the thin chef

One of the first meals I ever cooked away from home was chicken piccata, a dish I grew up eating a lot (I requested it all the time). It’s still a staple in my kitchen today, and I love to play around with the technique and flavors to create new-ish recipes inspired by the classic rendition.

A few nights ago, I wanted something super easy and fast for dinner since I had already spent the whole day in the kitchen testing, photographing, and editing recipes for the second issue of edible Orlando. I looked in the fridge; a few chicken tenders, a half-drunk bottle of Chardonnay, a half a bag of arugula, and about a quarter of a box of chicken stock stared back. Just enough, I thought, for some kind of piccata-esque meal.

You can use spinach or watercress here instead of (my current obsession) arugula, and you could easily do this with chicken breast cutlets or even thin slabs of tofu for a vegetarian version. If you don’t have wine for the sauce, that’s OK, too. Just replace it with more chicken stock. Fresh herbs would be nice here—dill or parsley if you have them. If not, it’s lively enough as is. You could pair this with some orzo or brown rice to round out the meal.

Super Fast Lemony Chicken with Tender Greens
I prefer chicken stock for this recipe, as opposed to chicken broth, because it makes a richer sauce. Kitchen Basics makes my favorite kind, and Progresso also has one that’s pretty good. Look for low-sodium since you’re reducing it.
serves 2

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
6 chicken tenders
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 big handfuls arugula or other tender greens

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken tenders in flour mixture, coating evenly, and shaking off excess. Place coated chicken in the hot oil. Cook until golden brown and cooked through. Set chicken aside on a plate.

Add lemon juice, wine, and chicken stock to the pan; scrape any brown bits from the bottom with a spoon. Simmer sauce until reduced and slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Taste, and add salt and pepper. If the sauce tastes too tangy, add a splash of chicken broth, and keep simmering until reduced. Turn heat off.

Add chicken tenders and arugula to the skillet, and toss gently to coat everything in the sauce and to wilt the greens. Serve immediately.

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Have you ever used smoked paprika? If not, please do yourself a favor and purchase some. You can buy it at most grocery stores now, but it’s even better if it’s pimentón ahumado, from Spain. I absolutely love the deep, complex, smoky flavor it infuses into foods. It’s not aggressive, it’s not overt—it’s warm and rich, and a lovely addition to a lot of classic dishes. I have successfully added it to chili, hamburgers, oven-braised pork butt, soups, chowders, and—a current favorite—chicken salad.

I don’t have a photo of this chicken salad, but I am here to tell you it’s quite pretty. The smoked paprika gives the dressing a rosy pink hue. Sweet purple grapes add another pop of color, and are juicy and crunchy. It’s lighter than regular chicken salad, with the addition of yogurt in the dressing, and just enough of the creamy stuff to keep the mixture moist. Roasting the chicken on the bone ensures that it stays juicy and super flavorful.

I’m thinking this is a perfect Labor Day picnic/cook out bring-along…just be prepared to sing the praises of smoked paprika when everyone wonders what made the chicken salad so tasty.

Smoky Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds
Serves 4 to 6

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I think that maybe I had grilling withdrawal. With a measly little half-porch back in Birmingham, our little black grill sat, neglected, for more than a year in the shed. Under its dust-covered gray sheath, it looked forlorn and forgotten. I wanted to give it love, but we just didn’t want to be those people grilling in the front driveway.

But now…now we have a fabulous deck and a private, green, lush backyard where we love to spend time. We took the grill out of hibernation, scrubbed it up, and it’s good as new. We had one grilled meal, then another, and another. It’s all I can do to not plan every dinner to be cooked out there. So, in short, I think I had grilling withdrawal, and now I’m overcompensating.

Anyway. One of Jason’s and my favorite things are these grilled artichokes from Houston’s. Thought I’m not usually one for chain eateries, I quite enjoy Houston’s…and the grilled artichokes are to-die-for good. I could eat them every day. They’re smoky, crisp, buttery, perfect. They’re also super simple…no fancy spices, no complicated cooking process. So I set about re-creating them last night.

Just a few minutes on the stove and a few more on a hot grill, and you have the best artichokes ever. (Try them, you’ll see.) Even though I could have eaten just the artichokes for dinner, dipped in creamy herb sauce, they were perfect paired with garlicky chicken thighs also charred and crisped on the grill.

p.s. The artichokes were less than beautiful at my grocery store, but I got them anyway. When you’re shopping for them, look for ones with long stems, tightly closed leaves (unlike the ones shown above), and ones that feel big for their size.

Grilled Artichokes
serves 2 as a side
I cut these in half, but I think they’ll be better quartered next time, maximizing the surface area that touches the hot grill.

