April 9, 2015 – Chicken Winners Tips for Cooking Quickly! RECIPE: Chicken Diablo RECIPE: Chicken with Snow Peas & Red Pepper Flakes Cooking Technique: Pan-Frying and Pan Sauces RECIPE: Garlic Chicken with Asparagus Cookbook Review “Chicken Dinner Winners in Under 30 Minutes” INTRO TEXT Ok, we get it. Sometimes it’s just about getting dinner on the table. Forget the long list of ingredients, the dozen steps, you need good food, fast. IN THIS ISSUE, we’ve got you covered with three winning chicken dinners made in under 30 minutes with fresh, healthy ingredients: a spicy Chicken Diablo, a citrusy Chicken with Snow Peas and Red Pepper Flakes, and an aromatic Garlic Chicken with Asparagus. Dinner just became very doable! Thumbnails “fast, fresh, delicious!” MAIN BODY: Tips for Cooking Quickly! The time crunch that starts with the alarm clock often continues until bedtime! Creating a little family time at dinner with fresh, healthy food seems daunting if not impossible. Incorporate these tips for making healthy meals fast! • Chop or slice vegetables into smaller pieces for quicker cooking. • Cut foods in similarly-sized pieces for even cooking • Choose lean meats that do not require slow cooking techniques. • Pound meats, or shape ground meat into thin, 1/4-inch thicknesses that will cook quickly and require flipping only once. • Start the heat sooner than later for boiling water, or heating a pan as prep continues. • Use medium-high heat on the stovetop with pans that transfer heat efficiently across the cooking surface. • Assemble the recipe’s ingredients prior to starting the cooking process. • Prep the ingredients in sequence; start cooking as prep continues. • Keep your knives sharp! A sharp knife is a safer and faster knife! • Wash dishes and prep tools as you cook to minimize clean-up tasks later. Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! Where did this familiar phrase originate? Urban legend (i.e., may not be accurate. . . ) has it that back in the 1970s a three-piece chicken dinner was available in Las Vegas for $1.79. A typical bet in those days was $2.00 making a winning bet enough to buy a chicken dinner! Keep a list of standard pantry items; replenish as needed: Pantry: Olive oil Garlic bulbs Onions Shallots Pasta varieties A few cans of beans Canned tomatoes Canned broths Vinegars Mustards Soy sauce Flour Cooking wines Honey Perishable Pantry: Butter Milk Cheeses Nuts & Seeds Frozen Fruits & Veggies Key spices: Salt & Pepper Cayenne Red Pepper Flakes Cumin Oregano, dried Basil, dried Chicken Diablo Full flavors result in full satisfaction, and that’s what this recipe is all about! Sautéed chicken thighs (or boneless chicken breasts) create the first layer of flavor. The bold flavors of garlic and peppers add the next layer. The tomato-based sauce develops from pan drippings and pepper power. Briny capers add a nice nuance along with a generous helping of fresh parsley. The spicy flavors work well with the chicken. It’s a dinner menu worth repeating! Reprinted with permission from Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 by Michael Symon. Copyright 2013. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, New York, NY. All rights reserved. Recipe Notes: (1) Serve this dish with rice or pasta for a more full-bodied meal. (2) Either boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts may be used in this recipe. (3) Make a double batch of sauce and use the leftovers for a quick pasta supper the next day, or on your morning eggs. (4) A little grating of Parmesan cheese on top of each plate would also be delicious! Chicken with Snow Peas & Red Pepper Flakes You’ll love this citrusy chicken dish that features boneless chicken and generous quantities of both orange zest and orange juice. The dinner’s vegetable, slivered snow peas, are cooked in the pan juices in just a couple of minutes. Garlic, red pepper flakes, and a last minute swirl of butter complete the flavor profile to perfection. It’s a quick and tasty offering for the everyday table, another winning formula to add to your portfolio of supper ideas! Reprinted with permission from Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 by Michael Symon. Copyright 2013. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, New York, NY. All rights reserved. Recipe Notes: (1) Slice the pea pods in narrow diagonal ribbons for fast cooking and ease of eating. (2) Choose either boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts. If choosing chicken breasts, depending on their size, slice the breasts in half horizontally, then pound to an even thickness. (3) If you prefer a thicker sauce than what this recipe makes, use a little cornstarch dissolved in cool water added to the simmering sauce. Gradually add the cornstarch slurry in increments until the desired consistency is reached. (Note: To avoid lumps, do not add the cornstarch directly to the hot liquid. Cooking Technique: Pan-Frying and Pan Sauces How to Pan-Fry: Mastering the cooking technique of pan-frying is your secret weapon when it comes time for quick meal preparation! 1. Choose a skillet or pan that transfers heat efficiently. 2. Use a medium-high heat on the stovetop. 3. Use oils with a higher smoke point where appropriate. 4. Prepare foods so that they are evenly sized and even in thickness. 5. Allow the pan to heat prior to adding the food for cooking. 