Dinner at a Greek Diner

Chicken with artichokes and roasted red peppers, served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and drizzled with balsamic sauce.

It came with a salad and a side veggie, too!

Verdict: Mmm . . .

Recipe of the Day: Mistral’s Chicken with Garlic

Love It: Mmm, garlic. Nice, toasty, roasted garlic. Sweet and succulent, and with 40 cloves, there’s plenty to go around.

Fear It: Wine, being alcoholic adds a surprising number of calories. Have you seen how many calories are in vodka? But it’s only a little bit for eight pieces of chicken, after all. Just be careful not to catch the pan on fire pouring it in (having set several kitchen fires myself, I always do it off the heat).

Teach It: It’s not mentioned in the recipe proper, but in the accompanying article in this week’s New York Times, it’s recommended that you seek out already-peeled cloves for this recipe. You can find them in jars or plastic bags in the refrigerated part of the produce department, or, if you have a Costco membership, you can pick up an enormous jar of Christopher Ranch peeled cloves back by the cheeses and prepared foods.

Eat It: Alton Brown made a similar recipe on his garlic episode of Good Eats, and he used the excess oil in the pan to make garlic toast. Then, he took a roasted clove and smooshed it all over the top of the bread. That’ll keep the vampires away! Yum.

Mistral’s Chicken with Garlic
Source: New York Times (originally from Patricia Wells)
Yield: 4 servings

• 1 3- to 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• About 40 large garlic cloves
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup chicken stock or canned broth

1. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Place a deep, nonreactive skillet or Dutch oven over high heat, and add oil and butter. When fats are hot but not smoking, add chicken pieces skin side down and cook until skin turns an even, golden brown, about 5 minutes. Work in batches, if necessary, and carefully regulate heat to avoid scorching skin. Turn pieces and brown them on other side for an additional 5 minutes.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Bury garlic cloves under chicken to make sure they settle in one layer at bottom of skillet. Sauté, shaking or stirring pan frequently, until garlic is lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add wine and stock, scraping bottom of pan.

3. Cover and continue cooking until juices run clear when a thigh is pricked, 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve chicken with garlic and pan juices and, if desired, rice or sautéed potatoes.

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Recipe of the Day: Pecan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets

Love It: The pecan is my absolute favorite nut. I might have something of a sentimental attachment to it, as through my exposure to Emeril on the Food Network, it became the first nut I tried after a long bout of nut pickiness. Almonds are also a favorite of mine but are better for cookies or eating straight up. Pecans are more versatile in my mind, as this recipe shows.

Fear It: Frying plus nuts is sure to equal one heck of a calorie count, so this must be saved for special occasions.

Teach It: The Cook’s Illustrated people are (often ridiculously) thorough in testing their recipes, and they’re happy to tell you all about it. It’s the formula for every recipe article in both their magazines. The takeaway here without the didacticism is that adding mustard to the egg wash and adding breadcrumbs to the pecans keeps your breading intact and unburned.

Eat It: I see rice in the picture, but I think something lighter such as green beans would help keep this rich dish from turning into a gut bomb. Plus, I very much enjoy green beans.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets
Source: Cook’s Country
Yield: 4 servings

 

Do not process the pecans too finely or their natural oils will be released and you’ll end up with pecan paste.

 

• 2 large eggs
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved horizontally
• 2 cups pecans
• 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn in half
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup Vegetable oil

 

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with wire rack. Whisk eggs, mustard, garlic, tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add chicken, coat well, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate while preparing nut mixture.

2. Pulse pecans in food processor until finely chopped, with some pebble-sized pieces. Transfer to pie plate or shallow rimmed dish. Pulse bread in food processor until finely ground. Add bread crumbs to nuts and stir in cornstarch, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cinnamon.

3. Working one at a time, remove cutlets from egg mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl. Thoroughly coat chicken with nut mixture, pressing on coating to help it adhere, and transfer to large plate.

4. Heat 1/2 cup oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side (lower heat if crust is browning too quickly). Transfer chicken to rack on baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Discard oil and solids from skillet and repeat with remaining oil and cutlets. Season cutlets with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

 

 

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Chicken with Ginger

Note: This entry was published first on June 11, 2005. I have to say, my own description of this recipe is making me feel eager to try it again as it sounds pretty tasty. And me producing a pretty tasty stir fry isn’t exactly an everyday event.

 

Dinner tonight featured an Asian-style dish from the pages of Everyday Food magazine. I suppose it could have been made in a wok, but due to a shortage of saucepans, I had occupied the wok with boiling the frozen potstickers. It did fine in our 12-inch sauté pan, though.

 

As for flavor, it had that slightly sweet but pungent taste I usually associate with good Chinese takeout. The ginger wasn’t as spicy as I would have expected with half a cup floating around, but that might be because of the soaking.

 

If you’re fast with a chef’s knife, this dish should be easy for you. Myself, I guessed with all the measurements (I rarely measure when I’m not baking these days) to shave off some time to compensate for my always slow and methodical knifework.

 

Chicken with Ginger
Source: Everyday Food
Yield: 4 servings

 

• 1 three-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks (1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup sliced scallions

 

1. Soak ginger in cold water 10 minutes; drain.

 

2. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat; brown chicken in two batches, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

 

3. In same skillet over medium heat, cook ginger, onion, and garlic, stirring until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar; cook over high heat until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken; stir to warm. Remove from heat; stir in scallions.

 

Notes:

You can also serve this Asian dish over Chinese noodles, available in most supermarkets, or steamed rice.

 

Nutritional information per serving:

Per serving: 327 calories; 9.2 grams fat; 41.7 grams protein; 18.3 grams carbohydrates; 1.9 grams fiber

 

 

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Punchy Purple Chicken Salad

Note: This recipe was originally published on my old blog on June 12, 2005. Now some 20/20 hindsight — to poach chicken breast, place it in simmering broth (with an inch of cover) for nine minutes, then cover, turn off the heat, and let it rest in the hot broth for about 20 minutes, until it’s cooked through.

 

The red onion provides both the purple and the punch in this salad, which you might want to tone down with some lettuce, tomato and cheese on your sandwich. If you don’t like a strong onion flavor, try soaking the diced onion in cold water for about 10 minutes to make it milder (a tip often given by the Food Network’s Sara Moulton).

 

Another suggestion: This recipe (like any chicken salad recipe) would work well with leftover chicken or with chicken pulled from a rotisserie-cooked bird. Whatever you choose, be careful not to overcook the chicken like I did! I need a little more poaching practice, it seems.

 

 

Punchy Purple Chicken Salad
Source: Colleen Fischer
Yield: enough for two small or one big sandwich

 

• 1 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast half, cubed
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/8 tsp celery salt
• freshly ground black pepper

 

Stir together all the ingredients. Allow it to rest in the refrigerator for a half hour or more for the flavors to blend.

 

 

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