Purple and Green Asian Stir Fry

I used green beans and red onion in my version, but I suppose that eggplant, green bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage or even purple cauliflower would have worked, as well.


For 4-6 servings, you'll need:

+ dry linguini, 1/2 pound
+ 1 large red onion, sliced into rounds
+ green beans, 1/2 pound (that's several large handfuls)
+ garlic, 2 cloves, minced
+ fresh ginger, 1 1-inch segment, peeled and grated
+ olive oil, 3 tablespoons
+ S&P
+ 2 chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into chunks
+ soy sauce, 1/4 cup
+ hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons
+ 1 lime, juiced
+ brown sugar, 2 tablespoons

Cook pasta according to package directions. In the meantime, bring olive oil in a skillet (or wok) to medium-high heat. Add the onion, green beans, garlic and ginger. Stir gently until everything is coated in oil. Add chicken, and reduce heat to medium; cover, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. Remove the lid from the pan, and add the cooked linguini and glaze. Toss gently until noodles are evenly coated and glaze has thickened. Enjoy!

Squash Blossom and Shallot Chicken

Since I'm back home in rural Virginia, I've been filling up my spare time by taking care of my vegetable garden. Everything's doing quite well, if I do say so myself, but I'm a bit (read: very) impatient: as soon as my squash and zucchini plants started blooming, I couldn't resist plucking a few flowers*. This light dish showcases the sweet and mildly fruity flavor of the blossoms.

For about 4 servings, you'll need:

+ 4 chicken breasts, butterflied
+ S&P
+ olive oil, for skillet
+ 1 shallot, sliced
+ 6 squash blossoms, quartered lengthwise (stamen removed)
+ butter, 1 tablespoon

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken breasts; cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Rest. In a small skillet, melt butter and lightly saute shallot. Remove from heat and pour over chicken. Place squash blossoms on top (they will wilt slightly when they come in contact with the warm chicken), and enjoy!

* If you're growing your own squash blossoms (some larger grocery stores carry them, too), remember to pick in the morning, when the blooms are open. If possible, avoid picking female flowers, which will eventually produce squash. Male flowers are those that grow at the end of a small stem, rather than in the center of the plant. Remember to leave a few of both sexes on the plant! Store your blooms in the refrigerator, in an airtight container with a damp paper towel, for up to two days.

Tangy Chicken Drumsticks*

* You could totally use this recipe with chicken thighs, breasts, wings or tenderloins-- but drumsticks were on sale at our TJ's, so that's what I used.

For 6 drumsticks, you'll need:

+ juice from 6 limes

+ soy sauce, 4 tablespoons

+ honey, 1 tablespoon

+ 6 lean chicken drumsticks

+ olive oil, 2 teaspoons

+ S&P

+ butter, 1 tablespoon

+ heavy cream, 2 tablespoons

In a shallow dish, combine lime juice, soy sauce and honey.  Add drumsticks, and toss to coat. Marinade for 2-8 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Gently pat drumsticks dry with paper towels.  Drizzle oil over each piece, arrange on a baking sheet, and lightly salt and liberally pepper.  Roast for about 45-55 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

Transfer marinade to a saucepan; boil for at least 4 minutes.  Remove from heat; whisk in butter and cream.  Pour over the chicken (leave the "handle" of the drumstick clean, if you want to eat these with your fingers!) and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Chicken

What's not to love?

For 2 servings, you'll need:

+ 1 chicken breast

+ whole wheat penne (any short shape will do), 1/2 pound

+ fresh grape tomatoes, 1 pint

+ garlic, 2 cloves, minced

+ S&P

+ olive oil

+ red wine (I used Syrah, but basically any red will do), 2 splashes

+ heavy cream, about 1/3 cup

+ parmesan cheese, grated, about 1/2 cup (more, if you like)

In a skillet, bring 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to medium-high heat.  Liberally season the chicken on both sides with S&P.  Cook for about 6-7 minutes on each side.  Allow to rest, then slice thinly.

Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions.

After removing chicken from pan, deglaze pan with red wine.  Add the tomatoes, toss to coat in oil and wine, and cover.  Every minute or so, remove lid and give the tomatoes a gentle wiggle. When all of them are blistered (their skins are shriveled up), add the garlic and chicken.  Cook for just a minute; remove from heat, and stir in heavy cream and parmesan cheese.  Serve atop pasta.  Enjoy!

Smothered Chicken Cutlets

If you grew up in the South, you've probably had smothered pork chops more times than you care to remember.  I added mushrooms to mine, and used chicken instead, but it still reminds me of home.

