A most delicious chicken dish

I wish I could take credit for this dish, but I can’t. I saw a Facebook Reel about a similar dish, but when I went back to look for it, I couldn’t find it. So I searched my memory banks as to what I could remember about it and this was my best guess. I made it tonight, and thought I should write it down so I can make it again. It was truly spectactular and pleasing. I served it with a side of broiled asparagus.

Lori K’s version of the most delicious chicken dish you’ll ever make

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, halved lengthwise

¼ cup flour

1 egg

4 sprigs thyme, leaves only

Garlic salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup of chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons capers

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

1½ cups cooked rice (I think the original called for mashed potatoes, but rice is what I had on hand)

Instructions

After you halve the chicken breast, pound each half with a meat mallet. Put the flour in a fine wire-mesh strainer and sprinkle it generously over each breast; turn each half and sprinkle over the other side. On a plate large enough for each half, that has at least a ½-inch lip, crack open the egg and beat it. Add the thyme, and the amount of garlic salt and pepper you would usually use on a chicken breast. Beat the spices and egg together.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until it starts to lightly smoke. Have two ½-tablespoon pats of butter ready. Dredge the first floured chicken breast half through the beaten egg on both sides. Put a butter pat in one side of the pan in the hot oil and put the breast on top of it. Repeat with the other half. Cook until both halves are golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

When both are done, lower the heat to simmer; add the broth and the capers. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the broth thickens and the meat is done.

Put ¾ cup of rice on half the serving plate and put a chicken breast half on top of it. Drizzle half of the pan juices and capers over it, then half of the lemon juice, then sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with a salad and/or your favorite vegetable(s).

Mediterranean chicken

This recipe, which I've used successfully for years, is tasty enough to serve over white rice for company, and can be made more authentic by using thighs instead of breasts and serving over couscous. Earlier this week, I used chicken tenders, which cut the cooking time by more than half. I also used a spice I picked up in Old City Jerusalem, za'atar, instead of cumin, and it was even more delicious, if that's possible. If you don't have apricot halves, use prunes (also known as dried plums). And if you have an olive tapenade open, substitute 4 tablespoons of that for the dozen olives.

The photo of the za'atar pyramid was taken by Jim Richardson last summer in Israel.


Mediterranean Chicken Breasts
Serves 6

Ingredients
6 boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup dried apricots, plumped for 30 minutes and drained
1 1/2 cup dry white wine or unsalted chicken broth
12 brine cured, pitted green olives

Instructions
Season chicken with salt, pepper and cumin. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, turning chicken over every 2 minutes. Remove chicken and place on plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. Add garlic to skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Add apricots, wine, broth and olives to skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and simmer until sauce is thickened, about four minutes. Add chicken back to skillet and cook until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through, 20-30 minutes. Divide chicken breasts onto plates and spoon sauce over chicken.

Weeknight nage for busy gourmets

The recipe I posted earlier this week is good but complicated. 

It took Jim a whole afternoon to prepare this wonderful dinner: 

Sautéed Maine Scallops on Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Parsley Nage in "Terra: Cooking from the Heart of Napa Valley" (Ten Speed Press, 2000, 256 pages) by Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani.

What follows is my simplified version for two people. It takes about 30 minutes to fix, and is a good way to flavor up chicken breasts. It also looks impressive. If you don't care for cilantro, use flat-leaf parsley instead.

Lori K's Chicken Breasts in Rustic Nage

Serves 2

Recipe ©2012  Lori Korleski Richardson

Ingredients

For the nage

1 small minced shallot

3 tablespoons dry white wine

1/4 cup heavy cream

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 small bunch cilantro, stemmed

1/4 cup packed spinach leaves

1/3 cup chicken stock

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces white or brown mushrooms, sliced

For the rest

2 small chicken breasts

Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Spray olive oil

8 baby carrots

4 spears asparagus

1/2 yellow bell pepper

2 cups boiling water

1 pack (4.1 ounce) Idahoan Baby Reds instant mashed potatoes

4 sprigs cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

To start the nage, combine the minced shallot and wine in a small, heavy, nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1 tablespoon. Add the cream and return just to a boil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Put the cilantro and spinach in freezer zip bag and partially close. Microwave until just wilted. Seal the bag and throw the bag into the freezer to chill. Put the stock and garlic into a blender, along with a little salt and pepper. Take the bag out of the freezer, drain the greens, squeeze out any excess water and add to the stock and garlic. Process until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat, add the mushrooms and sauté for 4 minutes. Set aside.

