In my last post, I shared how I made a Savory Tomato Jam. The recipe for Chicken Breasts with a Walnut Aillade comes from "Two Fat Ladies". If you've never watched their show, it's quite interesting. I've caught a few episodes on the Cooking Channel, and their British humor is quite entertaining. So, what is an aillade sauce? It's a garlic sauce. I loved the simplicity of the sauce, that is the star of this show. I thought this would be a perfect work night dinner-- and it was. Within the last minutes of making this dish, I was inspired to top the chicken off with some tomato jam. It was a great idea, my husband said. He loved the whole dish.
Whole foods had a terrific sale on free-range boneless chicken breasts, so I stocked up and froze a few packages. I thawed the chicken, in the fridge, the night before. The chicken is marinated in plain yogurt with fresh lemon juice-- for about 30 minutes.
I usually keep a container of Fage Greek Yogurt on hand. I love how thick it is, and the non-fat version is excellent. But, any kind of plain yogurt will work.
I whisked in the juice of one fresh lemon.
I seasoned the chicken with just salt and pepper and set them into the yogurt and lemon juice...
These marinated for about 30 minutes, so the sauce can be made, next.
The sauce is very simple to make. (A food processor plays a helpful role). We begin with two ounces of fresh garlic. (I used two large cloves.) I always keep shelled walnuts in the freezer-- grab a large handful, or about 2 1/2 ounces. Add about one Tablespoon of water, and grind the walnuts. Season the ground walnuts with some salt...
...add some pepper...
You need about 1/2 cup of walnut oil. This oil is a bit pricey (I found mine at Whole Foods). You could use olive oil, though. I think it would be a good substitute.
While the processor is running, slowly add the walnut oil until you have a thick sauce-- almost like mayonnaise.
Add a handful of chopped fresh parsley, and there you go! Set the sauce aside...
I decided to warm about one cup of tomato jam.
Heat some oil in a pan, and pan fry the chicken on each side to sear.
NOTE: I forgot to wipe off the excess yogurt. Had I done so, I would have gotten a nicer sear. Ah, well.
Spoon over the aillade (walnut sauce) and cook over low heat until chicken is done (just a few minutes more).
I'm on a polenta kick, as of late. I make mine with chicken stock, Parmesan cheese and sometimes a little mascarpone cheese or either heavy cream or half and half. At first, I thought I'd make mashed potatoes, but the polenta called my name. So, there's the final dish. I think it took about thirty minutes to make.
I think the tomato jam adds such a beautiful color. Don't you?
VERDICT: The sauce is excellent. It has a lot of garlic, and I actually cut back on the recommended about in the original recipe. So, be forewarned. (I've stored the remaining sauce in an air-tight container.) I think the sauce would be excellent on fish. I also think it would be delicious on pasta, too. I like marinating chicken in yogurt, as I think it tenderizes the meat. The lemon flavor was a bit strong, I thought, so I think I'd add half the amount of lemon juice-- I even think lime juice would be a nice substitute. I loved the different textures in each bite-- the creamy polenta, tender chicken and then the chunky bite of tomato jam. Wow! My husband raved about this dinner, and yes, I would make this again. It's super fast, and if you love garlic, you will love this recipe. It's actually quite healthy. (Well, maybe the polenta is a stretch, if there's mascarpone or heavy cream in it!)
I've never been to Chicago. Some day I will. In the meantime, I trust Marie of "Proud Italian Cook", who lives in Chicago. Marie shared her recipe for Chicken Vesuvio, a while ago. She says that this dish is a Chicago American-Italian traditional dish. I trust her expertise. There's a reason why I chose "A Feast for the Eyes" as the name of my food blog. I'm so highly visual, that if I see a delectable photo of something to eat I am completely driven for a need to make it! I can look at photos, even if I'm not hungry, and still drool over the vision that is before me. That's the effect I had when I saw Cathy, of Wives with Knives, photo of this dish. It was the final push for me to jump in and make it for myself.
This dish has a lot going for it, besides tasting great. It's easy to make. It's not too expensive, especially if you keep white wine on hand at all times (which I do). I made only a few minor changes to their versions.
First, I only used two large bone-in chicken breasts (but you can use both dark and white meat), that I seasoned with salt & pepper, dried oregano and granulated garlic. (Just be sure that the chicken has been patted dry, so that you'll get a beautiful brown sear.) The prep work isn't too time-consuming-- maybe 15 minutes cut potatoes and peel whole cloves of fresh garlic. I used red potatoes, so I didn't have to peel the potatoes. I think these are the perfect choice for this dish, but use whatever spuds you have on hand.
