this happened: chicken french

Another mid-holiday report because I have so much food goss to fill you in on! First of all, have you made this chocolate beauty? I had seen it in Turshen’s new cookbook (I’m a super fan) and at the last minute decided to go with the higher amount of sugar between the two. I chose wrong! It was too sweet for me. Next time I make it I’ll go with the amount listed in Now and Again.

But let’s back up. Before I went full holiday mode earlier this week, I tried my hand at what NYT Cooking reported to be its most popular recipe of 2018. The first time I made it was for good friend and her bew who had come over for dinner. Typically I don’t like to try a recipe for the first time when I’m having someone over, but honestly if you don’t like fried chicken cutlets in a lemon butter pan sauce then please GTFOH. I mean, right? Anyway, they loved it, because it was fried chicken doused with lemon butter durrrrr.

This third culture kid* of the recipe world is so charming, with a well-developed schmaltzy flavor and plenty of brightness from the lemon. I made it again a few days after our dinner party on a night when I worked late and had absolutely no business cooking, but was blindly committed to double-checking the tweaks I had made to the (needlessly finnicky) NYT Cooking version. It was just as good as the first time if not better, and the tweaks remained on point. I can’t recall a time I’ve been more excited to eat dinner at 11pm.

On that note I will say that, yes, these photos were taken and edited close to midnight on a weeknight when I should have been at least attempting to sleep. They are not perfect and they never tried to be. But even in the year of our Lordess 2018 (and 2019 for that matter), done is still better than perfect. So please and thank you for being sweet and bearing with me as I attempt to find a way to pay my bills and share my favorite recipes and life tidbits at the same time in this season of such little sunlight.

I’ll be finishing up the year with another easy holiday party appetizer, but I hope you’ll tuck this in your back pocket for once you’ve gotten your fill of stuffing and gravy. I know it’s slightly indulgent but it is really scrumptious with riced cauliflower, which makes for a pleasantly light meal overall.

*NYT Cooking says, and lots more googling confirmed, that this recipe originates from Rochester, NY, where it was dreamed up by an Italian cook riffing on french techniques. Regardless of where she claims origin, she most certainly belongs in our kitchens.

An off-the-cuff Chicken French, inspired by the NY Times Most Cooked Recipe for 2018 with assistance from one very helpful comment
Serves 4 generously, 6 daintily

A few lemons
2 eggs
2 tbsp grated parmesan, plus maybe more to finish
Kosher salt and pepper
1 cup flour
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp butter
1 -1.5 lbs chicken breast, sliced into thin cutlets
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup white wine (see note about subbing below)
1/2 cup chicken broth (low sodium is tops, imo)
2-4 tbsp heavy cream
something green to garnish

Cut the chicken through horizontally so that it’s half as thick but the same shape (or pound the chicken out and cut the pieces in half).

In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk 2 eggs, 2 tbsp lemon (approx. 1/2 lemon), 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Put 1 cup of flour in a separate shallow bowl.

In a 12-inch skillet heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp butter. Dredge the chicken cutlets in a flour - egg wash - flour rotation and fry in batches over medium heat, 4 mins each side. Remove browned chicken to a plate and continue until all cutlets are nicely browned.

Once all of the chicken has been removed from the pan, add the garlic to the pan and stir for just a minute. You should start to smell it. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and scrape up all the yummy bits. Let some of the alcohol cook off, then add the juice of 1.5 lemons plus the remaining broth and let it simmer down for a couple more minutes. [Note: If, for whatever reason, you’re not using wine, deglaze the pan with an equal amount of chicken stock (ie, doubling the total amount of stock) and before you add the rest of the stock, stir in 1 tbsp dijon mustard. It helps replace the non-lemon, acidic kick that you get from the wine.]

Splash in 2 tbsp of the cream, stir it around, and then decide whether to add the rest. Add the chicken and let everything gel for 4 or 5 minutes. The pan sauce will be very liquid-y until it cools, so remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for 1 minute to allow the sauce to thicken.

Serve with something delicious to soak up all the pan juices and maybe a squeeze of lemon on top if you like it super lemony (like me).

roasted sausage and cauliflower

Whatever kind of person it makes me that I couldn’t possibly finish this sentence without resorting to the potty humor these photos so clearly require I’m fine with – it’s funny and you know it. Related: Broad City is back! Thank goddess, now we finally have something to do while we eat dinner. And by dinner I mean wine and cake, both of which because: wedding.

On that note, I’m feeling #blessed to report that the testing phase of Operation Too Picky to Not Make My Own Wedding Cake is going surprisingly well and is almost almost over (NO JINX, dear jesus no. freaking. jinx.). Meaning that I’ve only got one more practice round to go before I make the real one, which is AMAZING news after last week when I ate cake every single day. That’s something I never thought I’d live to complain about, but here we are.

