Category Archives: Proteins

Butter Chicken Breast with Saffron Aioli

SKIN-ON CHICKEN BREAST LIGHTLY SEASONED AND MARINATED AND SEARED IN BUTTER. SAFFRON-LEMON AIOLI. FONDANT POTATO BRUSHED WITH ROSEMARY, THYME, FINISHED IN HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK.  ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOMS IN SEASONED CHICKEN OIL. MICROGREENS AND RADISH SLICES.

Oh boy, it’s good to be back in the kitchen! Over the last couple years, I realized just how poorly I eat when food isn’t a priority. Cooking can become a total chore in between being at the hospital and studying for exams. After way too many one-pot curries and stews at home, and burrito bowls in between caffeine shots, it became obvious how important texture is to enjoying food. How many times have you heard someone describe a food as having “a crunchy outside, and a soft and creamy inside” to advertise its deliciousness? In the multi-step process of tasting food, texture is second only to sight, and in my opinion is what separates great dishes from average ones. And so I was inspired to play with textures as I renewed my cooking creativity, keeping flavors simple and using just the technical basics – breaking down a whole chicken, keeping chicken breast moist, and making a simple sauce that brightens up the rest of the flavors on the plate.

How do different textures feature in this French-inspired ensemble? First, the crispy skin is obligatory. I borrowed a technique chefs often use for whole chicken – loosening the skin from the meat and seasoning the space underneath to both draw moisture away from the skin surface and to season the meat. Second, the sides. A fondant potato develops a delightfully crusty exterior that contrasts with a heavenly creamy interior that soaks up the flavors of chicken and butter that it cooks in (also, it looks like a scallop and Pea loves scallops). Then, veggies are cooked in the oil left over from the rendered chicken skin, just far enough to take off the raw edge but leave some crunchy freshness.

So, regardless of what you eat or cook, I hope you start discovering the magic of textures in your homecooking, taking it to another level! – Boo

Servings: 2 (main portions)
Difficulty: 

Crispy chicken breast:

  • 1 (~12 oz) skin-on boneless chicken breast
  • Marinade
    0.5 tb butter
    0.5 ts coarse salt
    0.5 ts coarse black pepper
    0.25 ts ground coriander
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 rosemary sprig
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  1. Pat the chicken dry, then slide fingers under the skin to separate skin from meat, keeping one long edge of skin attached.
  2. Rub butter on the meat underneath the skin, then evenly apply other marinade seasonings underneath the skin.
  3. Refrigerate chicken breast to marinate, 8-12 hours.
  4. Before cooking, rest chicken at room temperature, 1-2 hours.
  5. In olive oil over medium-high heat, place chicken skin-side down to sear until crisp, ~8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, use tongs to hold rosemary, thyme, and garlic together and brush in oil and on the chicken while cooking.
  6. Flip, and cook over medium heat until cooked through (internal T = 155 F), ~8-10 minutes. Continue to brush herbs over chicken skin.
  7. Rest chicken on cutting board, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, make saffron aioli.
  8. (optional) Saute 2 servings of vegetables in remaining chicken oil.

Saffron aioli:

  • 1 egg yolk
  • pinch of saffron threads
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1 tb lemon juice
  • 0.5 c extra-virgin olive oil
  • 0.25 ts salt
  • 0.25 ts white pepper
  1. In a small bowl, soak saffron in 1 tb hot water. Set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolk with lemon juice and garlic until slightly thickened.
  3. Gradually add oil in a slow stream while whisking until thickened.
  4. Beat salt, pepper, and saffron into aioli.
  5. Serve with chicken.

Lemongrass Coconut Curry

LEMONGRASS AND GINGER-INFUSED COCONUT CURRY WITH POTATOES, MUSHROOMS, BELL PEPPERS, AND CHERRY TOMATOES. WITH SEARED SALMON FILLET AND LIME.

While we can’t claim this recipe to be authentically Thai, we can say that a fragrant coconut curry is an easy way to get big flavors without too much attention or labor. More accurately, this one’s more a technique than a recipe with specific ingredients for a particular cuisine.

Until recently, we were a bit tentative on using lemongrass, knowing the flavor only from eating out at Thai places. When we finally overcame our lemongrass anxiety, we realized how easy, versatile, and revolutionary it would be to our meal prep for busy weeks! Though there are several ways to use it, we like to chop it up to infuse into a stew or broth-based dish for a few hours before pulling out the fibrous pieces.