Using the microwave, cook the baby carrots in a bowl with a little water until tender, about 4 minutes. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus, then put them in a freezer zip bag and partially close; cook about 2 minutes or until bright green. Cut the ribs and seeds off the yellow bell pepper and cut into 8 strips. Cook in a freezer zip bag until just well heated. Drain all these, season with a little salt and pepper and keep warm.

Pound the chicken breasts until they are about a 1/4-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and spray with olive oil. Heat a cast-iron shallow skillet to hot over high heat. Sauté the breasts on one side until they are very white around the edges. Flip and cook about a minute less on the other side. Remove the pan from the heat and let the breasts rest in the pan for 1 minute.

As you do this, boil the water for the potatoes. Add the pouch of potatoes all at once and stir well to moisten. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, finish preparing the nage: Reheat the cream mixture, and add the cilantro-spinach purée and the mushrooms. Bring just to a boil, then remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside and keep warm.

To serve, put 1/2 cup mashed potatoes in the center of each of 2 warmed shallow bowls. Spoon the  nage evenly around the potatoes, then place one chicken breast on top of each serving of mashed potatoes. Arrange the vegetables on and around the chicken. Garnish with cilantro springs.

A nonfat, no-salt kick for fish and other white meat

Our grill went on the fritz last month, so we've been pan-frying more than usual. But to get the taste of the grill without grilling, I had to get a little creative. Since chipotle is already made with smoked, ripe jalapeños, I hit upon mixing a tablespoon of chipotle sauce with the juice of a half lime and brushing fish, chicken or pork with it before pan-frying. Coat the cast-iron skillet with olive oil and heat it to medium high on our outdoor burner before adding the meat. The Pacific rockfish fillets took about 5 minutes total; the boneless pork chops pounded to about a 1/4-inch thickness took just a little longer, about 8 minutes.

Meat and fish cooked this way is also delicious in soft tacos; before you put the meat on, turn the oven on to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet, place 4-6 corn tortillas in a single layer, then sprinkle them with cheese (if you are watching your fat content, use veggie shreds or part-skim mozzerella). Put in the oven until the cheese just starts to melt. Cover with meat, jalapeños, lettuce, diced tomatoes and/or guacamole and serve.

Light "fried" chicken

Roast chicken is a treat, but most of the fat comes from eating it with the skin on. That's what makes cheap chicken parts, like chicken wings, so yummy. Frying wings adds even more fat to them, and breading them adds fat AND carbs. Want to put on weight fast? Bucket of buffalo wings coming up.

So when I'm not roasting the whole bird, I either buy my chicken parts with the skin off, or take it off when I cut up the bird before freezing the individual parts.

But you can have crispy, fried-like chicken with just a fraction of the calories. I served this with a salad of mixed greens, orange peppers, grape tomatoes, feta and toasted pine nuts, a dish of orzo/vermicelli (recipe tomorrow; it was very easy and cooked while the chicken was in the oven) and a side of peas. The peas were frozen - my tip for cooking them is to put them in a bowl, season to taste, put a plastic cover over them and microwave for 2 minutes or until steaming hot. Don't use water, and don't overcook them. And use the young peas, petit pois, instead of the larger kind. The larger kind may cost a little less, but they tend to be mealier and the skins tougher.