For two, you'll need:

+ 2 chicken breasts, butterflied

+ flour

+ eggs

+ bread crumbs

+ S&P

+ olive oil, 3-4 tablespoons

+ fresh thyme, 4-5 sprigs

+ cremini mushrooms, sliced, 7-8 (you can use another variety of mushroom, if you want, but steer clear of white, button mushrooms-- they have absolutely no flavor)

+ 1 small onion, thinly sliced (white or yellow)

+ garlic, 1-3 cloves, thinly sliced

+ butter, 3 tablespoons

Set up dredging stations with the flour, eggs and bread crumbs.  Season the flour and breadcrumbs liberally with S&P.  Dredge the cutlets first in flour, then in eggs, and finally in breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess each time.  Pan fry the cutlets in olive oil on medium-heat heat, for about 4 minutes on each side.  Drain on paper towels.

In a skillet, melt the butter.  Add the onions; saute until translucent.  Add the garlic and thyme (don't strip the leaves off- we'll remove the stems at the end of the cooking process).  Add the mushrooms, and continue to saute until the onions are lightly caramelized and the mushrooms are soft.  Discard the thyme; S&P to taste.

Serve the cutlets whole, with liberal amounts of the onion-mushroom mix on top.  Enjoy!

Chicken Tenders

About a hundred times healthier than what you'll get at the drive through, and very versatile.

For 2 servings, you'll need:

+ one package of chicken tenderloins (normally, I'd refuse to buy these because they're often a bit overpriced, but they make this recipe a cinch...regular chicken breasts work, too, though)
+ flour
+ eggs
+ bread crumbs
+ S&P
+ olive oil


Preheat oven to 350 degrees to F, and lightly oil a baking sheet.
Remove fat from tenderloins, and cut into 2-3 inch strips. Set up three dredging stations:

Flour (about 1/3 cup) in one deep plate, liberally seasoned with S&P.
Eggs (2-3, with a splash of tap water), beaten, in a bowl.
Bread crumbs (about 1/3 cup) in another deep plate, liberally seasoned with S&P. If you want to personalize your chicken tenders, add grated cheese, herbs or even a touch of lemon zest.

Coat each piece of chicken in flour; shake to remove excess. Move on to the egg station, again, allowing the excess to drip off. Finally, evenly coat the chicken in bread crumbs.

Bake for 10-13 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Enjoy with catsup, honey mustard, barbeque sauce-- or just honey.

April Pasta

I put this together with some pretty random ingredients we happened to have in the fridge, and it was a hit. The marinade for the chicken was inspired by J, who used to dip his chicken tenders in honey as a kid. The prosciutto and feta add a salty bite to what is, otherwise, a relatively sweet dish.

For 2 giant servings, you'll need:

+ 2 chicken breasts, trimmed
+ 1 lemon
+ 3 cloves of garlic
+ olive oil, 4 tablespoons
+ honey, 3 tablespoons
+ 3 thin sheets of prosciutto
+ 1 bunch of asparagus (get the skinny guys, for this)
+ whole wheat pasta (penne or another short shape), about 2 cups
+ butter, 3 tablespoons
+ feta cheese, crumbled, 1/4 cup

For the chicken:
Remove the tenderloin from each breast. Place a layer of plastic wrap over the chicken breasts, and beat (using another pan-- a cast iron skillet works really well) into cutlets.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Crush 2 of the garlic cloves, and add to the oil. Drizzle over chicken; allow to marinate for at least one hour.

For the rest:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet, and place the prosciutto slices on it; bake for 5-6 minutes or until crispy. When cool, give it a rough chop. Set aside.

Remove the woody stems of the asparagus; discard (or save, to make vegetable stock or even asparagus soup). Cut the asparagus into thirds, on the bias. Crush last clove of garlic; set aside.

Bring a pot of water to the boil; salt liberally and cook pasta until al dente (usually around 7-8 minutes, but keep an eye on it). Add the chicken (with the marinade) to a baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes. Turn heat to 450 degrees F, and bake for another 3-5 minutes (start keeping time as soon as you change the temperature; do not wait for the actual oven temperature to rise). Remove from oven, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into bite-sized pieces.

Melt butter in a skillet; add the asparagus (and remove the crushed garlic clove). Saute on medium heat until tender. Remove garlic. Add the cooked pasta and chicken; toss.

Sprinkle crispy prosciutto and feta cheese over pasta; serve. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

I kept this recipe surprisingly similar to the ancient one my dad has always used. It's simple, familiar and comforting.