For vegetarians and vegans, this can easily be made without fish sauce or the seared salmon. The same technique applies, and remember that the veggie combinations are far beyond the ones we listed here! Enjoy 🙂 – Pea and Boo

Servings: 4 (full courses)
Difficulty: 

Lemongrass curry:

  • Curry base
    2 lemongrass stalks
    2 ts ginger, grated
    1 star anise
  • Broth
    1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
    1 c vegetable stock
    3 tb soy sauce
    (optional) 1.5 tb fish sauce
    3 garlic cloves, grated
    1 tb sugar
    2 ts turmeric
    1 ts coriander
    1 bay leaf
  • Vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces
    8 oz button mushrooms
    2-3 carrots
    8-12 oz potatoes
    1 onion
  • 6 oz cherry tomatoes
  • Finish
    2 tb corn starch
    1 lime, zested and juiced
    10-20 thai basil leaves
  1. For lemongrass, remove out layer, and cut off leaves and tip of bulb. Rinse thoroughly. Slice into 3-inch sticks, and halve lengthwise.
  2. In a large sauté pan or pot over high heat, toast lemongrass, ginger, and star anise until lightly charred, 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add all broth ingredients, and cover to simmer on medium-low heat, 1.5-2 hours.
  4. Add vegetables to simmer until softened, 20-30 minutes.
  5. Add cherry tomatoes to cook, 10 minutes.
  6. In a small bowl, suspend corn starch in 2-3 tb water. Stir suspension into curry, and simmer until thickened, 2 minutes.
  7. Add lime zest/juice and basil leaves to cook until wilted, 1 minute.
  8. Serve with rice, or keep warm while preparing seared salmon.

Seared salmon fillet:

  • 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
  • salt and black pepper
  • vegetable/canola oil
  1. Score the skin side of each fillet, and season on both sides.
  2. Drizzle and rub oil on both sides of fillets.
  3. In a pan over high heat, sear salmon on skin side until cooked pink halfway up, ~4 minutes. Flip over.
  4. Sear second side until cooked to desired doneness, ~3 minutes (medium).
  5. Remove to a plate to rest, 10 minutes.
  6. Stir resting salmon juices into curry, and serve salmon and curry with rice.

Sumac Rib-Eye of Lamb with Basil and Black Olive Pestos


MEDIUM-RARE RACK OF LAMB, SOUS-VIDE WITH TRUFFLE OIL, GARLIC, AND HERBS. ROLLED IN SUMAC. BASIL AND BLACK OLIVE PESTOS. ROSEMARY LEMON STEAMED RED AND GOLDEN BEETS. BLACK PEPPER ROASTED TOMATOES. OLIVE OIL ROASTED GARLIC. AVOCADO CREAM. MICROGREENS.

After all these years, Pea and Boo find ways to celebrate their month-versaries – this time, it was a cooking project and the resulting three-course Mediterranean-inspired meal since Pea has always taken a liking to Mediterranean food. With tabbouleh (coming soon!) starting us off, and fruity panna cotta (just recently posted) closing the meal, the main course needed to be spicy, fresh, and deeply savory. After an afternoon of therapeutic knife work for deboning the rack of lamb, prepping the vegetable sides, and making the pestos, Pea and Boo sat down to enjoy another month gone by with each other.

Though removing the bone from the rack of lamb is unusual, it made for an interesting presentation and easy eating experience, as well as the excuse to call this a “rib-eye” because of the strikingly similar look when it’s cut. The bones and meat trimmings also made a yummy lamb stock for a different dish, so don’t dare just throw those away! The procedure below is for those who want to try sous-vide, but searing and finishing the lamb in the oven would work, too, as long as you check your meat temperature every several minutes after it goes into the oven. If you don’t own a sous-vide machine, that’s okay (Pea and Boo don’t, either)! Filling a large pot with water and keeping it at a steady temperature with a thermometer achieves exactly the same goal, even though it takes a little more effort. – Pea and Boo

P.S. as with all our recipes, you can omit or change a few ingredients if they’re hard to find or too expensive! Special notice on this recipe because of the black truffle oil that only the snobbiest cooks might want to keep in their pantry.

