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From our Food Goddess, TaMara:
Tonight was suppose to be about unusual fruits, but I never made it to the Asian Market to pick up the fruits I wanted to work with, so we’ll save it for another time. Instead I was in the mood to cook up a batch of this wonderful lemon chicken. It’s a bit labor intensive, so I don’t do it often, but it is oh, so good.
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Let’s make this exchange about lemons and chicken. Do you have any favorite lemon recipes? Chicken? Lemon and chicken? And most importantly, what are your cooking plans tonight or this weekend? Hit the comments with your dinner plans.Zesty Lemon Chicken
(adapted from Crème de Colorado – serves 6)6 boneless chicken breasts
10 whole lemons, (enough to make 2 cups juice, reserve 2 tbsp for later)
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup oil
2 tbsp lemon zest (grated peel)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth*
1 whole lemon, sliced thin
minced parsley for garnish
skillet, bowl, baking dish
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In an airtight container, combine chicken breasts and lemon juice. Marinate for 1 hour. Remove chicken. Pat chicken with paper towel, but don’t dry completely. Mix together flour, salt, paprika and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture until well coated.
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In large skillet heat 1/2 of the oil and fry breasts a few at a time until well browned, adding and heating more oil as needed. (about ten minutes) Arrange chicken in a single layer in a large baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with lemon peel and brown sugar. Mix chicken broth with reserved lemon juice and pour around chicken. Pace a sliced lemon on top of each breast and sprinkle with minced parsley. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until tender.
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*I added the broth to the frying pan, deglazed it and then added it to the baking dish. Yum.Next week: Mushrooms
BGinCHI
No unusual fruits?
Yutsano weeps with loneliness.
/typed with extra love
Mnemosyne
Chicken, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Yum.
Cain
I’ll volunteer a tagine recipe… (I own one!)
Mnemosyne
Speaking of exotic fruits, if you visit Hawaii, it is so worth it to hit a farmer’s market while you’re there. Fresh starfruit tastes so much better than what we get on the mainland.
Ben Franklin
Can’t get enough lemon, or garlic. Wait….no garlic?
Don’t you know garlic is one of the best natural anti-inflammatories?
It’s a winner recipe by the look of it. Thanks.
Just Some Fuckhead
Not a big fan of chicken. For me, it’s a “hafta” food.
Just Some Fuckhead
Looks good, tho, ‘cept for the chicken part.
BGinCHI
@Just Some Fuckhead: You could substitute vodka.
Matthew Reid Krell
I just sorta threw this together, but it was delicious and made enough for me to eat for a week.
Lentil stew:
All of the lentils (I dunno, somewhere between half a pound and three-quarters of a pound? I just dumped what I had left).
Enough water (think 10 cups of water for every pound of lentils).
Onion, chopped
Scallions, chopped
Lemon juice (I keep the bottled stuff in the house because I don’t use lemons often enough, they go bad)
Rosemary
Thyme
Tarragon
Salt
Add lentils to water, bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Add everything else. Cover and simmer for, I dunno, around 30-35 minutes.
TaMara (BHF)
@Just Some Fuckhead: Think of the chicken as a tangy lemon delivery system. It melts in your mouth.
Also – the potatoes are oven roasted garlic yukon golds (olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, toss and bake until tender).
Comrade Javamanphil
To be honest, if I want a chicken and lemon recipe, I just use Betty Crocker’s Pork Picatta recipe, substitute chicken for pork and subtract the capers. Family friendly and pretty damn easy (and tasty.) Served over rice or quinoa.
BGinCHI
@TaMara (BHF): It’s like a more lemony American schnitzel made with chicken.
YankeeSchnitzel.
Waynski
Hitler.
Dana
You have never tasted anything like this.
http://www.food.com/recipe/raos-famous-lemon-chicken-16073
Bnut
This one is a heart killer, but is one of best sellers we have from our food truck.
Reuben Dip
2 lbs corned beef
2 cups well drained sauerkraut
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tbs ketchup
4 tbs spicy mustard
1 loaf rye bread
I slow cook the corned beef for maybe 3-4 hours in a crockpot, drain, shred and chop it. Add all the remaining ingredients, combine well and put back on high for an hour or two. For the rye chips i guarter the loaf and put bake on a tray at 400 for maybe 10 minutes, until crispy. Again, it’s amazingly bad for you, but hell, TREAT YO SELF.
middlewest
I made this recipe last week, Ten Minute Tasty Asaparagus and Brown Rice, and I really liked it.