Lori K's oven-fried chicken breasts
Serves 2

Ingredients
Dried bread crumbs
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika
2 egg yolks
2 chicken breasts
Olive oil spray

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put a light layer of breadcrumbs on a plate and season them well. Beat the egg yolks until smooth. Wash and dry the chicken breasts, then brush one side with the yolk, lay on the crumb plate, brush the other side and flip. Make sure it is well-coated with crumbs. Place on a rack set over a shallow roasting pan. Repeat with the other breast, adding more crumbs and seasonings if needed. Top with a little extra smoked paprika. Spray lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes; turn pan around (or if browning too fast, flip) and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve.

Chicken processing slipping

Our chickens: Ruby Cheryl, Betty and Veronica

Considering the prevalence of chicken sold by parts in the grocery stores, it must be the rare person who cuts up a whole chicken these days. Yet whole chickens are by far the most economical, especially when they are on sale for 59 cents a pound. You get the parts you like, separate them yourself and freeze them in portions that you know you can use, and put the remainder in the stockpot with some carrots and celery, a bay leaf and onion and garlic if you like. It tastes better than any stock I've bought in a can or box.

I'm no math whiz, but here's a breakdown of costs, all this week's prices at Harris Teeter:
4 chickens @ $0.59 = approximately $12

If you bought the parts:
4 large whole chicken breasts @ $4.99 per pound = approximately $24
16 chicken wings = $1.50 (about a pound)
8 chicken thighs and legs @ $3 per pound = approximately $12
4 quarts chicken broth (using backs, necks etc.)  $2 quart = $8

Total: About $45

Savings: $33 (less what you put your labor at)


Notice I didn't price out the hearts, gizzards and liver. For one thing, three out of the four livers were a sickly yellow-orange, not the brown-burgundy of a healthy liver. And you only get one each of everything, at the most, so the amount is negligible.

And the liver isn't the only thing that wasn't right with this batch of chickens; one didn't have the oil gland removed from the tail. No big deal for me, since I wasn't roasting the chickens, but could have spoiled the dinner if I had popped it in the oven without noticing. Also no big deal was the number of pin feathers and broken shafts, since I like my skinless chicken. But seeing feathers on a piece of roasted chicken really puts me off.

A tale of two tails

The photo at right shows a tail with the oil gland on, right, and how it should appear with it removed, left.

Don't know how to cut up a chicken? A step-by-step guide can be found HERE.

Stocking up on stock

The one sign that's hard to pass up in a grocery store is "Whole fryers, 59 cents a pound." On sale, they sit like little plastic-wrapped, slightly lumpy bowling balls. They are sold as fresh, but they are darn near frozen, maybe a degree or two above. Still, they going into the cart, four at a time.

Spatchcocking a chicken

Once home, I line them up and begin to cut.

I usually spatchcock two of them: I take them out of the bag, put the neck, heart and gizzard in the stock pot, set the liver aside, rinse and dry the chicken well, take a pair of kitchen scissors and cut up each side of the backbone, which then goes in the stock pot, too. Flatten out the birds, season and  put the two of them in a 9x13-inch glass casserole, put in a 450-degree oven for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear. They come out beautifully brown and easy to carve.

The cooked, flattened chicken

Meanwhile, the other two are separated into wings, thighs and breasts; everything else goes in the stock pot, skin and all. I add a couple of bay leaves, some pepper corns, a couple of carrots and an onion. I cover the parts with water, bring to almost a boil, then turn it on low to simmer for several hours until the meat is falling off the bones. I then strain the broth and put it in the fridge to separate the fat. I pick off whatever meat looks good for chicken salad or soup and throw the rest out. I usually end up with at least 4 quarts of broth and enough chicken for about 10-12 dinners for two, not counting soup.

I usually fry the livers in a little olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, then eat them on toasts. If you don't have a cholesterol problem, they are good for you, high in iron and other nutrients: thiamin, zinc, copper and manganese, and Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and folate.

The entire process usually takes me about an hour and a half, not counting the time it takes to simmer the broth.

Salad days

Fresh salads with crisp new greens, with just a light dressing, with nothing else to hide the taste of Mother Nature's first offerings, are truly a gift to gardeners and friends of gardeners.