Servings: 3-4 (main portions)
Difficulty: 

Ingredients:

  • 1 (1.8-2 lb) rack of lamb
  • Marinade
    6 rosemary sprigs
    6 thyme sprigs
    4 garlic cloves, crushed
    2 tb extra-virgin olive oil
    0.5 tb black truffle oil
    coarse sea salt and black pepper
  • Basil pesto
    1 c chopped basil
    3 tb pine nuts
    1 garlic clove
    4 tb extra-virgin olive oil
    salt and black pepper, to taste
    3 tb grated parmigiano-reggiano
  • Black olive pesto
    2 tb basil pesto
    3 tb black olives
  • Lamb seasoning
    sumac
    black truffle oil
    coarse salt and black pepper

Directions:

  1. With the rack of lamb bone-side down, slice just between the meat and bones to de-bone. Reserve bones and attached meat for stock or other purposes.
  2. In a sous-vide bag, rub de-boned rack of lamb with marinade. Vacuum seal the bag, and refrigerate, 8-12 hours.
  3. In a sous-vide cooker or large pot of water, cook lamb in vacuum-sealed bag at 130-135 F (medium-rare), 4-5 hours. Meanwhile, prepare pestos.
  4. In a food processor or pestle and mortar, process basil pesto ingredients until finely minced. Cover and refrigerate in a small bowl.
  5. In a food processor or pestle and mortar, process black olive pesto ingredients until finely minced. Cover and refrigerate in a small bowl.
  6. Remove cooked lamb from sous-vide bag, and discard herbs.
  7. In a hot cast iron skillet, sear and roll lamb in olive oil until browned on all sides, 3-4 minutes.
  8. Roll lamb in sumac, and slice into 3-4 portions.
  9. Plate with pestos, and season with black truffle oil and coarse salt and pepper. Serve.

Brazilian Feijoada

BRAZILIAN BLACK BEAN STEW WITH PORK HOCK, SHOULDER, AND SAUSAGE. FAROFA WITH BACON. GARLIC-FRIED COLLARD THREADS. BRAZILIAN VINAIGRETTE SALSA. CILANTRO-LIME RICE. ORANGE SLICE PALATE CLEANSER.

Binging on Brazilian Youtuber Dani Noce‘s recipe videos is one of my favorite Pea-Boo activities for lazy days. Ever since I managed to convince Boo that her signature background song of festive gibberish means “let’s have a bountiful Feijoada feast” in Portuguese, I cannot make this dish without singing “roomba! ba-ba-ba-e-ba roomba-e!”

Fooling the Boo and childhood memories of Brazil aside, this dish itself offers plenty of reason for joy. Easy to make and preferably cooked in large batches so that you can add a variety of meats, Feijoada is perfect for inviting friends over for a hearty meal, served with plenty of tasty sides of toasted farofa, Brazilian vinaigrette salsa, and thinly sliced collard greens. – Pea

Servings: 8-10 (main portions)
Difficulty: 

Ingredients:

  • Stew base
    2 onions, finely minced
    3 c black beans
    0.5 c white wine
    4 cloves garlic, grated
    0.5 tb salt
  • water
  • Meats
    0.75 lb pork hock
    1 lb pork butt (or shoulder), cubed 1 inch
    8 oz linguiça or Kielbasa sausage, sliced
    (optional) pork belly, bacon, beef short rib, beef chuck

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, sauté minced onions in vegetable (or canola) oil over medium-high heat until golden-brown, 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add remaining stew base ingredients. Add water to cover ingredients, and bring to a gentle simmer.
  3. In a pan, sear all meats except sausages. Add seared meats to pot. Cover, and gently simmer until tender, ~3 hours.
    Small pea tip: Add water as needed throughout cooking to keep everything barely covered.
  4. Add sliced sausage to pot to cook, 25 minutes.
  5. Serve with rice and choice of sides.

Salmon Balsamic Teriyaki with Garlic Bok Choy

SEARED SALMON FINISHED WITH BALSAMIC TERIYAKI SAUCE, SESAME SEEDS, AND GREEN ONIONS. GARLIC-SAUTEED BOK CHOY.

I’ve heard too many doctors say, “Doctors know how to take care of other people, but don’t know how to take care of themselves”. As Pea and I plow through some of our tougher weeks in medical school, it’s easy (and sad) to see how busy students, professionals, parents, and hobbyists alike may not have the time or effort to spare to eat well. In the name of time management, we’ve definitely caved several times to Chipotle and plenty of unhealthy snacks to mindlessly munch away studying for upcoming exams.