I was trying to see how the cake and frosting each held up over a span of days and how it tasted at various temperatures. A worthwhile investigation no doubt, but between that and the nightly glass (ahem, goblet) of wine currently required for maintaining sanity, I almost didn’t want to be around any other carbs. Like, not even garlic bread. It was all very twilight zone, and it’s still unclear what I was thinking or if I was thinking at all. Actually, scratch that. I def wasn’t thinking because if I had been I absolutely would not have cooked supper on top of all the baking and dress shopping. (Did I tell you I only got my dress last week? He he heeeee that actually happened.)

Luckily for us and our waistlines – since we all agree that “healthy takeout” is a lie and I do actually have to wear this damn dress soon – I went straight into autopilot and relied on the sheet-pan wizardry of Melissa Clark, the (Yas) Queen of Dinnertime, to pull me through. I’ve cooked out of Dinner: Changing the Game so frequently that it lives on top of the record player with my laptop and glasses case, rather than on the bookcase in the kitchen with the rest of my cookbook collection. Or as DJ Khaled puts it “another one.”

This sauseege/cauli roast is one of our favorites from that stunning and useful book, as well as a solid top 5 Ever of All Time weeknight dinners. The chop, toss, roast method that takes you from raw ingredients to nourishing, non-cake sustenance needs no further explanation from the likes of me, so just go ahead and make it so you can start loving it too. If you have cauliflower, sausage, olive oil, and something to season with, you’re over halfway there. Don’t overthink it.

The one cooking note I can contribute is to play around with the yogurt sauce; I make it different every time. Oh, and that spicy sausage beats mild hands down. Though, if you’re working with mild, adding some extra spice in the yogurt is nice way to go as well. I was about to say I’d bet you the cost of our wedding that you won’t be able to screw this meal up but, uh, let’s just leave it at “get thee to the kitchen” and allow my one un-frazzled brain cell to remain that way. Okay still not actually thinking so I hope this made sense. Bye. 

Roasted Sausage and Cauliflower, adapted very slightly from Melissa Clark’s Dinner: Changing the Game

1 medium head of cauliflower (about 2 lbs), cut into florets
2 or 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 lb Italian sausages, pricked with a fork
½ cup plain yogurt, preferably non-Greek and whole milk (sour cream is a great substitute too)
1 small garlic clove
Aleppo or Turkish pepper, as needed
A scant ¼ cup of toasted pine nuts, for serving (optional, walnuts would be delicious too!)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Spread the cauliflower florets on a large rimmed baking sheet, and toss with olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. If at the 10 minute mark the smaller cauliflower pieces are picking up color too fast, turn your oven down to 400 degrees. (Those smaller bits will let you know if your oven is running hot by turning into crispy charred crumbs. Eat them, then turn your oven down.)

Place the sausages on another rimmed baking sheet, and add it to the oven with the cauliflower. Roast for 10 minutes, then flip the sausages and toss the cauliflower so that everything browns evenly. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the sausages are juicy and cooked through, and the cauliflower is tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes total from the time you put the sausages in the oven. [Note: my oven smokes almost every time I make this, though not to a deterring extent. Be ready to crack a window is all I’m saying.]

While the cauliflower and sausages are cooking, prepare the yogurt sauce. Place the yogurt in a small bowl, and using a microplane grate the garlic clove into the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir everything together. (Alternatively, if you’re using sour cream or a thicker yogurt you may want to thin it with a little water or olive oil. I used an organic sour cream that was the thickest I’d ever used and a couple drops of olive oil blended in made the perfect texture.)

Dry toast the pine nuts for 5-7 minutes in a skillet over medium heat, if you are using them. Set aside in a bowl. If you leave them in the pan they may burn.

 Place the sausages on the sheet pan with the cauliflower (or a serving platter if you like doing dishes). Spoon the yogurt sauce on top, and sprinkle with pine nuts and Aleppo pepper. (I had just run out when I took these photos, boo.) Eat it straight from the pan if you’re me, or serve and share!

chicken cutlets

Last week I bought my first pair of spanks. Not the squeeziest ones, the second least squeeziest, if I’m talking about something you’re already into here. Last night - Friday night - was spent hanging out on my couch solo with a half bottle of wine and full container of papaya salad (plus noodles) from the Thai place down the street. Cos was eating cinnamon toast crunch for dinner when I got home and passed out as the sun was going down. I gave him a pass, though, for not entertaining me on a potential *date night* (what does that even mean?) since he had woken up at 3:30am yesterday morning to fly back from a conference out midwest.