2 fresh artichokes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Hefty pinch coarse salt
2 tablespoons light or regular mayo
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs (such as dill, parsley, and/or mint)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Pinch coarse salt
Few grinds black pepper

Peel the bottom, tough leaves off of artichokes. Cut top 1/3 off with a large, sharp knife. Peel stems with a vegetable peeler. Snip prickly tops off of leaves. Place both artichokes in a large stockpot of boiling water; cover pot. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the base of the artichokes (not the stem, the base of the leaves) is easily pierced with a knife.

Drain, and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, Cut artichokes in half. Scoop out the fuzzy hairs in the artichoke, and discard. Cut again into quarters. Brush the artichokes with the oil, and sprinkle with salt. Place artichokes on a preheated hot grill. Grill until charred in places and golden brown everywhere else. Eat immediately, or at room temperature.

To make the dip, combine mayo, Dijon, herbs, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk with a fork to combine. Serve with artichokes.

Grilled Garlicky Chicken
serves 4

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

In a shallow dish that can hold all of the chicken, combine garlic, lime zest, oil, and salt. Whisk with a fork to combine. Put chicken thighs in pan, turning to coat completely. Make sure the garlic and zest are on the chicken, not scattered around the dish!

Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Bring to room temperature before grilling. Prepare your grill with a hot side and a low-heat side (scatter 1/4 of the hot coals on one side, and leave the rest piled on the other side). Grill chicken over the hot coals for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. If it’s looking too charred before it’s done, finish cooking on the cooler side. Serve immediately.

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Texture, to me, is half of what makes food good. Flavor, of course, is king…but for me, the texture can make or break a dish. For instance, the cheese dip you get in hole-in-the-wall Mexican places is one of my favorite guilty indulgences. It tastes good, sure, but what gets me is the combination of the warm, crisp chips covered in silky, melty, gooey cheese. It’s addictive. Perfectly cooked fresh pasta, slightly chewy and tender…it’s perfection. I can’t eat jello or applesauce because of the texture (they make me gag). It’s not that the flavor of those foods is gross to me…it’s purely a texture thing.

This brings me to dark meat chicken. Braised dark meat, to be exact. Braising coaxes out the innate butteriness of nearly anything (is butteriness a word? probably not, but oh well). Sometimes I like a slow braise, for things like short ribs and ropa vieja. But sometimes, a quick braise is all you need for a satisfyingly tender results. Chicken thighs do beautifully in a quick braise.

I was inspired by this Cooking Light recipe. (I got a subscription to CL for Christmas, and I’m loving it. Great magazine.) I essentially rewrote the recipe, though, for what I had on hand and what I thought would be good. It’s great for a weeknight, since it cooks quickly, and using dark meat is especially wallet-friendly.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Herbs and Tomatoes
serves 3 or 4, depending on how big your chicken thighs are

4 medium or large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup good chicken broth
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 to 4 cups cooked egg noodles

Put chicken thighs on a plate. Use tongs to flatten the thighs (sometimes they’re curled up in the package), then evenly sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a large sautee pan with deep sides and a lid. Add onion and thyme. Cook until onion is translucent and tender, about 4 minutes. Move onion to edges of pan, and increase heat to medium-high. Add remaining butter to pan, and put chicken in pan. Sear until both sides of chicken are golden, about 3 minutes per side. Stir onions while the chicken sears so they don’t burn.

When chicken is seared, toss everything around. Add tomatoes, wine, chicken broth, and Dijon. Shimmy the pan, and stir, to combine everything. Cover pan, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how big the thighs are, until the center registers 160 on a meat thermometer.

Take chicken out of sauce, place on a clean plate, and cover loosely with foil. Turn heat up to medium-high, and simmer sauce until it’s reduced by a bit. Off the heat, stir in sour cream, if using. Stir in half of fresh parsley.

Put about 1 cup cooked egg noodles on each serving plate. Top with a chicken thigh, and spoon the sauce over top. Top with additional fresh parsley, and serve.

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For our Christmas party in December, I made bite-size meatballs inspired by the ones I’d had a few weeks earlier at my parents’ annual backyard party. I should back up—this party my parents throw is no typical backyard BBQ. Anyone who knows my family knows we simply cannot throw a party without this-is-why-we-came-to-the-party food.

