The Marinated Chicken Illustrated

I still have two of the breasts in the freezer for another time, but we have been gorging on this deliciousness for DAYS – including a wonderful picnic muffuletta that served five people, with leftovers!

This was last night’s dinner. The night before it looked similar, but with Brussels sprouts as the vegetable, and I hadn’t thought to garnish with the raspberries and cranberry relish. Why did we have nearly the same thing two nights in a row? It was a special request from DH. He is likely the most easily-pleased man to feed on the planet, and apparently this particular combination of foods appealed to him considerably. We had eaten everything from the night before, so no easy warm ups. But starting from scratch was not a problem. The whole thing came together very quickly.

The chicken dish is just six sliced mushrooms sautéed a bit in some ghee, and then broth added and thickened to make the gravy. The chicken was already cooked, so generous slices heated happily in the warmth of the gravy. Add whatever additional seasonings you like. I used Montreal Steak Seasoning, Lawry’s seasoned pepper, and onion powder.

We are not big bacon eaters, but do enjoy the flavor of it once in a while. So for these lovely potatoes, I cut one thick slice of bacon into eight pieces and rendered it in a smallish frying pan. Then added chopped onions – lots of them – and let everything meld together. Then I julienned leftover potatoes to add. These happened to be two of the red potatoes that are just starting to come in fresh. Formerly I would put a bit of sharp Cheddar cheese in with the potatoes, but the grease from the bacon provides enough oiliness. A few shreds of roasted red peppers (from the freezer) make this dish colorful and extra tasty.

The kale? Oh, the kale! This is definitely the time of year for kale. Usually when I steam it, I cook the entire package at one time, but this time of year . . . well, half of the bunch filled my usual steamer pan, with the other half left over for another time. Bonus! It is organic and routinely sells for only $.99 a bunch at Fry’s. It is so light, tender, and flavorful that it makes spinach jealous!

The lovely red accents really made this meal sing! Raspberries are apparently at their peak now because they are $.69 a basket. We manage to do away with at least one whole basketful per day; sometimes two, if we work at it. Their longevity is limited, so I keep them all the way in the back of the refrigerator where it is the coldest, and they are good for about five days. I have frozen them, but they are not as tasty when thawed out, so we just make pigs of ourselves when they are in season. Blackberries and blueberries freeze beautifully, though.

The cranberry relish is from my freezer stash that I made at the end of last year when fresh cranberries were available. If you are interested in cranberries . . . take a waltz through Wikipedia. We were amazed at the volume of the harvest and what is done with most of that volume.

Advertisement