Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato
My parents are both amazing cooks and much of my love and respect for cooking and eating comes from growing up in a household where most of our meals were cooked from (mostly) scratch. But what ignited my insatiable curiosity about new recipes, unfamiliar ingredients, and different flavor combinations was actually the Food Network. Cooking shows brought recipes into my home and through powerful visual persuasion (mouth-watering closeups of fresh ingredients and sizzling sautée pans), encouraged me to try these recipes at home. One of my favorite shows is the incredible and magnanimous Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa, with her to-die-for luxurious Hampton kitchen, effortless parties and luncheons, charmingly goofy Jeffrey, and fabulous table-decorating friends. Her recipes are simple, classic, and rich with quality ingredients that produce seemingly extravagant dishes.
This recipe is representative of Ina’s recipes: simple ingredients, but the end result feels luxurious and completely disguises its humble beginnings. A weekday chicken dish can be transformed into extravagance befitting a weekend dinner party by baking herbed goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil underneath the skin until oozy, crispy, and totally delicious.
Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato
adapted from Ina Garten, Food Network
3 boneless chicken breasts, skin-on
4 to 5 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (Ina recommends Montrachet)
3 sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
Fresh basil leaves (optional)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Thai Peanut Noodles
I’ve noticed that over the last few years that my attention span has really been decreasing at an alarming rate. I don’t know if it’s a consequence of graduate school (the adverse effect of having to ATTEND to every minute detail of some seemingly trivial protein or biological process for what feels like an interminable amount of time) or what, but I am having the hardest time focusing on a single task to its completion! I remember a time when I was able to sit down and read a paper, write an entire email, or even complete a train of thought without getting distracted by food blogs, what’s going on outside my window, or even the simple action of twirling my hair around my index finger. As a result, my desk is a disaster area with avalanche-prone piles of papers, notes, binders, pens, post-its, and films, and every time I sit down with the intention of getting myself ORGANIZED GOSHDARNIT, I just get distracted with something ELSE. Usually food related.
At least when it comes to food I have been able to focus better, probably because the consequence of getting distracted while cooking is NOT EATING… and we all know hungry Crystal is cranky, unpleasant Crystal. However yesterday, I found myself unable to even focus on what to make for dinner… a problem that seems impossible with the staggering number of bookmarked recipes on my computer. Usually on a weeknight, I know what I will be cooking for dinner before I even leave lab (often even a few days before), and the grocery trip is speedy and efficient so that the food will reach my stomach as quickly as possible! This was not so last night.. instead I reached the grocery store still totally undecided and wandered the aisles several times over, picking up things and then putting them back, only to pick them right back up again… After 30 minutes, my basket contained 2 eggplants and fresh mozzarella (intended for an eggplant parmesan pasta dish) as well as chicken breasts, bean sprouts, ginger (for a peanut noodle dish that I will eventually get to). It took me an additional 10 minutes to decide that I was more in the mood for Asian than Italian and picked up the additional ingredients required. And even while I was in the process of cooking, my mind STILL flitted back to eggplants and pasta, worrying that once I tasted the peanut noodles, I would be craving eggplant parmesan flavors.
I did not need to worry; the noodles were awesome, and after the first bite, my mind was FINALLY (and HAPPILY!) exclusively focused on enjoying the rich peanut sauce, crunchy fresh veggies, and caramelized chicken. I used a pre-shredded bag of shredded broccoli and carrots (time-saver!) and cooked them until they were a bit soft, but still had some bite to them, and added fresh bean sprouts at the very end, allowing the residual heat of the noodles to soften them just enough. The chicken was marinated in garlic, ginger, dash of sugar, and soy sauce for added flavor while I cooked the veggies and noodles, then stir-fried on high heat until they were beautifully browned and a bit crispy.
And oh the sauce. The sauce is a real winner, guys. I can envision this sauce being used as a dipping sauce for summer rolls, lettuce wraps, grilled meats, tofu, salads, stir frys, on top of pizza, in an asian quesadilla, basically in or on ANYTHING. It’s definitely peanut-y, thanks to a generous amount of chunky peanut butter, but it’s so much MORE than that… there is red curry paste to add flavor and a bit of spice, coconut milk for an exotic richness, soy and fish sauce to bring on the umami, brown sugar to balance the salt, and fresh lime juice and cilantro for an added brightness. I am almost more excited about this sauce ALONE, it’s SO delicious, but you can’t really eat a bowl of peanut sauce for dinner, can you?