You can't make a meal out of them alone, but they do make a good basis for a simple supper: the warm salad.

The greens and the cheese are cold here; everything else is at room temperature or slightly warm. The coq au vin refers not to the classic slow-cooked dish, but just that the chicken breasts are cooked in wine.

Warm Coq au Vin Salad
Serves 2 as a main dish

Ingredients
2 cups of torn greens
1 cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 dried hot peppers or 2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 bay leaf

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and any ligaments

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
12 grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 ounces feta cheese cubes
1 red bell pepper, roasted, skinned and sliced
Salt, pepper and extra oregano to taste

Instructions
Wash, dry and tear the lettuce; wrap in paper towels and put on a plate. Chill.
Combine the wine, broth, dried hot peppers or flakes, peppercorns, teaspoons of oregano and salt, and bay leaf in a saucepan big enough to hold the liquid and chicken breasts. Bring to a full rolling boil. Add the chicken breasts. Cook for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and leave in the warm liquid for about 5 more minutes or until firm. Remove from the liquid to a plate.
As the breasts are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and season with a little pepper. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. They should have released their liquid when you uncover them; cook until the liquid evaporates, then remove to a plate to cool.
In the salad bowl, place the tomato halves and feta cheese cubes, and the rest of the olive oil. Add salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Add the sweet red pepper strips, and the mushrooms when cool. Slice the chicken breasts against the grain into rough strips and add to the bowl. Add the chilled lettuce. Toss, adjust seasoning if needed and serve.
Variations:
If you want a heartier dinner, use a cup of arugula instead of the lettuce and toss with a cup of cooked tiny green lentils and 4 ounces of pasta (shells, bowties or orzo) cooked and cooled a little. You may need to increase the amount of olive oil a bit, and perhaps add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
If you have time, coat the chicken with lavender salt and marinate a couple of hours before poaching; decrease the salt in the liquid.

Fast and French

French food, for most people, conjures up hours in the kitchen, striving for perfection of sauces and presentation. Not so for Jacques Pépin, born and kitchen-trained in France. He wrote "Fast Food My Way" (Houghton Mifflin, $30, 250 pages) five years ago, and although it's not a beginner's cookbook (there are no notes on basic cooking techniques), most of the recipes are, as promised, fast - which translates as uncomplicated and straightforward. Pépin also has included many menus, which is a great help in balancing out a meal.

It's a small book, but has lovely and inviting photographs by Ben Fink, all in bounce-off-the-page color.
The cookbook has a wealth of vegetable recipes and salads, and a few recipes for most kinds of seafood and meats. A substantial dessert section includes a tiramisu that is not unlike the one I hit upon when assembling one for a dinner for 100, and I'm sure it is just as delicious.
The recipe I used last night was definitely a winner: chicken breasts with garlic and parsley. Pépin says he adapted the idea from a traditional French way of cooking frog legs. Well, if he can adapt, so can I. I didn't have parsley, but my basil is loving this cool, wet weather, and I love the way it works with garlic and lemon.

Fast chicken breasts with garlic and basil

(adapted from "Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way")

Ingredients

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (organic preferred; each about 7 ounces, cut into 1-inch cubes)

2 tablespoons rice flour (Pépin=Wondra)

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (Pépin=parsley)

1 tablespoon butter (Pépin=2 tablespoons unsalted)

1 lemon, quartered

Instructions

Dry the chicken cubes with paper towels and toss them with the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet until very hot but not smoking. Add the chicken cubes and cook in one layer turning occasionally, for about 3 1/2 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the garlic and parsley in a small bowl. Add the butter and the parsley mixture to the skillet and sauté for 1 minute longer, shaking the skillet occasionally to coat the chicken. Divide among 4 plates, add a wedge of lemon to each plate and serve within 15 minutes.

Editor's note: Want this cookbook? Click on the photo or the name of the book to go to Powell's Books; it's $21 there.