A Taste of History in Greenfield Village offers our visitors seasonal, locally sourced and historically minded recipes. Over the past year, our chefs have been developing some new recipes, directly drawn from the recipes of George Washington Carver and the ingredients that he used. You can learn more about the inspiration behind the new options both in A Taste of History and in Plum Market Kitchen in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in our blog post here, or try out some of the recipes for yourself—like this Brined and Roasted Chicken.
Chef’s Notes
Running out of time? This recipe takes plenty of patience and is well worth it, but if you need something quick, you can roast the chicken with salt and pepper for a few minutes, then brush it with melted butter, apple cider vinegar, and pure maple syrup. Continue roasting, brushing with the mixture an additional two or three times, until the chicken is fully cooked.
We also recommend serving it alongside the sauce (link below). There are many other sauces that Carver has recipes for in his published papers, but we chose the green Tomato Chili Sauce because it uniquely balances the sweet maple flavor of the chicken with just enough spice to make it dance on your palette. You can make the sauce ahead of time and reheat when you are ready to eat.
Recipe: Brined and Roasted Chicken
Makes 8 Chicken Breasts
Maple Brine Ingredients
4 C Boiling Water
7 oz Granulated Sugar
3 oz Kosher Salt
1 C Maple Syrup
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme
4 C Ice
Additional Ingredients
8 Chicken Breasts (6–8 oz each)
Procedure
- Combine boiling water, sugar, salt, maple syrup, and thyme and stir until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
- Add ice and stir, allowing the liquid to cool completely.
- Rinse the chicken breast and completely submerge in maple brine. Refrigerate for at least five hours.
- After five hours, remove the chicken and rinse clean. Discard the used brine.
- Roast at 350°F until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Serve chicken with Tomato Chili Sauce.
Whether you make it for yourself at home, or pay a visit to A Taste of History in Greenfield Village to let us make it for you, let us know what you think!
Eric Schilbe is Executive Sous Chef at The Henry Ford.
making, restaurants, food, by Eric Schilbe, Greenfield Village, recipes, George Washington Carver
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