Crisp, gently burnt on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside,
and leaving a warm spicy tingle in your taste buds!
How do you further enjoy one of your favorite movies or series?
Some people just watch, while others dissect all the intricacies of the plot and characters involved. I like to see what people are eating. Since we watch so often at home, it is great to prepare a great TV Dinner.
So engrossing is Game of Thrones that my imagination ran wild with thinking up what could have been a recipe for the chicken served to the Hound. I was about to make some roast chicken and serve my hungry ‘crew,’ and with a few twists on my usual offering, it was a lot of fun to come up with this GOT-inspired recipe.
Well, my internal ‘muse’ started working, and in my interpretation of the scenes, I imagined that before ‘The Hound’ appeared at the Tavern demanding Chicken with Arya along… the cook, there would most likely have heard stories, possibly a little embellished by some travelers, about the Dragons. Tales spread of seared goats and fowl… And in the fearsomeness of the telling, the Tavern Cook could possibly have burnt one or two of his own chickens along the way…
Not to waste any, the cook could have named the dish Dragon Fired Chicken… I presume, thus, starting more tales among the visitors frequenting his establishment. Upon the insistent shouting by ‘ The Hound’, Sandor Clegane, the cook could have pulled a juicy yet soft succulent and spicy chicken from the hot coals above the flames and thrown it haphazardly on a platter, possibly accompanied by a few sweet potato roots on the tavern’s wooden table saying, “There, eat that!”
Every seared morsel carried with it the subtle yet definite heat from forest-gathered spices along with a hint of earthy bitterness from the wild yet plentiful ‘Bush Tomatoes’ gathered in the forest by his younger children.
I picture the Tavern surroundings, located in the middle of deep woods, dank and dark, with chickens foraging free-range, a rustic farm garden with sprawling vines, and a little further away, a beehive or two. A young boy out behind the hen-house plucking feathers off chickens, his sister harvesting root crops and herbs, all while the Tavern Cook shouts orders for more. Down the path, another villager tends to the beehive and reaches in to pluck out a large honeycomb dripping with sweetness, always trying to avoid being stung by bees.
The farm path leading to the tavern was populated by the odd wagon, a horse or two, knights wending their way to the next battle, and bedraggled peasants walking quietly along, trying to stay out of the way of the Lannisters, carrying their bundles of belongings along with them.
So amidst the sounds of chopping vegetables, flames lapping around the fire pit, and men inside drinking, arguing, and cavorting. The cook’s job is fraught with hell and hurry, trying to get ahead of the fury that naturally accompanies such a group of hungry travelers in that unwieldy world.
Try this recipe for Game of Thrones, inspired Dragon Roasted Chicken For The Hungry “Hound.” You can make it all in one pot, place it in the oven or fire pit if you have one, and pull it out just before it burns to smithereens. Then as everyone sits around the television, binge-watching, throw them a plate or bowl of this hearty meal and watch them devour it and shout for more. Well, maybe they have a few more manners these days, but you get it. They’re “hungry hounds” and travelers with hardly a moment to spare away from their fantasy TV Vale in “Westeros” World.
Your ‘Hungry Hounds’ will love this recipe, ‘freshly seared’ by a Dragon’s Fiery Breath!
See the step-by-step photographs taken during the creation of this recipe. It was a lot of fun to set up the scenes and try to make them look a little bit like they were in the tavern surroundings. Step by step to a delicious Dragon Roasted Chicken Dinner!
Eat Up and Enjoy
Dragon Roasted Chicken For The Hungry “Hound”
Course: DinnerCuisine: MealtimeDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes1
hour30
minutesTantalizing and Spicy – One Pan Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Spicy Ingredients that make your mouth water
Step-by-step method with ingredients
- One Whole Roasting Chicken, washed and patted dry. Coat with Marinade.
- Sweet and Spicy Mesquite Marinade
1 1/2 tablespoons Montreal Steak Spice Pepper Medley or similar
2 tablespoons Turmeric Powder
1/2 teaspoon Natural Mesquite Liquid (for a woodsy flavor)
10 or 12 whole dried Bush Tomatoes
1 tablespoon gluten-free Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Mexican Hot Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
3 tablespoons Honey - Wash and Cut 2 Whole Sweet Potatoes with skins on into three sections. Place in a Roasting Pan that has been drizzled with 2 tablespoons of oil. Turn Sweet Potatoes to coat with oil on both sides.
- Place Coated Chicken in the ‘Humble Bird Position’ in the roasting pan. (Breast down with wings bent back position keeps the breast of the chicken moist and tender while the wing side facing upwards becomes crisp)
- Bake in a pre-heated 400 F Oven until sweet potatoes are soft and chicken is nicely browned and a bit charred. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours, and cover chicken at one hour point if it is getting too brown.
- Remove from Oven and carve the chicken into quarters. Place on a serving platter surrounded by sweet potatoes and garnish with chopped fresh chives or green onions. Serve with a fresh vegetable or salad.
- Asparagus Salad
Wash Asparagus Spears and snap off woody ends. Place Asparagus in boiling water for 30 seconds; turn the stove off, cover and let stand for 3 minutes; pour off the water. Add the following and slightly toss to cover the asparagus.
1 tablespoon Avocado Oil
1/8th teaspoon black pepper
1/8th teaspoon coarsely ground Sea Salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Set aside to cool or refrigerate until serving.
Notes
- The marinade leaves a lingering warmth in your mouth, designed not to be too spicy hot but with just enough kick to leave you wondering if it was, in fact, somehow seared by the breath of a Dragon. The Mesquite gives it a woodsy and earthy tone. The sweet potatoes were possibly grown in the “tavern” garden along with the chives. With the World of Westeros, who knows but that a little Mexican hot sauce is just the thing paired with exotic dried bush tomatoes from Australia. This recipe draws on a little whimsical imagination for its ingredients.
- Tip: The Humble Bird position keeps the chicken breast moist and juicy without becoming dry during the roasting. To give the top breast a little last-minute roasting that increases the look and flavor, I turned the chicken breast side up when the chicken was done and placed it for a few seconds under the grill.
Your ‘Hungry Hounds’ will love this recipe, magically seared by a Dragon’s Fiery Breath! Who knows, perhaps this hearty meal will inspire a poet or two to pause and wonder if there isn’t some deeper meaning to it all.
Arya’s Destiny Beyond the Vale, Beyond the ‘Hounds’
In the Series… Game of Thrones
Trina Astor-Stewart
George R. R. Martin hones
A Song of Fire and Ice
That sets us on our couches nice
All tense and awed and brought
To the edge of naught
With fancy, might, and terror fraught.
Moments feared have deeper lessons than, on the surface, thought.
Such hardness, such unkindness, such a pitiful
Experience turns out to build a needful
Skill that turns the dreadful to have had
All along, some future destiny of character to add.
And freedom wins its own crown and throne;
Facing a fresh wind… bound for another home.
Look in a specialty store for Australian ground bush tomatoes. I attended a fair last year where this was sold, and picked up a bottle. I use it occasionally to add another dimension to recipes. But if you can’t find it, no worries, just omit it, and the recipe will still delight.
I hope you will enjoy making this recipe for your Hungry “Hound!”
