chicken | Jenna's Everything Blog

Hi everyone! I am back from Guadalajara! All toilets, I am pleased to report, were in full working order. Not a single large spider was spotted. We were also not kidnapped (as I briefly feared when my boss recommended that we wear jeans instead of the business outfits we’d brought, having just been told by a Mexican friend that we should try to look as inconspicuous as possible). I view my non-kidnapping as a huge plus.

But of course, what kind of a story is ‘all was well’? Really, it’s no kind of a story. So be reassured: shenanigans were nonetheless afoot. A big week-long festival in Tlaquepaque (where we stayed) serenaded us with exploding fireworks, loud mariachi bands, and the crazy, energetic noise of people celebrating in the street. This went on all night long. And by ‘all night long’ I mean that we checked into our bed and breakfast around 8pm Monday evening, and when we came down for breakfast around 7:30am the next morning, the party was still raging. Not petering out, or winding down, or losing its steam–raging, I tell you. Raging.

Number of hours of sleep between check-in and check-out = 0.256. I was suddenly very grateful that our connecting flight had us at the Dallas airport the following night, where not a single enthusiastic mariachi man was in sight.

Now please don’t misunderstand me–I’m in full support of people partying in the streets, saying the Lord’s Prayer over a loudspeaker, and greeting the dawn with dancing and yelling. But those firecrackers sounded like bombs, man. And we kind of had a meeting with a client the next morning, type of thing. The short dozes I coaxed myself into throughout the night were populated with nightmares of large hairy rats whose heads I was trying to smash against the wall, except that I couldn’t quite get enough energy in my arm to do the deed with one try.

What does that dream mean? I don’t think that a detailed analysis would be fruitful at this point.

Anyway, it’s time for more food.

I am one of those people who mentally divide meals into two categories: weekend and weeknight. Being a workin’ woman these days, Monday through Friday there is simply no time to make most braises, stews, or roasts. The incomparable flavor of these dishes has been reserved, in my mind, for a Saturday or Sunday.

When I started leafing through my library copy of the fantastic cookbook ‘The Best 30-Minute Recipe,’ I read that the brilliant minds over at America’s Test Kitchen wanted to make stews, braises, and traditionally long-cooking things like lasagna into faster (but still delicious) weeknight versions. I may have pumped a fist in the air. In fact, if these people want to lead a revolution, I will follow. Take me to your leader.

Are you getting the feeling that I’m becoming obsessed with America’s Test Kitchen? Because if you are, that feeling would be correct, sir.

This recipe for Chicken Tagine that I bring to you today was a thrilling success. It all starts with microwaving chicken thighs to get the cooking done faster. I was skeptical at first–really? The microwave? Wouldn’t that make the chicken all gross and stuff? Where would the flavor come from? Well if there’s one thing I can state with confidence: there is no lack of flavor here! I still can’t believe it’s possible to make such a rich and wonderful dish in so short a time. The chicken is just as tender as if it had been on the stove for much longer. Rest assured that I’ll be bringing you more of this kind of recipe. I’ve been craving more ever since the last bite.

Ingredients

(Serves 5)

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBS flour
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup quartered dried apricots
2 TBS minced cilantro

In order to make this work in 30 minutes, multitasking and prepping things in order is very important, so I’ll walk you through it as best I can. First up: getting the chicken started.

Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper and place them in a single layer in a microwave-safe casserole dish (if you use a plate, the juices may run over and make a mess).

Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap . . .

. . . and microwave on 50% power for 15 minutes. Now I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to make my microwave go to 50% power, and since I suspected the manual was in a dusty spot under the couch where it was likely trod upon repeatedly by spiders, I simply did 15 minutes of ‘cook’ using the regular settings and it worked fine.

Now grab a large onion.

Give it a good mince. A good sharp knife is essential to performing this task quickly and safely.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. When hot, add the onion, garam masala and 1/4 tsp of salt, and cook for 5 minutes until the onion is softened.

Garam masala, by the way, is an Indian blend of spices that will rock your world. If you don’t have any on hand, just do a quick google search and you will turn up a million recipes telling you how to make your own by combining spices such as cinnamon, coriander, cumin, etc.

While the onions are cooking, get your chicken stock ready and open the cans of chickpeas and tomatoes (and drain/rinse the chickpeas under the faucet). Here they are, standing to attention.

Ready to jump into action at my beck and call.

While you’re at it, quarter the dried apricots. Such a lovely, bright orange!

You should also have time to mince up the garlic. I hope that multitasking doesn’t make your head spin.

Once the onion is softened, add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.

Add the flour . . .

