
Jenise wrote:Chris, did hear of Roscoe's (referred to simply as Roscoe's without the 'Chicken and Waffles') but never ate there. Only soul food place we ate at was one whose name was the zip code for Memphis, TN, and whose owner and cook had once been an Ikette. I can't say I loved the food but I loved the fun time I had eating there, wherein the Ikette's son would dash into the middle of the room periodically and recite the menu with "21, count 'em, 21! side dishes" for the sake of the new arrivals, or make late-breaking announcements about what they'd run out of. It was a hoot.

Bernie, who'd want to eat like that? Not me....


901?

Re: Is this recipe worth a million bucks?

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2006 12:04 pm
by Paulo in Philly
Jenise,

I actually watched the competition on the Food Network last night. My draw dropped - I could not believe that recipe won!!!