I got the the spanks, as I was saying, to wear under a dress I recently purchased from a company that makes mostly long, fitted casual dresses and whose self-proclaimed target audience is chic city-living moms. It’s this long-sleeved, pink, Jackie-O camelot kind of number, but it’s made out of stretchy cotton for all day comfort. And heaven help me if I don’t already sound like a middle-aged working mom of 4 then let me tell you about how I’ve been trying to eat more protein these days. The goal is for protein to account for 30% of my daily intake.

This is one tall order, as it turns out, since there’s only so much tofu or chickpeas, or even bolognese or salmon a woman can eat. When your goal is for a third of what you eat to be protein, at some point you just have to break down and do what is truly expected of you. You have to eat a chicken breast. A boring ass boneless, skinless, thanks-but-no-thanks chicken breast. And it is for this reason (among so many others) that I am forever indebted the classic chicken cutlet. Thank you, fried chicken cutlet, for making the most boring cut of chicken worth eating.

There has never been a time in my life when I didn't have love for a thin-cut and pounded, egged, breaded, and shallow-fried chicken cutlet, though the time I spent working in Midtown Manhattan was when my feelings really went next level. The deli where I picked up my order - cutlet sandwich on a hoagie, hold the cheese, add lettuce, mayo, and mustard (or sometimes lettuce, buffalo, and ranch) - was juuust far enough away from my office that I had to attempt to run one of the ways, either to or from but usually on the way back, with a brown-bagged sammie flapping in my hand and a glass-bottled coke fizzing over in the other. It sounds ridiculous because it was ridiculous, but trust that if I was willing to go that far out of my way just to forgo my beloved Num Pang, all the fuss was worth it.

There is actually another anecdote about the unquestionable amazingness of fried chicken cutlets I had wanted to write about because it’s genuinely the best one I know of. The only problem is that it’s not exactly my story to tell. But what if I just tiptoe in and slide around it? I may have mentioned this before, but Cos was a vegetarian when we got together, and he stayed that way for the first couple years of our relationship. Then, over one Thanksgiving holiday we spent out in the Bay while we were living in New York, I made dinner for the friends who were hosting us.

The menu was lemon pasta, roasted Brussels sprouts, and chicken milanese (Italian cutlets) for the three omnivores. The vegetarian would stick with pasta and Brussels. Except, when we sat down to eat, there were suddenly four meat-eaters at the table, and no vegetarians. And that’s how it remains to this day. When questioned about it, he says it was happenstance and that he had been contemplating the change for a while. But we all know the truth - chicken fried cutlets are food from the goddesses that will change your life.

Chicken Milanese, adapted very slightly from Anne Burrell
Serves 4

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and lightly pounded to 1/4-inch thick
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, vegetable, or a combo of oils for frying (I use mainly veg with a bit of evoo to save $$)

Set up a standard breading procedure by lining up three wide deep plates or bowls in a row on your counter. Fill the first one with flour, the second with the eggs beaten with water, and the third with the panko mixed with grated Parmigiano.

Season the chicken breasts with salt on both sides. Using one hand for dry things and one hand for wet things, take each piece of chicken through the breading procedure: dredge lightly in the flour, then the egg wash, then through the bread crumbs. Lay the breaded chicken on a sheet tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes. [This is the perfect interval of time to prepare whatever side dish(es) you'll be having.]

Pour olive oil into a large saute pan until it reaches a thickness of about a half an inch (better a little more rather than a little less), and bring to a medium-high heat. Test the oil by flicking a couple of bread crumbs into the oil. If it doesn't sizzle-WAIT! When the oil is hot, test it again by dipping the edge of a piece of chicken into the oil; the oil should gently sizzle.

Fry the chicken in batches until it is crispy and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side and 3 to 4 minutes on the other side. Do not crowd the pan or the chicken will become very greasy and soggy. When the chicken is golden and cooked through, remove it to drain paper towels and sprinkle with salt. You can keep the chicken warm in a 200 degree oven while the rest of the chicken is cooking.

sheet pan chicken and potatoes

This sheet pan supper of chicken, roasted potatoes, and leeks is a total babe of a meal. And like a true babe, it's not all about looks. It's about personality too. Specifically, the low maintenance variety that just wants you to relax, baby girl - take it easy tonight, and let me take care of all the work. That is to say, pulling this dish together is a breeze, so you can focus on the more important task of keeping your wine glass full - a crisp white maybe? There is almost 0% fuss involved (I say almost because washing leeks twice isn’t nothing), and the finished product is so much greater than the sum of its parts that you may actually have to remind yourself how little work it actually entailed.

I had both heard and read about this recipe many times in passing before I finally discovered it myself while watching Melissa Clark’s videos on the NY Times cooking channel; something I’ve only recently caught onto because I am a broken record of unfashionable lateness. But as always, my lateness has no bearing whatsoever on the immense pleasure bestowed upon me once I have seen the light, nor the excitement with which I will extol the virtues of my newfound favorite thing to anyone who is foolish enough to strike up a conversation with me at a social gathering. The virtues abound with this one.

