If you think roasting a whole chicken is a lot of work, I am about to change your mind. Roasting it at a higher temperature for a shorter time produces beautifully tender meat with absolutely no work at all. This method has been around for years, usually called Blasted Chicken, and it is incredibly easy. There is no basting, no trussing, no rubbing with butter or oil, and with me, no spices except salt and pepper, although you can tuck in a piece of lemon, garlic, or your favorite herb if you like.
I don’t even wash the chicken, just bring it to room temperature and pat it dry. I like to make this on Friday so we have leftover chicken to snack on, or for chicken paninis. You can roast this chicken on a baking pan but I prefer a broiler-style pan to draw away the fat and I always use a disposable one. I did not invent this method but I want to make sure everyone has this easy recipe for blasted chicken.
I serve it by removing the skin and then cut or tear the chicken into big pieces. There is no easier way to roast a chicken and my way means no cleanup. Gotta love that! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
If you ever need fast comfort food, this is it. Today I made my quick and easy mac & cheese and it was ready in 20 minutes. With only four ingredients, it’s pretty hard to mess up, and I use low fat milk and cheese so I don’t feel guilty about enjoying this American classic. Plus I always serve it with a green vegetable on the side. Sometimes this simple mac & cheese becomes a side dish to some chicken and salad. Even though it’s a quick stovetop recipe, you can also bake it in the oven for a crispy top. Here’s how I do it:
While I prepare the recipe on the stove I preheat the oven to 375. Once the stovetop version is done I stir in some chopped & drained fresh tomato (this is optional) and I transfer it all to a greased 3-quart casserole dish. I top it with a cup of fresh breadcrumbs and bake for 20-25 minutes for a golden, crispy top. You make fresh breadcrumbs by processing a couple of slices of white or soft whole wheat bread in a food processor.
Whether you need a quick 20 minute recipe or you prefer a creamy mac & cheese with a crispy top, either way you’ll get a much healthier version of almost everyone’s favorite comfort food… macaroni and cheese. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Easy desserts are my favorite thing and when they’re fast, it’s even better. My blondies, made from scratch, are ready in 30 minutes. Most other recipes use a stick of butter and sometimes two but I only use 3 tablespoons of butter and they are delicious. Of course, the darker the chocolate chips the better for your health so I buy the darkest I can find but I have also made these blondie bars with a 70% chocolate bar. I just chop some of it up into pieces and they become my chocolate chunks.
My favorite nuts for blondies is pecans but you really must toast them first. Of all the nuts used in baking, pecans are the most fragrant after they are toasted. You can see my video on how to toast nuts under the Videos section. I always try to make my desserts as healthy as possible and this one works well with half whole wheat pastry flour and half all purpose flour. I wasn’t sure what to call them. The long name would be “Quick & Easy One Bowl Chocolate Chunk Toasted Pecan Blondies.” Too much? Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
This is a place share photos of any of my recipes you made. I love seeing my recipes made all over the world so feel free to say where you are from and send your photo to: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com
MARIA MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD “Jenny, I just made your 2-Hour No Knead Bread– take a look. Isn’t beautiful? I cannot believe I did it.”
~ It is beautiful – congratulations! I’m pretty sure you’ll be making it again. ~ jenny
PAUL MADE MY MEATLOAF “Hi Jenny. This was the 3rd time with your meatloaf recipe – my family love it, even though meatloaf is not really a regular dish in the UK. I make it with Turkey mince that is around 3% fat, it’s a bit softer than beef so I add a spoon of flour last just to help it bind together – tastes great, love the crispy outside. Not such a great photo, will do better next time! Thanks again for your fantastic work on this site.”
~ When you have leftovers, you might also enjoy an American classic, a meat loaf sandwich. ~ jenny
EDDIE MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD “Hi Jenny! We are in absolute love with the no knead bread! It’s so easy to make and very delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe. ~ Eddie Kay from phoenix Arizona.”
~ It looks fantastic. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. ~ jenny
CHET IS SHARING HOW HE RISES DOUGH “Hi Jenny, I am using a turkey cooker to rise my dough. I have found that this method works well as the ambient house temperature during winter days fluctuates. There are two vent holes in the cover of the cooker, I have enlarged one of the vent notes to allow a thermometer to be placed to monitor the temperature. I have found this method gives me the best and consistent results.”
