Chicken

Note: Yes, I do realize I'm following a post about eating less meat with a post on chicken recipes. Oops.

Here's the situation we face:



That's right, two bucks a pound for boneless, skinless chicken breast (BSCB), which is usually an arm and a leg ("no, it's a breast! the arm and leg are something different!"). Anyway, you have till the end of the day Thursday if you want it at that price.

I know white meat gets a bad rap from the foodies (and much of the world). Oh well. I thought I'd use the occasion to post a few recipes for what you can do with the stuff.

(1)
My go-to chicken recipe for a nice meal is this one, "Pan-Roasted Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic and White Wine." Beth found this recipe back in the E4 days. It keeps the chicken moist and delicious. I serve it with a green vegetable and either roasted red potatoes (also w/ rosemary) or rice. While I usually make it with BSCB, the recipe is actually for various whole chicken parts. It's good either way.

(2)
This one is an easy marinade for grilling chicken, BSCB or otherwise (got this from the Boston Globe magazine a few years ago). It's great to bring a ziploc of marinating chicken to a barbecue party, ready to throw on the the grill. The recipe:
-Juice of 1 lemon
-salt and pepper, to taste
-2 tablespoons mustard
-1 clove garlic, finely chopped
-1/4 cup olive oil
-4 BSCB or other pieces
Whisk the lemon juice, slat, pepper, mustard and garlic. Whisk in the oil a little at a time until the dressing emulsifies. Marinate the chicken for a an hour or few. Grill.

(3)
Brining chicken is also a crucial way to go. As in, soaking it in salt water. Makes it moist and delicious. Folks seem to disagree on the exact proportions of salt to water. Including lime or lemon juice is popular; so is adding some sugar. Here are two brining recipes I used as a vague guide the other week. I ended up cooking the chicken in a frying pan (covered), which took a bit longer than I had wished. Should've pounded it, maybe.

In this case, I took the moist, flavorful chicken I cooked and chopped it up into small pieces. I made burritos -- with the chicken, black beans from a can, onion and green pepper (one of each, in a frying pan, with oil and salt and pepper), grated cheddar and salsa. Delish.

(4)
Lime Pepper Chicken with Fresh Pico
Okay, I haven't actually made this yet. But I think I'm going to this week, with the chicken I bought for $2/pound.

(5)
And finally, you can, after all, just toss the chicken in some soy sauce or soy vay and then throw it in the oven (or broil it, if you're careful). Just don't overcook it. I included this one because I found a picture of it. Bon apetit!