First things first, it requires minimal dirtying of dishes, which, in my universe where dishes and laundry are a love language, is downright sexy. The chicken and potatoes can be tossed with the marinade right on the sheet pan. Aside from that, all you’ll need is a bowl for the leeks and a small ramekin (or coffee cup) for mixing the yogurt sauce. [Note: I used an additional bowl in the photo above. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ The important thing is that I didn’t have to.]

The marinade is a dead simple mix of olive oil, cumin, and hot sauce, and while we liked the chili garlic sauce the best by far, any hot sauce will do in a pinch. The yogurt sauce, which I made with sour cream both times because it was what I had around, is equally adaptable. Stir in some lemon juice or zest (we did), toss in some chopped fresh herbs if you like (we didn’t), or even swirl in a little of the hot sauce you used for the marinade (we will next time). Whatever you do, just don’t skip the grated garlic (we would never). Roasting everything at a high heat ensures that there will be plenty of good looking crispy edges on the potatoes and leeks (mon couer!), even as they get soft and lush from soaking up the sauce of chicken juices mingled with marinade. The salad on top, sprinkled with lemon juice, adds a refreshing zing that cuts through the richness. Rich and luxurious, sharp-dressed and well-rounded equals total babe status.

Note: Let’s talk quickly about serving size. The first time I made this recipe I used two chicken thighs and one large chicken breast, totaling 1.25 lbs (see photo above). That turned out to be five full servings of chicken for me and my main squeeze. However, those five portions might otherwise be considered small, because we both generally prefer less meat in proportion to the other things on our plate (potatoes, leeks, and salad in this case). The second time I made it I had intended to use four chicken thighs, but my butcher was out of thighs so I ended up using two large breasts, totaling almost 2 lbs (top and bottom photos). While this yielded a ton of leftover chicken (can you guess who had chicken salad for lunch this week?), it might have worked well for folks who prefer a larger serving of meat. All this to say, if you prefer your servings of meat to be on the smaller side, then I recommend using thighs here. Plus thighs have that nice layer of skin that roasts up so crispy, and you know how I feel about that. Happy cooking - I hope this meal treats you so right!

Sheet Pan Chicken with Leeks and Potatoes, adapted from Melissa Clark for the NY Times

Ingredients:
1 - 2 pounds chicken breast and/or thighs
1 ¼ pounds small round or fingerling potatoes
2 leeks, white and light green parts only
1/2 cup sour cream (original uses plain yogurt, but not greek)
1 small garlic clove
1 lemon, zest and juice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons garlic chili sauce or sriracha (original uses harissa)
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
½ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
2 handfuls of salad greens*
fresh herbs for garnish if you have them
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil + light drizzle 

*The original calls for arugula, but my grocery store was out of arugula both times I shopped for these ingredients (hmm, I’m sensing a theme here, Duboce Triangle Whole Foods). I used mixed greens for the first preparation, and then mâche rosettes for the second, mainly because they’re so damn cute. The mixed greens tasted average as far as greens go, and the mâche rosettes were really nutty, which was cool, but I’m eager to try it with arugula, and will make a point to acquire some next time. I think the sharp peppery element they bring would be deliciously on point here.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Halve the leeks lengthwise, slice thinly, and place in a bowl filled with water. Dunk and swish the chopped leeks, then let them rest so that any dirt will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

Wash the potatoes, pat them dry with a clean towel, and chop them into halves or quarters so that they are each about a square inch, give or take.  Put the chopped potatoes onto the sheet pan.

Return to the leeks, and rinse a second time. Remove the clean leeks to a clean towel spread out on the counter to dry for a minute. Quickly rinse the bowl to remove any grit that sank to the bottom, and place the leeks back in. Grate the zest of at least half the lemon (more if you like) over the top.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt, toss to combine

Place the chicken on a sheet pan with the potatoes and season everything well with salt and pepper, toss and season again. Whisk chili sauce, cumin, and 3 tablespoons oil in a small bowl. Pour marinade over the chicken and potatoes and toss to coat evenly. Let the chicken and potatoes rest and marinate for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Put the sheet pan of chicken and potatoes in the oven to roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven after 15 minutes and toss potatoes lightly. Scatter the leeks over the pan. Roast for 25 (or longer, checking in 5 minute increments) until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through and the leeks have crispy edges.

While the sheet pan continues to roast in the oven, place the sour cream or yogurt in a small bowl, grate garlic over the top and mix well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add the fresh herbs, lemon juice or zest if you’re using them.

Remove the sheet pan from the oven, scatter the salad greens over the potatoes and leeks, and dollop on the sour cream.  Drizzle with more oil and lemon juice, if desired, and serve.