My parents just came back from San Antonio this week, and they were raving about Boudro’s famous guacamole, which I haven’t tried yet.
ruemara
I love lemon bars, iced lemon cookies, Smitten Kitchen’s whole lemon pie and lemon chicken. No real cooking plans, I’m afraid. I need to pack up the kitchen and find a place, so the kitchen will have to wind down. Not sure how I feel about possibly giving away some of my beloved pans.
Cacti
Lemon Herb Brined Chicken
1 whole 4-5 lbs fryer
2 lemons
3 cloves garlic
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 pinch herbes de provence
12 peppercorns
1 cup kosher salt
1 tbsp sugar
crushed ice
Remove giblets from bird, rinse, pat dry and set aside. In stock pot, add 1 gallon water, salt and sugar, and mix until dissolved. Halve lemons, squeeze juice of 3 halves into water and drop peels in. Smash the garlic cloves and drop them in, along with the thyme, herbes, and peppercorns.
Heat over high until the water begins to steam, but don’t bring to a full boil. Remove from heat and cool with crushed ice. Gently submerge the bird in the brine, making sure to flood the cavity so it sinks. Place the pot in fridge for at least 6-8 hours.
Remove bird from brine and rinse under cold water. Lightly rub the skin with olive oil, and add 1 garlic clove, 1 remaining lemon half, and 2 thyme sprigs to the cavity. Oven roast for 1:40 at 375 degrees.
Bon Apetit!
Davis X. Machina
Chicken breasts no longer taste like anything much in particular. I’ve gone over to turkey cutlets whenever I can get ’em at a good price.
They make a killer torikatsu.
waratah
My daughter, a weight watcher just sent me this recipe.
She substituted panko and her own herbs.
Chicken Rollatini Stuffed w/ Zucchini & Mozzarella 4 pts serves 8 *
1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded
¼ cup + 2 TBS romano cheese (or parmesan)
3 oz. part skim shredded mozzarella
Salt / pepper
8 thin chicken cutlets (3 oz) ea
½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 lemon, juice of
1 TBS olive oil
Salt / pepper
Olive oil spray
Wash and dry cutlets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450. Lightly spray baking dish with spray.
In large skillet over med high heat add oil. Saute garlic a minute until golden. Add zucchini, ¼ cup romano cheese, salt, and pepper. Saute 3-4 minutes. Set aside until cooled. When cool add mozzarella cheese.
Lay cutlets down and spread 3 TBS of mixture. Loosely roll each one and place seam side down.
Combine breadcrumbs, grated cheese in one bowl and olive oil, lemon juice and pepper in another.
Dip chicken in lemon mixture and then in breadcrumbs. Lightly spray with olive oil spray.
Bake 25-30 min.
The prophet Nostradumbass
Here’s my approximation of Vietnamese Pho Ga:
64 oz chicken broth
2 pods star anise
1 stick cinnamon
3 – 4 shallots
3 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled
½ bunch cilantro
1½ inch piece ginger, peeled & sliced
bean sprouts
Thai basil
jalapeño peppers
3 chicken breasts
rice stick noodles
Chicken:
Poach the chicken in water; when cooked, remove and shred.
Noodles:
Soak the noodles in hot water until soft, then drain.
Broth:
Put chicken broth into a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add star anise, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, shallots, cilantro. Let simmer for a while, then add shredded chicken. Simmer some more, then add noodles and allow them to get hot.
Serve with garnishes of Thai basil, bean sprouts and jalapeno rings.
EnfantTerrible
@Dana: Ah yes, the Holy Trinity of garlic, parsley and lemon. I wholeheartedly recommend this recipe.
J.W. Hamner
Headed to San Diego for a conference on Saturday, so no cooking plans for a while… but I do plan on eating some fish tacos.
My most exciting lemon adventure was making preserved lemons, but I’ve never really figured out exactly what to do with them since it’s not like I make Moroccan food every other day.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@J.W. Hamner: Maybe I should try the preserved lemons. I have a bush that is absolutely covered with Meyers.
David Fud
@J.W. Hamner: I have this exact problem with some Meyer lemons that I grew in a pot in a sunny spot in my house and then preserved. Sitting in the fridge waiting for … who knows what. I make a couscous with them, but that is the only recipe I have seen with preserved lemons. Guess I’ll have to use the gizoogle.
TaMara (BHF)
@The prophet Nostradumbass: This is one of the things I really miss about LA, going outside in the morning and picking a lemon off the tree for lemon-water.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@TaMara (BHF): The Bay Area is a great place for growing things.
J.W. Hamner
@David Fud:
Risotto seems like a good call as well, but it is pretty easy to tap out on the internet approved recipes for preserved lemons.