Besides just keeping ourselves healthy, Pea and I know how important it is to be good role models as future doctors, and so we used the start of 2017 as a great excuse to make some changes! First, we’ve been bringing lunch from home that’s healthier and cheaper than buying. Second, we’ve been planning ahead and making more food a few days before the study grind instead of resorting to fast food. Third, we’ve been trying to stick with fruits and nuts as snacks, besides the occasionally irresistible Cheez-Its. For those out there with even tighter schedules, it doesn’t take a laundry list of changes to be healthier – even one change over the long-term is great!

Today, a few days before some upcoming exams, we’re giving you a dish that takes some salmon, bok choy, and some basic pantry ingredients and turns it into a fast, flavorful, and healthy meal. As with all our recipes, it’s okay to omit or substitute if you don’t happen to have something on hand. Doubling the recipe adds almost no time at all, and will let you pack some away for the next few days, too. Here’s to a healthier, happier 2017! – Boo

Servings: 4 (full courses)
Difficulty: 

Balsamic teriyaki:

  • 4 tb balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tb soy sauce
  • 1 tb mirin
  • 1 tb brown sugar
  • 0.5 ts sesame oil
  1. In a small saucepan, stir and simmer all ingredients over medium-high heat until slightly thickened. Set aside.

Seared salmon:

  • 4 portions salmon fillet
  • salt and black pepper
  1. Salt and pepper salmon on both sides.
  2. In a large pan, sear salmon in olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked pink halfway up, ~4 minutes, and flip over.
  3. Sear second side until cooked to desired doneness, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Remove salmon to a plate to rest, and spoon teriyaki over fillets. Meanwhile, prepare bok choy.

Garlic bok choy:

  • 8-10 heads bok choy
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tb cooking wine
  • 0.5 tb sesame oil
  • 0.5 tb vinegar
  • salt
  1. Separate and discard root from bok choy stems. Separate bok choy leaves from stems.
  2. In the same large pan, saute garlic and bok choy stems in vegetable/canola oil over medium-high heat until nearly cooked through, ~4 minutes.
  3. Stir bok choy leaves into pan until wilted, ~1 minute.
  4. Mix remaining ingredients into garlic bok choy, and serve with salmon. Optionally, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Crawfish Étouffée

crawfish-etouffeeCRAWFISH TAILS SIMMERED IN A BUTTERY AND SPICY CAJUN BROTH WITH ONIONS AND SWEET BELL PEPPERS. SERVED WITH RICE, AND GARNISHED WITH LEMON AND ITALIAN PARSLEY.

Crawfish étouffée deserves special attention as one of Pea’s all-time favorite dishes. Despite half the name deriving from the French word meaning “to smother”, a few funky accents over the vowels, and the stick of butter in a first step that would make the French proud (although I hear their sticks are twice as big as ours), the crawfish étouffée was actually invented in Louisiana. Though to be fair, the étouffée has quite the culinary overlap with French cuisine, aside from the butter. The technique in making  étouffée is pretty similar to French stews, and it often begins with a butter roux, with or without vegetables or other ingredients, to which spices and a flavorful stock is added with the main protein to cook to a thick, rich consistency.

We won’t get into too many details about the differences between Cajun and Creole – suffice it to say that Creole recipes tend to have tomatoes, and Cajun doesn’t – or the differences between light and dark roux in cousin dishes like gumbo. The idea behind this recipe is to flavor everything to your taste, so the amounts in our recipe might not be the same in yours! And since this dish is from Louisiana, and not France, no one will bite if you don’t follow the instructions to the letter, either. – Boo

Servings: 4 (full courses)
Difficulty: 1 star

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick butter
  • Minced vegetables
    1 onion
    2 bell peppers
    4 cloves garlic
  • 0.33 c flour
  • Cajun spices
    2 ts smoked paprika
    1.5 ts cayenne pepper
    0.75 ts salt
    0.5 ts black pepper
    0.5 ts garlic powder
    0.5 ts onion powder
    1 ts dried oregano
    1 ts dried thyme
  • 2 c chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 lb crawfish tail meat
  • 2 tb chopped parsley
  • Garnish
    lemon wedges
    chopped parsley

Directions:

  1. In a pot or large pan, melt butter over medium heat.
  2. Saute vegetables in butter until softened, 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add flour and spices to coat vegetables, and toast over medium heat, 3 minutes.
  4. Add chicken stock and bay leaves, and stir and simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes.
  5. Add crawfish to cook or warm through, 3-5 minutes.
  6. Stir in parsley, optionally garnish, and serve with rice.