Thai Peanut Sauce
adapted from Closet Cooking
makes about 1.5 cups of sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons ginger, finely minced
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1/3 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup chicken broth (I had none on hand so used water, have a feeling you could omit this for a very flavorful sauce)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
*for additional heat, sambal (garlic chili paste) can be added to taste.
- Heat oil in a small saucepan on medium high heat. Once heated, add garlic and ginger and cook for about 2 minutes. Add curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add peanut butter, coconut milk, broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until smooth.
- Add lime juice and cilantro and turn off heat.
Chicken, Vegetables, and Noodles
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 bag of ready-shredded broccoli and carrots, or veggies of your choice
6 ounces fresh bean sprouts
noodles, such as ramen, somen, mai-fun, rice noodles, etc., cooked according to instructions.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine chicken, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch. Mix with spoon until chicken is evenly coated with marinade.
- In a medium saucepan, heat a tablespoon of oil over high heat. Once hot, sauté vegetables until just a bit soft. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same saucepan, add another tablespoon of oil over high heat. Once oil is hot, add chicken, making sure there is space between each piece so each can brown. If needed, cook in 2 batches. Cook on the first side for at least 3 minutes, allow the sides to brown. Turn chicken over, cooking for another 3-5 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Set chicken aside.
- In a large plate or bowl, mix together the cooked vegetables, noodles, chicken, and peanut sauce. Add fresh green onions and cilantro and lime juice to taste.
Cashew Chicken
I have specific foods to remedy certain ailments or conditions that pop up in life: a cold = saltines and peanut butter with honey lemon tea, a hangover = greasy diner breakfast food (emPHAsis on the GREASEy, believe me… and I’ve always been too afraid to try alcohol to remedy the hangover), a tough day in lab = LARGE glass of wine… or two and trashy reality television.
The condition that I have been suffering from for the last week is an EATOVER (where I have over-eaten to the point where I am no longer hungry, but continue to eat out of stress or because it is breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacktime). This eatover is most likely due to the convergence of:
- two (ha) many Easter parties on Easter Sunday; one with so much Greek food that we ended up taking leftovers home and 5 days later STILL haven’t finished all of it, and the other with home-made fried chicken and creamy mac and cheese, both complete with desserts, and you bet I ate dessert at both.
- a crazy work schedule that has wreaked a bit of havoc on my normal eating and exercise schedule (read: more eating, less home-cooking, no exercise) because I am trying to get things done in lab so I can set off halfway across the world to eat sushi where it came from with a (somewhat) clear conscience!!!
My remedy for this situation is simple: chinese food. Not greasy-take out or deep-fried wontons, but simple home-cooked stir-frys similar to those that I grew up eating- which means they are heavy on the veggies, light on the oil and sugar (and MSG), and importantly, do not contain ingredients that I love to overeat: cheese, dairy, bread, pasta, and dessert.
I made cashew chicken last night and fried rice to eat with it, using many odds and ends ingredients that have been languishing in our fridge (onion, some baby carrots, red bell pepper, chicken), thus successfully clearing out much of our fridge as well as putting my stomach back on the road to normal. Double score.
Cashew Chicken
adapted from my mom and dad
makes about 3-4 servings
Marinade for the chicken
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 green onion stalk, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 pound chicken, breasts or boneless thighs, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch chunks
For Stir Fry
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cored, and roughly chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped (or sliced)
chopped green onions for garnish
handful of roasted cashews (unsalted is better, this is totally optional)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 cup water or chicken broth
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- Put all the ingredients for the chicken marinade into a small bowl. Add chicken, and stir until mixed and chicken is coated. You can set this aside while you prep your veggies, or put in the fridge if marinating for a few hours/overnight.
- Set a large saucepan or wok on high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and let heat up. Add onions and red bell pepper, cook and stir occasionally until they begin to soften and brown at edges, about 3-5 minutes. Add the zucchini, cook and stir occasionally for an additional 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the veggies. Remove veggies while there is still a little bite to them, there is a bit of carryover cooking after they are removed from the heat, as well as heating again with the sauce and chicken at the end.
- Using the same pan, heat another tablespoon of oil on high heat until very hot. Add chicken and the marinade. Spread the chicken out in a single layer if possible and do not touch for at least 3 minutes, to allow browning and carmelization of the chicken. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes longer until the chicken is done. Add the cashews. Turn heat down to medium and add water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar. The sauce should get thick on its on, if too thick, add more water. If not thick enough, add a mixture of cornstarch dissolved in water.
- Add veggies and stir to coat the veggies in the sauce, just another minute, then transfer to a plate.
- This dish can be served with rice or on top of noodles.