Yutsano
@The prophet Nostradumbass: You are more than welcome to send me some. Meyer lemons have a bear of a time making it this far north it seems.
I used to have a lemon-lime cookie recipe, but I misplaced it. I’m not sure I could reconstruct it.
opie jeanne
@TaMara (BHF):
Looks yummy.
I made chicken enchiladas tonight, and apple pie.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowwhite/7095368065/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowwhite/7095346257/
BGinCHI
@Yutsano: Where is the love?
Please review top comments. A debt repaid.
Yutsano
@BGinCHI: My unusual fruitiness seems to be drained out at the moment. This has been one long ass week for me and tomorrow I get to sleep in a bit. Maybe then I’ll be able to detect such subtleties.
opie jeanne
@The prophet Nostradumbass: We lived there for 9 years but never tried any citrus while we were there. Thought it might be too cold for them, but we got some fabulous peaches off the tree we planted when our cat died.
BGinCHI
@Yutsano: I have had the same kind of week, but as it’s tax time, I bet yours was really lousy. Hang in there.
All kidding was/is meant with affection.
Stay unusually fruity, my friend.
opie jeanne
@Yutsano: Heehee! My husband drew some scowls from a friend who lives in Redmond. The friend’s gf asked David if she could grow lemon trees here, and he told her to have the bf build her an orangerie.
Actually, one of those greenhouse additions would work.
Yutsano
@BGinCHI: Please feel free to pick on me to your heart’s content. I just wish I had the brain power right now to appreciate it fully. Not to mention I’m trying to get things in order at work for the upcoming surgery. And to top it all off I got a nibble on a new position in the IRS. I might as well be a zombie right now.
@opie jeanne: She could TRY. She’ll fail spectacularly. Although an orangerie sounds like a nice place to escape with a cup of hot tea and a book.
JenJen
This sounds positively delectable!
I wish someone would go make it for me right now.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@opie jeanne: Sorry about the cat. Chez Nostradumbass, there’s a Meyer lemon, a Bearss lime, and Navel orange, two cherry trees, a blueberry bush, an apple tree, a pear tree, a grape vine, and some strawberry plants. Unfortunately, the squirrels get a large percentage of the haul.
That makes the property sound a lot bigger than it actually is.
opie jeanne
@The prophet Nostradumbass:
We were in Castro Valley.
When a previous cat died that vet “took care” of the body, told us not to try burying him on the property because an animal would dig him up. He was a kind man and the people who bought that house would have dug him up, so he got that right but I never felt good about it.
When we had this one put to sleep she was older than she had a right to be at 15, and this was a different vet. He was the one who encouraged us to bury her at home and plant a fruit tree over her. The peaches were divine and the tree was in a corner where it would not be likely to get dug up.
In SoCal it’s almost a given that any house you buy will have some sort of citrus tree in the yard. In Anaheim it was citrus, jacaranda trees (good over grass, not good over parking areas), and Iceberg roses.
We grew a nice vegetable garden every year, got some fantastic tomatoes, grew delicious corn (thanks to an article in the Chronicle), and had wonderful flowers. No luck with the cherry trees; we did something wrong when we planted them and both died within two years of planting. We got enough sun there for about half the year. The other half, it seemed to rain constantly the years we lived there. We only had a yard because the house was two storeys. It was a pretty small lot. The back yard was like the surface of the moon when we bought the place. The previous owners had a dog that ate everything so I gave the girls sidewalk chalk and they drew a garden on the wooden fence while we waited for the grass to recover and the new plants to fill in. That was in 1992. We moved back to SoCal in 2001, then up to Seattle area in 2010.
opie jeanne
@Yutsano:
Why? Not enough hours of sunlight during the year?
They have them in England, and they seem to work there with a similar amount of sunlight. Ideally, you’d wheel the trees outside once the temps rose above an overnight low of about 40 and leave them out until the fall.
jeffreyw
Squirrel dish. Lemons optional.
rikyrah
hmmmmmmmmm
you know, you guys rock with these food posts.
Liquid
Wow, you have the exact same plates. Those things must be thirty or more years old by now.
HE Pennypacker, Wealthy Industrialist
Don’t have time to look up my recipe, but someone should mention that old-school Italian classic lemon-caper chicken. When done right it just rawks!
hitchhiker
Thank you! I just made your recipe for a little birthday gathering & it was a huge, giant hit. Definitely some time involved, but totes worth it.
At our house we always have angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberry sauce for birthdays . . . which is to say, I’m in a food coma, but everybody left happy and the kitchen is clean.