Gastronomy: Monday Night Eats, Cumin Chicken with Red Pepper and Coconut Rice

This recipe is a savory and incredibly easy dish for a weekday meal. Preparation and cooking time take about thirty minutes. For picky little ones, you can easily remove the peppers. An added bonus is deglazing the pan with white wine gives the cook a chance to have a glass herself, which makes the "witching hour" a little easier. Mondays just became a bit more tolerable.

Cumin Chicken with Red Pepper and Coconut Rice

1 c white rice

1 c light coconut milk

2 c chicken stock

1 T olive oil

1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 ½ inch pieces

2 large red bell pepper, sliced in julienne strips

2 large minced garlic cloves

2 t ground cumin

1 c white wine

1 T unsalted butter

1 bunch basil, roughly chopped

Cook rice according to package instructions—replace one cup of water with the coconut milk and 1 cup of water with chicken stock. Heat olive oil and butter in large deep skillet over medium heat. Pat chicken dry and salt and pepper both sides—brown about 10 minutes on each side until the chicken surface is brown. Add white wine and scrap the chicken bits off the pan—reduce wine by half and add garlic, cumin, and stock. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Add peppers and cook until softened, another 7 minutes or until juices are almost reduced. When rice is finished, salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken and peppers over rice—top with basil. Serves 4

Gastronomy: Chicken Tarragon, an Ideal Weekday Meal

According to one really annoying celebrity chef, 30-minute dinners are easy to achieve. In fact, this particular chef boasts that there are hundreds of recipes that a home cook can prep, cook, and serve within the confines of a half hour. From my experience (and I cook often), unless you are making a sandwich, most dinners require more time than that. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the concept of a meal requiring little time and effort. During the week when work, school, and activities manipulate our schedules, most mothers would love to have a Rolodex of meals that were attainable in such a short amount of time.

I came up with the recipe for Chicken Tarragon when my finicky eating toddler decided one day that he actually liked chicken. It’s savory, easy, and quick—not 30-minutes-quick, but definitely less-than-an-hour-quick. Served with a side of steamed asparagus and a piece of crusty bread, it's well-rounded and pretty, too!

Tarragon Chicken with Asparagus
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 T unsalted butter for browning meat
2 ½ T fresh tarragon chopped
Juice from a half of lemon
¾ c dry, white wine
2 c chicken stock
¼ c heavy cream
1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 loaf crusty sour dough bread
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

In a pot, boil salted water for asparagus. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry and season with a little bit of salt and pepper (be careful not to over-salt, because the sauce is quite savory). Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is thoroughly melted and beginning to bubble, place chicken in skillet; brown both sides. Deglaze pan with white wine, making sure to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom. Reduce to half and add 1 ½ c of the chicken stock, tarragon, and cream. Reduce temperature to medium-low heat and cook about 25 minutes until the sauces thickens (if it becomes too thick, add the additional ½ c stock). Mix in lemon juice and simmer 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. While chicken is simmering, blanch asparagus for 3-5 minutes; remove from water and set aside.

Place one piece of chicken and a portion of asparagus in four low bowls. Spoon sauce in equal parts over chicken and asparagus and serve with a chunk of bread. This dish goes great with a crispy white wine.

Although I still haven’t convinced my son to try the asparagus, he gobbles up the chicken, sauce, and bread in way less time than it takes me to make it. Maybe that’s what the celebrity chef means by 30-minute meals—consumption time. If that's the case, Chicken Tarragon is a 10-minute meal that's sure to please even the pickiest palates in your house.

Email this article!

Gastronomy: Bird is the Word, Beer Can Chicken

When my husband declared "beer can chicken" as the most delectable roasted chicken he has ever tasted, I was more than a little skeptical. If you simply look at our picture to the left, you probably understand what I am talking about: The small, roasting chicken standing upright with everything still intact except for its head. It's weird, right? Although, it looks a little uncomfortable, I can assure you that once you have tasted this treat, you will not be able to get it out of your head. I have even known some chicken haters (you know who you are) that are undeniably hooked. Like a teenager in love, I am infatuated with this technique—it is truly the most flavorful, tender, and unbelievably juicy bird that I have ever encountered. Here are a few tips to making what some call the "best chicken in the world."

• First things first: Purchase the original Chickcan tool online or from your local cooking or hardware store. It is an essential component as it holds the beer can and the chicken in place. Whether using the oven or the grill, I would not attempt it without this very inexpensive tool.
• When selecting a chicken, it should be over four pounds. If the cavity of the bird is too small, it will not fit on the can.
• Using a 12 oz. can of your favorite beer, pour out 1/3 of the contents; reserve the beer for the pie pan or cooking tray that is used under the bird.
• Remember to evenly distribute salt, pepper, and a dry rub all over the body of the chicken. You may purchase a pre-made blend at the grocery or create one of your own from the spice cabinet. Mesquite works really well when grilling, but I have made it with a French provincial herb blend that was terrific, too.
• For additional flavor, place a half of a lemon or orange inside the cavity and a teaspoon of the rub in the can of beer.
• Be sure to keep the temperature stable at 350 degrees for the entire 2 hours of cooking time.
• If using a grill, smoking enhances the bird’s flavor dramatically, so we recommend using a combination of two different chips, mesquite and hickory.
• Lastly, when done, remember to keep those bones. When buying a whole, roasting chicken, you get two meals for the price of one. Combine the bones with water, onions, and veggies to make a deliciously rich chicken stock.

With the weather finally turning around after our brutally morbid Midwest winter, we decided to pick up a fresh chicken and crank up the grill. It was just as delectable as I remembered—ridiculously moist meat with crispy, savory skin, and a light, lingering hint of citrus. I have spent most of my adult life trying to master whole roasted chicken and can honestly attest that beer can chicken is far superior to any that I have ever made. The next spring night, turn on the grill, crack open an iced cold one, and delight in this succulent bird—you will not be disappointed. Details: www.chickcan.com.

Email this article!