I saw my friend Lauren’s dad making this once and I HAD to have it. I have a severe lack of “sauce knowledge”, so I am always eager to expand my repertoire. For those picking up the “Dinner in 17-and-a-half-minutes!” cookbooks, you can pump the brakes a bit on your epic quest to discover the shortest amount of time possible to cook a half way decent meal. This one is easy, doesn’t take much time, and the bulk is all done in a single pan (yowza, you mean I don’t have to go to Ikea to pick up another 6-piece set of Teflon?).
Ok, that’s a bit of a lie when you factor in sides. I never said I was a truthful lass.
2 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and dried with paper towels
3 T flour
2 t butter
2 t olive oil
2 shallots, minced
3/4 c wine
3/4 c heavy cream
3 T mustard (I used the Mendocino Mustard “Seeds and Suds”, because it is SO GOOD, but the original recipe calls for whole grain. Both are fantastic choices)
2 T capers
Salt and Pep
Preheat oven to 170.
In a bowl, mix together the flour and some salt and pepper. Coat the chicken thoroughly and lay aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil and butter until hot. Brown the chicken until crispy, pretty, and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side (your pieces should be fairly thin).
Remove from the pan and set on a baking tray; place in the oven to keep warm while you make the sauce. Reduce the heat in the pan to medium-low and add the shallots, using additional oil if necessary. Cook about 4 minutes, until the shallots are soft (if you like them caramelized, cook longer). Add the wine and reduce for a few minutes, until there is about 3 T of liquid.
Whisk in the cream and some more S&P, turn off the heat, and mix in the mustard and capers. Take the chicken out of the oven and spoon the sauce over. I chose to have some boiled/mashed/lumpy potatoes with mine (so tasty) and a side of asparagus.
And before you know it, you’ve fainted from beauty. And speaking of beauty…..
BAM! Epic cat picture.
She is totally eying the chicken. Fat chance, my fluffy friend.
This may sound simple. It may sound lame, or just downright boring. But if you think these things….
This stupidly easy recipe consistently gets rave reviews from friends, family, and even some people that I don’t pay (much) to say nice things to me. It’s that awesome.
Hello friends! Apologies for the lack of posts recently. As you can see, I’ve migrated over to WordPress (you will always be remembered as my first love, Blogspot), which I am told is more “professional”.
Saturday night Moroccan Feast
Some of you may be receiving a post notification email from me for the first time and are thinking, “I did not sign up for this. How rude!” I added people I thought might be interested in reading up on foodie adventures, but PLEASE let me know if you’re not and I can remove you from ze list!
Down to biznass.
If any of you out there haven’t tried Moroccan food, think of it as a more bad ass version of your plain old meat and potatoes. Why?
Those North Africans know their spices and use them to kick some serious taste bud booty
Because of all the spice combinations, the food does not rely on fat for flavor
The list of typical ingredients (cous cous, chicken, lamb, chick peas, nuts) is not only more diverse than what most WASPs are used to, but it’s also a lost healthier. It’s a lot more “straightforward” way of cooking, meaning that there is less frying, breading, etc. and more simmering, marinating, and slow cooking.
I am in no way, shape, or form saying that fried food isn’t fantastic. I love it. Gosh darn it, I LIVE it half the time. But as I age and my metabolism continues to slow to a glacial pace, eating like a 12 year old boy is no longer an option. To find something as flavorful and healthy as Moroccan food is a god send!
I found this fantastic recipe from my good friends and CooksIllustrated.com and was able to actually make it thanks to my dear and wonderful father, who gave me this:
The newest addition to our family
A new 7-qt Le Creuset dutch oven. Sigh. Isn’t she a beauty? So shapely. So vibrant. So…perfect. Thank you, Pater!
This particular dish is “Moroccan Chicken with Chick Peas and Apricots” and it would be a great dish to try if you aren’t super familiar with Moroccan food. It’s fairly mild, has a blend of spices that are all probably sitting in your cabinet now, and is incredibly easy. Plus it’s tasty!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 1/4 t sweet paprika (there are a few varieties in the store: sweet, smoked, and one I can’t remember. Get sweet!)
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground coriander
1/4 t cinnamon
3 strips lemon zest (use a veg. peeler to shave off some strips)
3 T lemon juice
5 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 chicken pieces (I used 4 drumsticks, 4 thighs, and 1 breast cut in 2)
S & P
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 3/4cups chicken broth
1 T honey
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 in moons
1 cup dried apricots, halved or quartered. I used Turkish Apricots, which were quite yummy
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
Ignore the capers. I was confused and so alone.
See? Nothing too complicated for our tiny little brains.
To start, mix all of the spices in a bowl together and set aside. Mince one of the lemon strips and smush it together with 1 t garlic, then set aside.
Liberally salt and pepper the chicken on both sides, then brown evenly over medium-high heat.
Remove from the pan and take off the skin, nomming it until you have chicken grease all over your face. Most excellent.
Add the sliced onion and remaining lemon slices to the pot (make sure there is about 1 T of oil remaining):
and saute for about 5ish minutes, or until a little softened. You don’t want them to be “flimsy” at this point, just a tad translucent. If the pan is sticky from all the chicken-fried goodness, add a tablespoon of water to loosen things up a bit. Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Then add the spice mixture and cook another minute, until your salivary glands have run out of fuel.
Slowly stir in the broth and honey, scraping the bottom to get up all the brown bits. Add in the thighs and drumsticks (not the breasts), reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 5ish minutes.
Layer your chopped carrots and apricots over the dark meats:
And add the breasts on top of that, with any accumulated juices:
Reduce heat to medium-low (a very low simmer), cover, and cook for about 15-20 minutes. The chicken should register 160 degrees on a thermometer. When it’s done, remove it and set aside on a plate (cover with foil to keep it warm). Add the chickpeas to the pot and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Add the garlic/lemon zest mixture and the lemon juice, then put the chicken back in and stir it up.
Gorgeous, eh? Flavor with salt and pepper and you are dressed to impress!
I served this with some whole wheat israeli couscous mixed with toasted almonds and goat cheese (yea, YUM). Couscous is fantastically easy: saute some shallots, add the grains and toast for a few minutes, then add water and simmer for roughly 20 minutes (israeli couscous is much larger and takes more time than “normal” couscous, which takes only 7 minutes).
The apricots from the stew and the almonds from the couscous formed a winning partnership, and the spice combination overall was a wallop of goodness. I brought this to a neighbor-bonding potluck and it was loved by one and by all!