Braised Brisket Crêpes au Poivre

braised brisket crepes au poivreSLOWLY-BRAISED BRISKET MIXED WITH BELL PEPPERS AND ONIONS, AND SEASONED WITH CAYENNE, SMOKED PAPRIKA, AND BLACK PEPPERS. CREPES FINISHED WITH A DRIZZLE OF BALSAMIC REDUCTION.

Most foodies have probably heard of “Steak au Poivre”, which is half-translated from French for “steak with pepper”. Usually, the steak is coated completely in black pepper, then seared to form a smoky, spicy crust on the steak, and served with a cream sauce. Though black pepper doesn’t feature as pungently in this recipe, we’ve joined it with three of our other favorite peppers – bell peppers, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika – to have savory, spicy, and sweet all work together in the brisket for a super flavorful and addictive bite that made Pea and me go back for more. Any meal – breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and midnight snack – could use some of this recipe! – Boo

braised brisket crepes above

Servings: 6 (2-crepe portions)
Difficulty: 2 star

Crepes:

  • Dry ingredients, sifted
    1.33 c flour
    2 tb sugar
    0.5 ts salt
  • Wet ingredients
    2 c milk
    2 eggs
    3 tb butter, melted
  1. Whisk wet ingredients together thoroughly, and gradually stir into dry ingredients.
  2. Cover and refrigerate, at least 1 hour.
  3. In a flat pan over medium heat, melt 0.25 tb butter, and pour a thin layer of crepe batter (~3-4 tb) to cook until lightly browned on one side, ~2 minutes. Toss or use a spatula to flip over, and cook until lightly browned on the second side, ~1 minute. Set aside on a plate.
  4. Butter the pan slightly before cooking each additional crepe.

Balsamic reduction:

  • 0.75-1 c balsamic vinegar
  1. In a small pot, simmer balsamic vinegar until thickened to desired consistency, ~10-20 minutes. Add water as needed for a thinner consistency.

Brisket au poivre:

  • Braised brisket
    1.5 lb beef brisket
    4-6 c beef stock
    4 cloves garlic
    2 bay leaves
  • Vegetables, minced
    2 bell peppers
    1 onion
  • Seasoning
    1.5 tb Dijon mustard
    2 ts smoked paprika
    2 ts salt
    0.5 ts black pepper
    0.25 ts cayenne pepper
    0.25 c cilantro, minced
  1. In a large pot, sear the brisket in olive oil on all sides.
  2. Add garlic, bay leaves, and stock to just cover brisket. Cover and barely simmer over low heat until tender, 5-6 hours.
  3. Discard bay leaves. Remove brisket and garlic to a mixing bowl, and pull apart with 2 forks. Keep warm.
  4. Boil braising liquid until reduced to 20% of original volume, 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook and set aside crepes, and prepare balsamic reduction.
  5. Add vegetables to reduced braising liquid to cook through, 5-6 minutes.
  6. Stir vegetables, reduced braising liquid, and seasoning into the pulled brisket.

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

herb-crusted rack of lambROASTED RACK OF LAMB WITH CRUSHED HERB AND GARLIC CRUST. SERVED WITH ASSORTED SEASONAL VEGETABLES.

A wise man (not me) once tweeted, “Once you realize that you don’t need a special occasion to buy a cake, the second part of your life begins.” And while I can definitely get behind cake anytime and anywhere, the same can be said about rack of lamb. Often found on Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner tables, or as specialties at your local fancypants restaurant, rack of lamb is a natural centerpiece and can (and should!) be appreciated year-round with it’s mildly gamey, tender, juicy, supremely flavorful meat. Though quite pricey even at our favorite wholesale clubs, rack of lamb is still our perfect go-to as an occasional treat or a date night main course. In our humble opinion, it goes best with bright and fruity flavors, or with savory sauces like red wine reduction or demi-glace! There’s just nothing quite like it. -Boo

Servings: 2-3 (main portions)
Difficulty: 2 star

Oven: 375 F, 20 minutes; 400 F, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 (1.5-2 lb) rack of lamb
  • coarse salt and black pepper
  • 2 tb Dijon mustard
  • Herb crust
    2 tb breadcrumbs
    2 tb fresh parsley
    2 tb fresh rosemary
    2 tb fresh thyme
    3 cloves garlic
    2 tb olive oil

Directions:

  1. Process or finely mince herb crust ingredients, and set aside until use.
  2. Season rack on all sides with coarse salt and pepper.
  3. Sear in olive oil until browned on all sides. Remove to a work surface.
  4. Brush rack completely with Dijon mustard , and press herb crust mixture evenly over the rack.
  5. Roast at 375 F to desired doneness, 20 minutes.
  6. Increase temperature to 400 F, and roast to desired doneness, 14-16 minutes for medium-rare.
  7. Set aside to rest, 10 minutes.
  8. Slice racks into chops, and serve.