~ Thank you for sharing this innovative idea. ~ jenny
DALILA MADE MY APPLE PIE “Hi Jenny! ? I have to tell you that your Homemade Apple Pie recipe is a keeper! I made Apple Hand Pies and they came out very good! The one small change that I made was to the granny smith apples. I diced them into smaller pieces so they’ll fit in the hand pies. I plan on making other varieties of fruit pies using your dough recipe. Thank you Jenny! Happy Baking! ? “
~ These hand pies are beautiful. I admire all the detail and work you put in.~ jenny
CANDY MADE MY ANGEL WINGS “My Grandmother made these a lot. Such memories?. My first attempt. Taking them to our families Easter dinner. So good.”
~ Every one looks perfect. What a great job for the first time making these. ~ jenny
NIKTA MADE MY EASTER BUNNY BUNS “Happy Easter! Jenny, i had so much fun making these! I’m taking them to family brunch shortly. I made the ears smaller (I only used a 2.5 inch cutter for ears and body), but I got 12 breads with hardly any dough left.”
~ They turned out beautifully! They’re sure to bring smiles to the whole family. ~ jenny
JOSEPHINE MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD “Dearest Jenny, Thanks for ur recipe n video.. Made it & We love it-ate half together as dinner! Aloha?Josephine.”
~ Aloha back to you. Thank you for your photos. ~ jenny
BLAKE’S WIFE MADE MY SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD “My wife’s home baked loaf all thanks to Jenny Can Cook.”
~ That’s a good looking loaf. Thanks for sharing. ~ jenny
MARIA MADE MY BAKED DOUGHNUTS “Hi Jenny, We loved the Baked Donuts, Jenny! We had them with a cup of coffee and they were DELICIOUS. Thanks, Jenny! ~ Maria L.”
~ Thanks for the pretty photo. I love the sprinkles! ~ jenny
DALILA MADE MY FALL-OFF-THE-BONE RIBS “Hi Jenny! I am in rib-heaven thanks to your ‘FANTASTIC’ recipes!! YAY YOU!! I made your homemade BBQ sauce, your homemade dry rub and followed your instructions for your oven-baked ribs…..AWESOME!!! All three of your recipes that I made were easy to follow. The one small change that I made was that I used boneless-pork ribs. I didn’t have any bone-in pork ribs so I substituted those for what I did have in my frig. The ribs were soooo moist, tender and flavorful. I served our ribs with a side of pineapple coleslaw and rolls. Talk about an appetizing dinner that not only looks great, it also made my taste buds dance with joy!! Thank you for sharing your cooking ideas! Happy Cooking! ? ~ Dalila.”
~ Great photos! Now you know why this is my most popular video. ~ jenny
JANA MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD, CRUSTY ROLLS & WHITE BREAD “Hi Jenny! Hello from Seoul, South Korea! I am Czech, living temporarily in South Korea. I have discovered your recipes few months ago and I cannot explain how happy I am. As a Czech, I love my bread, bread rolls, poppy seed rolls etc. everything that is impossible to find here. Thanks to you, I can bake everything now and with the great taste I remember even from my childhood. Thank you! I am slowly trying to go through all of your recipes, but of course bread and bread rolls were the first I had to bake. I am sending the pictures of them. And then was this white bread, and because I have here „czech“ size of the baking pan, the bread is longer and slimer, but we don´t care, the taste is great. Oh, and I made the poppy seed roll yesterday, it was a great hit, but I was not fast enought to take a picture… 🙂 Thank you for all your recipes and funny videos. I wish you happy and healthy days from Seoul, ~ Jana Sulkova.”
~ Bringing happiness to your house makes me feel so rewarded. Thank you for these photos. ~ jenny
If you think roasting a whole chicken is a lot of work, I am about to change your mind. Roasting it at a higher temperature for a shorter time produces beautifully tender meat with absolutely no work at all. This method has been around for years, usually called Blasted Chicken, and it is incredibly easy. There is no basting, no trussing, no rubbing with butter or oil, and with me, no spices except salt and pepper, although you can tuck in a piece of lemon, garlic, or your favorite herb if you like.