A fabulous gastropub here in Winter Park called Ravenous Pig catered the party, and it was outrageously delicious. I managed to take a few pictures between the bites of food. For starters, there were miniature duck ruebens, Greek lamb meatballs, corn-and-crab fritters, mini biscuit BLTs, chicken liver mousse (I die. It was so good.), as well as artisanal cheeses and house-made salumi. For the main plates, we had braised swordfish (yes, braised, and it was awesome) and venison saddle. Dessert…oh, my. Root beer floats with malt ice cream, lovely little puffs of fried dough shaped like curlicue pigtails and propped in a puddle of rich dark chocolate ganache, and pumpkin crème brûlée with pepitas brittle.

Pictured here: Lots of amazing house-made salumi and artisanal prosciutto; Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk cheese, aged gouda, Miniature duck reubens; root beer floats; and the pigtails.

So, yes, back to the post at hand. The meatballs. I failed to get a picture of them, probably because I was too busy, you know, eating them. But they were perfect little bites perched atop dollops of cool tzatziki.  When it came time for me to make party food our Christmas get-together, these were at the top of my list. (For the record, they were a big hit…but that’s not what this post is about.)

This post is, actually, about dinner. The other night, I was thinking about those party meatballs, and how I could make dinner around them. I thought it might be fun to do a Greek-inspired twist on that ever-loving Italian classic spaghetti and meatballs, using orzo and the aforementioned Greek meatballs. I used ground chicken, but I think I’ll try lamb next time. The result was a quick weeknight meal with lots of interesting flavors and textures. And it all started with those little party hors d’oeuvres.

Greek Pasta and Meatballs
Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional for sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus additional for sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided OR 2 teaspoons dried dill, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
3/4 pound ground meat (i.e. beef, lamb, turkey, or chicken)
1 egg white
2/3 cup uncooked orzo
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes or great-quality jarred marinara sauce
Crumbled feta cheese, to taste

Preheat oven to 400º. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine oil and onion in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook until mostly translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 1 clove minced garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir, and cook until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a small bowl, and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill), 1 tablespoon mint, breadcrumbs, and cooled onion mixture in a medium bowl. Add ground meat and egg white. Use your hands to mix everything thoroughly, being careful not to squish or compact the meat too much.

Roll meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs (you should end up with about 20 total). As you roll them, place meatballs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake meatballs until tops are golden brown and insides are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the kind of meat you choose.

While meatballs bake, cook orzo according to package directions. Heat the remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add remaining garlic, and stir until fragrant and just turning golden. Add crushed tomatoes or marinara, and remaining herbs. Stir, and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through.

To serve, divide orzo among 4 serving bowls. Spoon 1/2 cup sauce over each serving, and top with 4 or 5 meatballs. Top with crumbled feta, or pass it at the table so everyone can add the amount they prefer.

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As I’ve mentioned before, one of the best parts about marrying a man of Palestinian descent is the food. Jason’s mom, Salwa, is a truly wonderful cook…a master of her native cuisine. I realized this one day as we were eating mashi (stuffed squash), kibbeh (bulgur + lamb patties), and hashweh (rice + lamb) made by someone who is not Jason’s mom. It was fine, it was familiar…but it was not the can’t-put-down-my-fork delicious food Salwa makes.

Perhaps it’s because of this mastery she has in the kitchen, but I have been intimidated by the comforting, spicy dishes that Jason (and now I) crave. I’m generally up for anything in the kitchen, attempting dishes from various nationalities, undaunted. But I had yet to try an Arabic dish until yesterday.

Msakkhan (roughly prounonced “im-sohcken” with a throaty second syllable) was traditionally regarded as peasant food. Its origins are Middle Eastern, but it’s basically one version of a casserole that’s made around the world (the Greek version, moussaka, is more well known).

There are lots of recipes for this around the web. When I made it yesterday, I made a few missteps that I’ve corrected using my mother-in-law’s technique. I followed the online recipes and baked the whole thing together. The bread stuck to the pan and got pretty sogged in chicken broth, which was still tasty, but not like Jason’s mom’s. Come to find out, she bakes the chicken and the onion bread separately, then combines them at the end. So that’s what I’m recommending here and how I’ll make it next time.

Though extremely simple, this is a somewhat time-consuming dish, but really, the long cooking spans are largely hands-off. Reddish-purple sumac, the predominant spice here, lends a slight sweet-tanginess while the cinnamon and nutmeg add a warm aroma that’s comforting and perfectly balanced. If you can’t find sumac at your grocery store (and I’m doubting you will be able to), look for it in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean markets, or online at Penzey’s.

Msakkhan (Arabic Chicken on Onion Bread)
serves 4

1 1/2 generous tablespoons finely ground sumac
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small chicken, quartered
3 large red onions, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons chicken stock
4 to 6 small pita bread rounds

Combine sumac, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture in another bowl, and set it aside. Squeeze the lemon juice over the rest of the mixture, and use a fork to combine. Add 2 tablespoons oil, and stir to combine.

