Archive for January, 2010
Chicken Variation #3: Simplicity
Sometimes you’ll see a recipe that called for pre-cooked chicken. This is a simple way to do it. Cook a bunch, and keep them in your freezer. This way you’ll always have a base you can build on. (Or just squeeze a little lemon over it, and eat as it is. Nothing wrong with simple!)
Start with:
Chicken Breasts
Rub with:
Olive Oil
Dust with:
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Bake in a 425 degree oven for 13 minutes, turning once.
Or grill it. High heat, same timing.
Great for:
Really Easy Soup
Penne Pesto with Chicken
Garlic Broccoli
It’s no wonder so many people hate broccoli. The superdupermega vitamin-packed vegetable is almost always prepared as if it were old shoes. Boiled to death, steamed soft and mushy. Well, no more.
Add, to a hot pan:
One Teaspoon Clarified Butter or Vegetable Oil
Give the oil 30 seconds to heat up, and then add:
1/2 Pound Broccoli Florets
Saute for about 4 minutes, until sides of broccoli begin to brown.
Add:
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
Saute one minute.
Add:
1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
Pinch Salt
Pinch Fresh Nutmeg (Optional)
Cook two minutes, or until liquids reduce by half.
Lemony Leftover Chicken
What do you do when you grill/bake/fry too many chicken breasts? Sure, you could eat the leftovers as they are–cold chicken is great. Or, you could take five minutes and transform your leftovers into something totally new.
Cut, into chunks:
Leftover Chicken Breast
Add chicken to a hot pan with:
One Clove Garlic, chopped
Two Tablespoons Fresh Meyer Lemon Juice
One Tablespoon Honey
Cook for two minutes.
Add:
Two teaspoons butter
Cook one more minute.
Finish with:
Handful Chopped Italian Parsley
*If you can’t find Meyer lemons, use the citrus juice of your choice. Oranges are especially nice with this.
