a new favorite: Chicken with Tomatoes and Apricots

i found this recipe in Sunset magazine and altered it a bit, as i had only dried chickpeas, rather than the canned variety, and didn’t have enough time to cook the peas and eat them in the same evening. (the original title is, “Chicken with Tomatoes, Apricots, and Chickpeas.”)

instead of chickpeas, i opted for a cup of brown rice, which may end up being the starch future servings require. the apricots and the seasonings offered a smoky sweetness that was both unusual and savory. next time i’ll experiment with more sauce–it was thick and delicious, but needed about half as much more to really soak into the brown rice.

ingredients:

• 4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs. total)
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed (i substituted a cup of brown rice, cooked separately)
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry, and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, then add cumin, coriander, and cayenne; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on underside, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until brown on other side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, sugar, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and return chicken to pan. Cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and parsley, and cook until heated through.

i’ve been cooking, just not blogging about it

my buddy brenda commented recently on my dried up savannah of a cooking blog.

the blog isn’t a reflection of a lack of creativity in the kitchen, just competing priorities, i guess.

i’m going to change that.

maybe tomorrow. i’m a bit too tired to chronicle tonight’s go-to meal (e.g., “go-to” when i’m plum outta ideas), one of david’s faves: pesto crusted chicken with carmelized onion pasta and tonight’s surprise nebraskan guest: corn on the cob. mm mmm.

soon.

easy subtle stir fry

i’m a big fan of stir fry, and usually stick to the basics: lots of veggies, maybe some meat/prawns, and a delicious sauce.

this time, i craved brown rice and something healthy, so here’s what i did, modified from this recipe:

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced crosswise
1 teaspoon honey

4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups short-grain brown rice, cooked according to package directions, cooled (i used a blend of brown rices)
1 bell pepper (orange is the tastiest), chopped into 1-inch pieces
i bunch of greens (not sure what i used, but they were spidery-shaped and tough, raw), sliced into strips

Stir walnuts in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons soy sauce over walnuts; stir until soy sauce coats walnuts, about 45 seconds. Cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store at room temperature in airtight container.) –this part was terrific. i always add nuts to stir fry, but adding soy sauce was a tasty addition.

Combine chicken, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and honey in medium bowl; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and stir fry for about a minute or so, being careful not to overcook and make soggy. Add greens, and after combining all ingredients, put lid on pan and let steam for a minute or two. When done, I added the cooked rice and walnuts into the pan–not something i do, usually, but the flavors from the nuts and rice was pretty great.

x-mas eve feast, unplanned

one of the easiest and most special meals to make is a roast chicken.

easy =  hardly any work goes into it
special =  it’s so delicious, everyone who partakes is pretty happy

because of these reasons, i made a roast chicken last night. according to julia child, all one needs is a good chicken–something that is harder and harder to find in the US, where chicken raising has become an abomination, and as a result many americans consider the meat of a chicken as an unnecessary element that gets in the way of the crispy greasiness coating their tender, finger, or boneless pile delivered in a bucket.

sorry about that.

back to the delicious part. i only buy kosher or organic chickens–trader joe’s is a good spot to find ‘em. here’s the easy part (wait for the special, just an hour and a half later).

from sarah’s kitchen:

1. preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. wash the entire chicken with warm water and dry completely (i used a paper towel for the drying).
3. extricate any giblets from the inside (i throw ‘em away).
4. rub soft butter all over and toss a bit inside.
5. lightly salt the entire chicken (i use sea salt) and sprinkle fresh rosemary and herbe de provence, or whatever you have on hand that includes a woody herb, like rosemary.
6. place on a roasting rack, breast side up, and pop in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. after 15 minutes, baste once and reduce the temp to 350F.
8. every 8-10 minutes, baste, and after an hour or so, you can tell if the chicken is ready, by:

• the legs detach and move with ease when you wiggle ‘em
• the juices that flow out are yellow
• the thickest part of the thigh is tender

(last night, when i wiggled the delectably brown bird, the leg fell off = it was done!)

9. let the chicken rest, outside of the oven, for about 10-15 minutes, then carve. mmm mmm.

***make sure to keep the carcass and all bones for a chicken stock! stick it all in a plastic bag, and put in the freezer for later. i’ll include a recipe for that, soon.