Monthly Archives: February 2011
Apple Cider Vinegar Braised Chicken Thighs
| February 28, 2011 | Filled under Chicken and Poultry, One Pan, Shawn's Favorites, Weekend Meals, Winter |
Voting for Round 2 of the Ridiculously Delicious Challenge opens at 6am EST on March 1st. I’d really appreciate it if you would consider voting for me HERE. Thanks!
I was flipping through an old issue of Food + Wine this weekend, when this unassuming recipe for chicken thighs braised in apple cider vinegar caught my eye. There was no picture and very little by way of a description, but for some reason I felt compelled to make it. Despite a brief moment of fear when I thought I might end up with something resembling pickled chicken, I immediately added the ingredients to my grocery list and prepared it for dinner that same night.
Within ten minutes of being put into the oven, this chicken filled the entire house with the most amazing smells and made our stomaches grumble. It doesn’t look like much in the pot, but this is hands-down the best chicken I’ve ever eaten. Shawn agreed.
Although the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender from braising, a few minutes under the broiler crisps the skin right back up — a trick I’ll definitely use again in the future. The cider vinegar permeates the chicken with its sweetness and gives the sauce a subtle tang that goes perfectly with sides of wild rice and steamed collard greens — go ahead and make extra sides, because you’ll want something to help sop up every last morsel of sauce.
(We’re hooked on wild rice right now but brown rice, mashed potatoes or couscous would also make great starchy sides for this meal. Also, while any green vegetable would work, the combination of collard greens and cider vinegar is a classic.)
{Ridiculously Delicious} Saffron Game Hen; Wild Rice Dressing with Cherries and Pistachios
| February 24, 2011 | Filled under Chicken and Poultry, Fruit, Grains, Greek/Mediterranean, Sides, Special Occasions, Winter |
Are you ready for something ridiculously delicious? That’s right, I made it to the second round of the Marx Foods Ridiculously Delicious Challenge! In this round, each contestant was asked to create a recipe using two of eight ingredient samples that we received. With ingredients ranging from coconut sugar to grains of paradise, it wasn’t an easy task!
I originally hoped to make a duck dish utilizing the dried tart cherries and tepin chilis, but had to change gears when I wasn’t able to find duck breasts. Despite having to rethink my entry in the middle of the grocery store (something I admittedly am not good at – I can’t shop without a list!), I couldn’t be happier with the meal that I came up with: a Moroccan-themed feast of Cornish game hens seasoned with saffron and lemon along with wild rice dressing with tart cherries and pistachios.
Slathered with a combination of butter, saffron, and lemon, these brightly flavored hens boast a beautifully golden skin that crackles under your fork and gives way to succulent, juicy meat. The wild rice dressing is the perfect side dish — the rice itself is fabulously nutty and moist, while the pistachios and tart cherries contribute unexpected texture, flavor, and color. Make sure to buy dried tart cherries for this recipe — check the package closely! It’s very easy to accidentally buy dried cranberries that are only flavored like cherries, but those are much sweeter and I don’t think they would work nearly as well.
Served with a glass of wine and a side of cajun-blackened green beans, this meal was a real weeknight treat — and every bit worth the slightly longer than normal cooking time. After all, while it takes a little over an hour to prepare, it only requires you to be in the kitchen for about 15 minutes.
Lemon and Saffron Game Hens
Prep time: 5 min ; Total time: 1 hour
2 servings
- 2 Cornish Game Hens
- 1 Onion, quartered
- 1 Lemon, zested and quartered
- 1 sprig fresh Sage
- 1 sprig fresh Thyme
- 1 Tbs Butter, softened
- 1 pinch Saffron
- Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 350F.
Rinse then hens (inside and out) and pat them dry with a paper towel. Place one piece of onion, one piece of lemon, and one sprig each of sage and thyme into each hen. Set the hens, breast-side up, in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small dish, stir together the butter and saffron. Spread each hen with half the saffron butter.
Roast hens for 45 minutes at 350F, then increase the oven temperature to 400F. Spread each hen with 1 tsp lemon zest. Roast at 400F for an additional 15 minutes or until cooked through — juices should be clear and the skin should be browned and crisp.
Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
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