Blood Orange Sea Scallops Flambé

blood orange sea scallops flambeSILKY SEARED SCALLOPS WITH A SPICED BLOOD ORANGE REDUCTION. MISO-POACHED RADISHES AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS.

There are few better mealtime omens than a good scallop starter. And while scallops are great with the usual butter and white wine sauce, their natural sweetness and creamy texture complement fruity, tangy flavors delightfully! Blood orange may not be in season anymore, but of course regular oranges can be used, even though you won’t get the almost-berrylike tones as you would from the blood orange. For those of you who like playing with fire, there’s an optional step to flambé the sauce with Grand Marnier, too!

The focus of this recipe is definitely the sauce, while the method for the seared scallops is pretty much the same as any classic recipe – some light seasoning followed by a very hot pan and some oil for a minute or two a side. Happy cooking 🙂 – Boo

Servings: 2 (appetizer portions)
Difficulty: 1 star

Ingredients:

  • Blood orange sauce
    2 blood oranges, zested and juiced
    0.75 tb honey
    2 pinches salt
    1 pinch five spice
  • 1 tb Grand Marnier
  • 4 (large) sea scallops
  • Seasoning
    salt and black pepper, medium coarse
    garlic powder
  • Garnish
    pea sprouts
    blood orange zest
  1. In a small saucepan, stir and simmer sauce ingredients on medium heat until slightly thickened.
  2. Add Grand Marnier, and optionally set alight to flambé.
  3. Reduce sauce to 2-3 tb, or to a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat, and keep warm.
  4. Season scallops on both sides, and sear in olive oil over high heat, 1.5-2 minutes per side.
  5. Serve scallops with orange sauce, and garnish as desired.

Olive Oil Poached Chicken Breast

olive oil poached chicken close upMOIST, SLOW-POACHED CHICKEN BREAST ENRICHED WITH OLIVE OIL AND DASHED WITH BLACK PEPPER. SIMPLE, FRESH BALSAMIC SALAD. TORCHED BRIE OVER HONEY. LEMON WEDGES AND WHOLE-LEAF BASIL.

In 95% of cooked dishes, “color equals flavor”, meaning that the best flavor comes from the deliciously crispy, golden-brown crust that gives each bite traces of hundreds of different flavors through perhaps the most famous chemical reaction in the culinary world – the Maillard reaction. Other than in meats, the Maillard reaction also gives us fries, caramelized onions, classic caramel, and freshly baked bread.

But there’s much to appreciate in the other 5%, like the simplicity and the clean taste of fresh ingredients. In this dish, the chicken is seasoned with nothing more than salt from the water, pepper, and olive oil. It’s amazingly moist because it’s poached gently and allowed to soak in some of the olive oil as it chills. This recipe is really about the technique for the poached chicken, but we included our choice of sides, too, which are also lightly seasoned to let the flavors of the main ingredients shine and meld with each other. I hope you give this technique a try, and perhaps inspire even more interesting ideas! – Boo

olive oil poached chicken top view

Servings: 2 (small courses)
Difficulty: 1 star

Poached chicken:

  • 2 chicken breast halves (or 1 chicken breast, halved into cutlets)
  • Poaching liquid
    4 c water
    1 tb salt
  • 2-3 tb olive oil
  • Seasoning
    black pepper
    olive oil
  1. In a saucepan, bring water and salt to just under a simmer. Add chicken to poach, keeping water just under a simmer, until cooked through, 9-12 minutes.
  2. Remove chicken onto a plate, and drizzle olive oil over chicken. Wrap plate in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare sides.
  3. Thinly slice chicken, and season to taste.

Sides:

  • Salad
    1 roma tomato, diced
    0.5 c cucumber, diced
    1 tb balsamic vinegar
    0.25 ts salt
  • Torched brie
    2 brie wedges
    2 tb honey
  • Garnish
    4 lemon wedges
    2 basil leaves
    olive oil
  1. Stir salad ingredients together, and set aside.
  2. Bake or torch brie over the honey until softened.
  3. Garnish plate as desired, and serve with poached chicken breast.