Trim the chicken parts to remove excess skin and fat. In a large resealable plastic bag or a large bowl, combine the spice marinade and chicken pieces, and turn chicken to coat it really well in the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and reserved spice mixture, and stir to combine. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions begin to soften. Add chicken stock, and stir. Turn heat to low/medium-low, and cover pot. Cook onions, stirring every so often, until they are meltingly soft and have turned a nice purple color, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400º. Spray a large roasting pan with nonstick spray. Remove chicken from marinade, and shake off excess. Place chicken in the pan skin side up, and roast until the internal temperature reaches 165º on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place pita bread in one even layer on the pan. Brush lightly with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Spoon onions evenly atop bread, leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around. Bake for 25 minutes, or until bread is deep golden brown. Top each piece of onion bread with a chicken quarter, and serve remaining pita on the side.

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One of my greatest loves in the kitchen is a roast chicken. But I’ve already told you this, haven’t I? It’s perfect right out of the oven, but it’s also great to have on hand for later meals. The meat is so tender and moist, the leftovers store well in the fridge just waiting to be used in sundry delicious dishes. I roasted a chicken on Sunday for dinner, and we ate the dark meat, leaving the succulent breast meat for tonight. As a side note, the chicken was a Publix Greenwise chicken, and it was really great. Hormone and antibiotic free, and humanely raised…when we can’t afford the locally raised chickens at $15 apiece, this is a great second option.

I’ve used plain leftover roast chicken in tacos before, but tonight I wanted a little more oomph going on, because I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes for salsa or avocados for guacamole. We were pretty much condimentless, but we both were in the mood for tacos. So. I crafted an easy little sauce and tossed in the two breasts from our roast chicken (shredded), for a perfect, if untraditional, taco filling. I topped mine with crumbled goats milk feta from a local dairy, which added a lovely, salty layer of flavor.

On the side were refried black beans that were so easy to make I decided I’d probably never buy prepared refried beans again. This one’s a keeper. (But an unattractive photograph, so just use your imagination…) Oh, and p.s., I didn’t get a very good picture tonight…the lighting in our kitchen is lame and it’s dreary outside. Sorry for the blur!

Saucy Chicken Tacos with Refried Black Beans
serves 2 with leftovers

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
5 green onions, finely chopped (white and light green parts)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 big pinches coarse salt, divided
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth, divided
2 cooked chicken breasts, skin and bones removed and discarded
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
Corn tortillas, warmed
Optional toppings: crumbled cotija (or feta), shredded Monterey jack, sour cream, sliced avocado, shredded lettuce

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the green onions, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant and softened. Add the garlic, spices, and a generous pinch of salt, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce and a splash of chicken broth (maybe 1/4 cup). Stir to combine, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the beans, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add a splash of chicken broth (maybe 1/4 cup) and mash the beans with a potato masher until creamy. Turn heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding chicken broth to maintain the creamy consistency.

Shred the cooked chicken, and add it to the tomato sauce. Add more chicken broth, if needed, if sauce seems too thick. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste, and add a second pinch of salt, if desired. Stir in the cilantro.

Spoon chicken mixture into warmed corn tortillas. Add the toppings you like, and serve immediately with lime wedges. Serve with refried beans on the side.

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Jason has been under the weather, all sniffles and coughs and sneezes. I don’t know about you, but when I have a cold, it’s hot, brothy soup that tastes the best to me. There’s some science behind chicken soup actually being beneficial for your immune system, but unscientifically, I just know that steamy soup, if only for a moment, clears the head and soothes the sniffles.

Jason came down with a cold at the tail end of our trip, so on Monday night, after a wonderful long weekend of delicious meals, raucous evenings, and {a little too much} fun in New York City, the boy needed some soup.

Chicken noodle soup can be made a hundred different ways with a hundred different ingredients, and this is my version. It’s more a guide than a recipe, as you can swap ingredients according to your tastes and what’s stocked in your fridge and pantry. But it’s so simple to make that even when you’re the one under the weather, you can still whip this up before plopping back on the couch under a mountain of tissues and blankets with your bowlful of goodness. Sip, slurp, and feel better.

Feel Better Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves 2 with leftovers

1 generous tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 smallish stalks celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 big pinches coarse salt, divided
10 grinds ground black pepper
1 large sprig fresh thyme
2 large sprigs fresh dill
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 to 1 cup dry white wine (optional)
1 bone-in chicken breast, skin removed or 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 small handfuls short-cut pasta, such as corkscrews, rotini, penne, seashells, orzo, or elbows

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat, and add the carrots, onion, and celery. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, a pinch of salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Cook until vegetables are soft and fragrant, but not brown. If the vegetables start to caramelize, turn the heat down.