. . . and cook for about a minute, until the flour is slightly browned. Stir constantly so that the flour doesn’t burn.

Pour in the chicken stock . . .

. . . and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes . . .

. . . chickpeas . . .

. . . and the quartered apricots.

Stir everything in and then bring it to a simmer.

Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat (until the apricots are soft).

During those 5 minutes, give the cilantro a rough chop:

The chicken should definitely be out of the microwave by now. Be careful when removing the plastic wrap so that you don’t burn yourself with the steam.

Turn down the heat to low and add the chicken thighs, submerging them in the liquid.

Add any juices from the chicken as well. Cover the pot . . .

. . . and cook for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

The chicken is so tender that you can break it apart or shred it with a spatula before serving it, for optimal ease of consumption.

I’m all about optimal ease of consumption.

Stir in the cilantro and season the stew to suit your taste. I needed a little extra salt and pepper. Serve the Tagine over rice or couscous, with extra cilantro for garnish.

And there you have it–a wonderful stew adapted to the weeknight schedule.

You all have to try this. Have to.

Am I sounding bossy?

You know–don’t answer that question. Just obey.

Love,

The Older Sister Who Never Got Over Being a Bossy Older Sister

Click here for printer-friendly version: 30-Minute Chicken Tagine

My friend Cassia has a blog full of lovely, lovely recipes. A while back she posted a recipe for this creamy pasta dish with lemon and basil, and I started hankering to make it the moment I saw her pictures. So on a lovely Sunday afternoon while Heidi and Baby James were staying with us, I whipped it up.

My first reaction: it was okay. Fine. Not bad, not awesome. I wanted to love it but was a little underwhelmed, so I decided not to blog about it because of my commitment to myself (and to you!) to only share recipes I truly love and would make again.

Then a couple days passed. Tuesday night my husband and I immersed ourselves in baking chocolate chip cookies and lemon cream bars, so I decided that it was time to eat the leftovers from Sunday so that we could focus our culinary efforts on the baking side of things. I wasn’t too excited about the leftovers, but I can’t stand to waste perfectly good food, so I pulled the pasta out and reheated a bowl for my husband and a bowl for myself.

And we dug in.

Oh my. It was like a dish transformed! “Wow, this is really good,” I said to my husband between mouthfuls. “Yeah,” he agreed. “You should blog about it.” “Yeah,” I said, engulfed in the wonderment of each bite.

I don’t know what happened to this dish as it sat in the refrigerator for a day and a night, but it was something magical. It got . . . creamier. Tastier. Really friggin’ delicious. So: know that on day #1 it’s a perfectly acceptable pasta dish. But also know that on day #2 and day #3 it becomes a marvellous concoction. Conclusion: if you are cooking for yourself and need something that will stay good or improve in the fridge over time, this is it!

Musical interlude: This is it! Ooooooh, I’ve finally foooooouuund someone, someone to share my life, I’ve finally foooooouuuuund someone . . .

Who the heck sings that song and why is it playing in my head with such clarity?

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper
3 TBS olive oil
1 lb cellentani pasta (or any other small ridged pasta)
1 white onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
28 oz can diced tomatoes, partly drained
Juice of 1 lemon
12 leaves basil, 10 minced and 2 chiffonade
1 T dried parsley
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz goat cheese

Mission #1: let’s get that pasta started. Boil some salted water, and dump it in!

When it’s al dente, drain it and set it aside for later.

While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken breasts lengthwise into strips. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season the strips liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Then dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess.

Heat 2 TBS of olive oil in a pan over high heat. When very hot, add the chicken strips.

Lower the heat to medium-high and don’t touch them for about 3 minutes. When browned on one side, turn them over and continue to brown until cooked through.

Look at that lovely, golden crust!

Remove the chicken to a plate and cut the strips into bite-sized pieces.

Gather the remaning ingredients to your bosom.

Yes, that picture is terribly blurry. But I have a very small and convenient scape-goat–one with poofy cheeks and a little fuzzy head. You can blame my photographic failure on the distractions provided by Baby James in the arms of my husband.

Oh, that Baby James. I miss him so much!

And no, I can’t manage to call him just “James.” He’s Baby James and that’s just that.

While the pasta is cooking and the chicken is frying, apply yourself by dicing the onions and slicing the garlic. Multitasking makes everything go faster.

Add another 1 TBS of olive oil to the pan and cook the onion and garlic until over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Mince up the basil while the onions fry:

And squeeze the lemon too.

By now the onions should be exactly where we want them, so add the partly-drained can of tomatoes, the minced basil, the lemon juice, and the parsley.