I used my large cast iron skillet and heated some olive oil and a little unsalted butter, for extra flavor. Skin side down, on medium-high heat, sear the chicken and brown the potatoes (from 5-7 minutes).
Then, flip the chicken and potatoes to brown them on both sides. By the way, the reason I don't recommend using boneless chicken, is that the meat has a tendency to dry out. Bone-in, pretty much guarantees moist chicken.
If you adapt this recipe, as I did, I made this a one skillet recipe. I simply removed the chicken and potatoes and set them aside on a plate. Otherwise, you'll transfer the chicken and potatoes to a roasting pan. Next, I added the whole garlic cloves to the skillet and cooked them until golden brown (just don't burn them on a high heat). Now, add some white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc) to deglaze the pan, and get those lovely bits of brown flavor loosened up. NOTE: Though I used half the amount of chicken in the recipe, I didn't decrease the sauce. Cathy said it was so good, that I wanted more for myself.
White wine and garlic makes us hungry! Both my son and husband were sniffing the aroma, and saying that something smelled really good. I had to break it to them, that they had about another hour to wait... add some chicken stock and then reduce the sauce on medium-high heat for about five minutes. If you're using a separate roasting pan, you pour this sauce over the chicken.
I did the reverse, and returned the chicken and potatoes back into the skillet, then popped into a 375F oven. I guestimated about 45 minutes (165F internal temperature) for the chicken to be cooked. In the meantime, tidied my kitchen and washed most of my utensils so that I could have less cleanup after eating dinner.
In the last 15 minutes, I added about one cup of frozen peas.
There's a lot of sauce, since I doubled the liquid recipe. The aroma is enough to make anyone hungry!
This is comfort food, in my book.
TASTING NOTES: My son prefers dark meat. He said that this was the first time he'd eaten a chicken breast that tasted really moist and flavorful. My husband went back for thirds seconds on the potatoes. This dish has a European flavor, with that thin pan sauce. I would definitely make this recipe again, and I'll use a whole cut up chicken. I wish I'd had some crusty bread to soak up the sauce, because it is really flavorful.
As always, a printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post. I'd like to thank both Marie and Cathy for inspiring me to try this Chicago dish. It's delicious and easy!
Is it safe to come out, now that the holidays are over? Don't get me wrong-- I'm not a Grinch during the month of December. This Christmas, however, will go down in my personal history as the day that my appetite disappeared for two weeks. The sight or thought of food did absolutely nothing for me, can you believe it?! Apparently a new medicine that my doctor prescribed decided to kick in on Christmas Eve. My husband watched, with a perplexed look, as I two two bites of my slow-roasted prime rib. The creamed spinach and special potatoes amounted to about 1 teaspoon of each. I didn't even photograph the finished meal because I felt queasy and downright miserable. My appetite is slowly returning, and I've lost 12 pounds since December 1st. It's a good thing, but I also know it's important that I eat-- so I have to psyche myself into eating. (I'll explain more at the bottom of this post about my newly diagnosed Diabetes to spare those of you who want to pass on my stories of injecting a new drug and my progress.)
I made this dish in early December, while I had already begun my pre-holiday goal of eating healthier and dropping some pounds. Time, and my appetite setback, got in the way of posting this. Now that I can enjoy looking at food again, I'm happy to share this recipe with you. While organizing the photos, I could recall how much I loved the flavor of this dish. I had bookmarked this Cook's Illustrated recipe several months ago and then I stumbled across it again. Per Cook's Illustrated, "authentic versions call for a 24-hour marinade and a tandoor, a traditional beehive-shaped clay oven—requirements that keep the dish mainly in the realm of restaurants." In the method of CI that I love so much, they set out to reinvent this Indian classic into a recipe that could be made year-round in the oven. This is how they did it:
We begin with 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat and skin removed.
Garam Masala is a key component for this recipe. I'm still learning about Indian cooking, so it wasn't until I made Cook's Illustrated's Tikka Masala dish, I wasn't familiar with garam masala. According to CI, "Though there are countless variations of garam masala, the warm flavors (garam means “warm” or “hot” and masala means “spice blend”) dominating this Indian spice blend are consistent: black pepper, dried chiles, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander are staples, while cloves, cumin, fennel, mace, and nutmeg frequently turn up as supporting players." Finding this spice blend has become much easier. I found mine at my local supermarket.
You need yogurt, to marinate the chicken with. I used Greek Non-Fat yogurt, because I love how thick and rich it is.
You also need chili powder and cumin...