Add the herb sprigs to the pot, and stir. Pour in the broth and wine (if using), cover, and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breast, and dunk it so it’s covered in the broth. Put the lid on, and lower heat as necessary to make sure that the broth doesn’t boil. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes for boneless breasts and 15 minutes for bone-in breasts.

When chicken is cooked through, carefully remove it from the soup, and set aside on a cutting board. Taste the soup at this point, and add salt to taste, if needed. Add the pasta, and turn heat to medium-high. Stir.

While the pasta cooks, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Add the chicken back into the soup, and stir. Cook until pasta is tender. Find and remove the herb sprigs from the soup before serving.

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I’m feeling bit under the weather, which is unfortunate, mostly because I feel I’ve lost the bragging rights to my super immune system. I managed to avoid all the pre-Christmas illness that was going around, so I was quite proud of my immune system’s capability. I guess it couldn’t last forever.

I’d been wanting to make something with miso for a while, so when I came home from work with a scratchy throat and feeling yucky all over, I knew it would be the perfect night for it. I started with leftover rice and some fresh spinach, topped it with roasted miso-marinated chicken, then ladled nourishing, steamy miso broth over everything. I’m feeling better already…

Miso Chicken Bowls
serves 2

3 1/2 to 4 tablespons white miso paste, divided
1 (1 1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled, 1 inch grated, 1/2 inch sliced, divided
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
2 meaty bone-in chicken thighs, skin and as much fat as possible removed
4 green onions, root and top ends trimmed, very thinly sliced
1/2 (10-oz) bag baby spinach
1 cup cooked rice, reheated if needed
Garnish: chopped cilantro

In a small bowl, whisk together the miso paste, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water. Place chicken thighs in a large shallow dish. Pour marinade over chicken, and turn to thoroughly coat. Cover refrigerate for at least 40 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400º. Shake off excess marinade from chicken. On a foil-lined baking sheet, place the chicken in a single layer, and bake for 25 minutes, or until juices run clear when pierced with a knife. Set chicken aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Whisk in remaining 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons miso paste (taste as you go to determine if you need more miso). Add sliced green onions and sliced ginger. Let simmer, covered, for 10 to 20 minutes.

Separate cooked chicken from bones. Remove ginger from broth, and discard. Place spinach in broth, stir, and cover for 2 minutes.

In each of 2 shallow bowls, spoon 1/2 cup rice. Use tongs to strain spinach from broth, and top each bowl with an even amount of spinach. Evenly top each with chicken, then whisk the mis broth, and ladle about 1 cup over the dish. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately.

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If you have ever found yourself looking for a quick chicken dish, whether for a weeknight or for a party, this one should be high on your list. Tender, juicy chicken and a nice little dipping sauce can be yours with very minimal effort and time. I totally forgot to post this after our Christmas party! So here it is, just a few months late…

Start with chicken, white or dark meat, preferably skinless and boneless. If it’s for dinner, you’ll probably want to leave the pieces whole; if it’s for a party, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. In a bowl, whisk together one part fresh lemon juice to two parts olive oil. Zest the lemons before you squeeze them, and add the zest to the juice-oil mixture. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper, and whatever herbs you like. {Herbs are optional but add nice flavor. Dill and parsley are my favorites.} Taste, and adjust as needed—you want it to be tart and lemony but not sour.

Place the marinade and the chicken in a big zip-top bag, and seal it. Then squish and smoosh the bag, distributing the marinade all over the chicken. Don’t leave any pieces naked. Then stash the bag in your fridge for about an hour. Or more—whatever. Just don’t leave it more than 6 hours.

When you’re ready to cook, you’ve got options. If you’ve made a lot of small pieces for a crowd, then just shake off as much marinade as possible {reserve the marinade}, and place chicken on large rimmed baking sheets. Bake at 425º for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork. You can also skewer them on well-soaked bamboo skewers for easy eating. If you’ve got whole breasts {or thighs}, bake at 400º for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.

For the sauce, put the reserved marinade in a small saucepan over high heat, and boil {seriously, vigorously boil to kill any bacteria} for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside. Chop some fresh herbs {whatever you used in the marinade} and place the herbs and the cooled boiled marinade in a bowl. Whisk in some mayonnaise until you get the consistency you like. Serve the sauce with the chicken.

Easy, right? Tasty, too, I promise.

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