6. Heat the oil until a drop of water sizzles prior to adding the food. 7. Add and flip the pan-fried foods carefully using tongs. 8. Do not crowd the cooking pan. Allow space between pieces. 9. Turn the food once after a few minutes of cooking. How to Make Pan Sauces: Great pan sauces can result from pan-fried foods. The oils used for frying form the base, bits of food get scraped up, and the brown “fond” sticking to the pan is flavor magic. 1. Deglaze the warm pan by adding a small amount of liquid to the pan. Use broth, wine, beer, juices, or water for the deglazing liquid. 2. Heat gently. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape at the brown bits until dissolved. 3. Allow the liquid used to reduce by half over a simmering heat. 4. Add seasonings according to the recipe or your desired taste. 5. Thicken the sauce to the desired consistency. If the pan-fried foods were breaded with flour prior to frying, the sauce may thicken naturally. Alternatively, include additional flour by dissolving it in a little hot liquid, or add cornstarch that has been dissolved in cold liquid. Q: What’s the difference between pan-frying and sautéing? A: When pan-frying, generally, more oil is used than in sautéing, and the food is left in place to cook once added to the pan and flipped only at key intervals. When sautéing, the food is stirred and moved initially and consistently during cooking. Q: Why are spirits, wine, or beer so often used when deglazing a pan? A: The alcohol in these liquids has the ability to dissolve certain naturally occurring food compounds in a way that water cannot. The dissolved compounds unlock all kinds of flavors that would otherwise be inaccessible. Any alcohol initially present is burned off in the simmering process. Q: What is “fond”? A: When pan-frying meats in oil, bits of food can stick to the pan – in this situation, this is a good thing! The brown food particles or “fond,” that form are the result of the Maillard reaction, a caramelization process that involves both sugars and proteins present in the food that, in turn, form hundreds of flavor compounds. The word “fond” is a French culinary term for “base” or “foundation” referring to the beginnings of a delicious sauce. Tools for Cooking Quickly: LE CREUSET 5.5 QT. BRAISER Enameled cast iron pans are ideally suited for pan-frying foods. Great heat transfer, easy to clean. Many sizes and colors. ALL-CLAD 3 QT. SAUTÉ PAN Tri-ply construction expertly distributes heat while exterior and interior are easy-to-maintain stainless steel. PROGRESSIVE SPATTER SCREEN Whether frying or pan-frying, keep the stovetop area cleaner and safer. Fine mesh allows steam to escape, yet traps all the spatter. TOVOLO SILICONE SPATULAS A better “wooden spoon” that’s not wooden! Silicone head is heat tolerant; stainless handle provides long-term durability. WUSTHOF’S 8-INCH CHEF’S KNIFE A kitchen essential – this great, versatile, prep knife slices, dices, and minces food in just minutes. OXO GOOD GRIPS MEAT TENDERIZER This tool has two sides: one with points for tenderizing, and a smooth side for pounding meats to desired thicknesses. EPICUREAN CUTTING BOARD Get your kitchen work done on a great working surface. Thin, light, yet durable for chopping, or pounding. Dishwasher safe! Garlic Chicken with Asparagus Fresh asparagus defines springtime, and its appearance in this dish is brilliant. Beginning, once again, with sauteed, boneless chicken pieces, generous helpings of garlic, lemon and parsley are added along with asparagus pieces. Both asparagus and chicken love garlic and lemon, and the liberal use of parsley makes a chimmichurri-like sauce that bursts with piquancy to the benefit of all. Spike the flavors with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and dinner is ready to enjoy! Reprinted with permission from Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 by Michael Symon. Copyright 2013. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, New York, NY. All rights reserved. Recipe Notes: (1) Choose either boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts for this recipe. Fresh fish fillets would also be a wonderful choice. (2) The tips of asparagus cook more quickly than the stalks. When cutting the asparagus, reserve the tips and add a minute later than the other pieces. (3) A grating of cheese or a sprinkling of chopped pistachios would be delicious toppings. COOKBOOK REVIEW: Michael Symon’s 5 in 5, 5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners by Michael Symon. Copyright 2013. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, New York, NY. There may be just a tad of marketing going on with the title of this book. The first half of the book’s premise is that with the addition a few basic pantry items, five fresh ingredients – things you would need to specifically shop for, or have ready in the refrigerator – are added to complete the recipe. The second half of the book’s premise, ready in 5 minutes, assumes that the pounding and chopping have been completed and that the 5 minute timer begins once the heat is applied. Title parsing aside, this collection of recipes is a great resource for fast, fresh and healthy meals. The emphasis is on real ingredients, (not processed, or packaged ingredients), and quick cooking techniques. You’ll learn a lot about delicious, healthy, everyday cooking as you explore and cook your way through this book! Closing: When it’s suppertime, embrace fresh flavors, and make it happen quickly!