There's a little more prep work to go-- you need the juice of two limes, freshly minced garlic and ginger...
Using sharp knife, lightly score skinned side of each piece of chicken, making 2 or 3 shallow cuts about 1 inch apart and about 1/8 inch deep; transfer to bowl. The prep work took me about 30 minutes, between washing my hands a lot while taking photos. Ready?
We're going to "bloom" the spices and reserve half as a rub, and the other half to flavor the yogurt that we'll marinate the chicken with. Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
The aroma is packed with so much flavor! We're just getting started...
Transfer half of garlic-spice mixture to medium bowl; stir in yogurt and 2 tablespoons lime juice and set aside. In large bowl, combine remaining garlic-spice mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and salt. I didn't photograph the next step of using my hands to gently massage salt-spice mixture into chicken until all pieces are evenly coated; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.(It's a bit messy and I didn't want to get my camera all dirty.) Pour yogurt mixture over chicken and toss until chicken is evenly coated with thick layer.
Next, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat oven to 325 degrees.
Arrange chicken pieces, scored-side down, on wire rack set in foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture.
Bake chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 125 degrees for breasts and 130 for legs and thighs, 15 to 25 minutes. (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Transfer chicken pieces to plate as they reach correct temperature.) After removing chicken from oven, turn oven to broil and heat 10 minutes.
The broiler is ready...
Once broiler is heated, flip chicken pieces over and broil until chicken is lightly charred in spots and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees for breasts and 175 for legs and thighs, 8 to 15 minutes.
The method of broiling the chicken mimics the way that juices fall, in a tandoor oven, on the coals along with rendered fat, creating smoke that flavors the food.
My husband loves Indian food. He was both surprised and thrilled to see his "Foodiewife" making a dish I'm really not familiar with. I admit, I was looking forward to tasting this dinner.
VERDICT: When my husband really likes the flavor of something, he let's out a slow moan. I smiled, as he savored the flavor of this dish and he complimented me over and over again. My husband can handle really spicy food much better than I can. On a scale of 1-5, the heat of this dish is about a 2.5. If you love to breathe fire, you might want to kick up the spice heat. To me, it was perfect. This is not boring chicken! It was tender, flavorful and very healthy. I loved this dish so much, that I'm going to pay closer attention to learning how to make more Indian dishes. I am really bonding with the traditional Indian spice combination, and I look forward to adding more spices to my pantry. Cook's Illustrated did it again-- they figured out how to make juicy, lightly charred, well-seasoned meat with just the right degree of tenderness. A printable recipe card is at the very bottom of this post.
In closing, here's a bit of personal sharing on my newly diagnosed Type II diabetes. (Feel free to skip this paragraph and go to the recipe card, and I won't feel offended.) I'm on a very new type of medicine that I need to inject once a day, called Victoza. Having watched my son inject himself with insulin for the last twelve years, I had no problem learning how to inject myself with Victoza. The drugs works great, in that my glucose levels are normal again. The side effects, though, reminded me of morning sickness when I was pregnant in 1988. The nausea has pretty much calmed down, but I just don't feel hungry most of the time. I'm very blessed to have Dr. Allen King as my endocrinologist. Dr. King is one of the foremost experts on diabetes, and his office is in my hometown. He is the author of The Diabetic Bible, and I trust his knowledge of this disease. Emotionally, I'm okay. While I fully understand that Diabetes is not caused by obesity, and it's a genetic predisposition-- my goal is to lose enough weight with the hope that I won't need to take medication. Dr. King says we'll take that one day at a time. In the meantime, I'm doing my water aerobics at least four days a week, and some weight training with a personal trainer. Thanks for listening.
I can still eat the things I love, by the way. I'm not giving up baking, nor nibbling on a home baked cookie or two. The word "moderation" has taken on a meaning as a healthier way of life. I can do this! Heck, I'm doing it now!
I have been unable to visit my favorite food blogs for weeks-- and I apologize if I haven't personally responded to those of you who have left such kind comments for me. Believe me, I want to. Work has been very busy for me, and I pretty much hit the sack shortly after I arrive home at the end of my night shift.
I'm going to try and post more recipes, to make up for my absence. I've miss you guys!
, and I trust his knowledge of this disease. Emotionally, I'm okay. While I fully understand that Diabetes is not caused by obesity, and it's a genetic predisposition-- my goal is to lose enough weight with the hope that I won't need to take medication. Dr. King says we'll take that one day at a time. In the meantime, I'm doing my water aerobics at least four days a week, and some weight training with a personal trainer.