For four 1o ounce servings (in ramekins), you'll need:

+ 2 chicken breasts, trimmed
+ 1 1/2 cups of green peas, fresh or frozen
+ 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
+ 2 shallots
+ 2 cloves of garlic
+ olive oil
+ Worchestershire sauce, 4 tbsp
+ S&P
+ butter, 4 tbsp
+ heavy cream
+ dry white wine

+ frozen puff pastry, thawed

+ parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Blanch carrots (if using fresh peas, go ahead and throw them into the pot, too); set aside. Add olive oil to a skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Lightly coat chicken breasts in Worchestershire sauce; liberally add S&P. Pan-fry covered, until just cooked, approximately 7 minutes on each side. Set aside, and cut into large chunks when cool.

While chicken is cooking, mince garlic and slice shallots. After removing chicken from pan, add a liberal splash of wine to deglaze; whisk to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Lightly saute garlic and shallots; melt butter into sauce.  Finish with cream, salt and pepper. Fold chicken and vegetables into sauce stir until just coated.  Evenly distribute mixture between ramekins, and top each with a round of puff pastry.  Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of each one, and bake until golden brown (anywhere from 10-20 minutes).  Enjoy!

Grapefruit Chicken

Raise your hand if you like Lemon Chicken, but find it a bit boring. This marinade offers a fresh, new taste with a similar flavor profile.

For four servings, you'll need:

+ 2 chicken breasts, pounded into cutlets
+ 1 grapefruit 
+ Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tablespoon
+ olive oil, 6 tablespoons
+ sesame oil, 1 tablespoon

+ butter, 1 tablespoon
+ S&P

In a shallow dish, combine the juice of the the grapefruit with the Worcestershire Sauce, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and the sesame oil; pour over chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to medium-high heat. Liberally salt and pepper both sides of each cutlet; cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side.  Enjoy!

Pesto-Feta Stuffed Chicken

I created this to use up leftover pesto; it works with lots of different ingredients.

+ chicken breasts (one per person)

+ feta cheese (in block form)

+ pesto (homemade is better, store-bought will suffice)

+ garlic (one clove per person, minced)

+ olive oil for frying

       Trim chicken breasts.  Since most breasts adhere to the "triangle" shape (thick, wide at one end, thin and skinny at the other), you might want to consider cutting the "skinny" end down a bit.  Using a paring knife (a chef's knife is just too big, unless you're using ostrich breast), cut a pocket.  Now, it might be easier to cut along one of the long sides, less of the stuffing will leak out if you cut along the thick, short end.  Without cutting through the sides or the end, make the pocket as big as possible.

       Cram the minced clove of garlic into the chicken breast; you can use (clean!) fingers or the back of a spoon to make sure it's evenly distributed.  Next, add a slab of feta, and finally, a good spoonful of pesto.  The pesto, in particular, should be pushed deep into the pocket to prevent leaking.

      Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken breast.  Cook in olive oil in a medium-hot skillet, approximately 6 minutes on each side.

The end.  Enjoy.

Chicken Milanese

Decided to make dinner for J last night.

Realized that leaving the dorm in search of groceries was almost dead last on my list of things to do.

Tossed together a salad, scrounged up the necessary ingredients, and served up a delicious and simple Chicken Milanese with Garlic-White Wine Sauce.

Seriously, kids...I used less than ten ingredients.

Chicken Milanese for one:

+ one chicken breast

+ milk

+ flour

+ bread crumbs

+ S&P

+ vegetable oil

          Cut chicken breast in half (the short way).  Insert into a plastic bag, and beat the hell out of it with a skillet. (We're going for small cutlets, kids.)  Apply S&P to bread crumbs and directly to chicken.  Dredge chicken in flour.  SHAKE OFF EXCESS.  Dip in milk.  Coat in bread crumbs.  Bring veggie oil to medium-high heat in a skillet.  Pan-fry chicken for 3 minutes or so on each side.

Garlic-White Wine Sauce

+ garlic, grated, minced, whatever; 3 cloves (or less)

+ vegetable oil

+ dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)

+ mascarpone cheese

       Saute garlic until soft, fragrant and delicious.  Add white wine; crank the heat up.  Once the wine has reduced, remove skillet from heat and melt in a couple tablespoons of mascarpone.  Pour directly over chicken and add S&P to taste.

J says that it's a close second to my Pesto-Feta Stuffed Chicken.  Recipe should be up soon!