I had a revelation. I finally found the most amazingly delicious simple way to cook chicken so that it bursts with flavor in every bite and its so tender you could cut it with a fork.
First, set your oven to 410 degrees...or somewhere around that.
Stuffed chicken. I have to give credit to my friend Claire Preston for this one, as she put the idea in my head. Now I am tired of making the same pan-fried chicken where you try and add enough oil or lemon juice to make it moist and toss as many ingredients as you'd like just to bite in and find it's still too dry. But not this one. No, ladies and gentlemen, stuffed chicken has changed my life.
So here's what went down. I had two pieces of raw (organic) chicken breasts. I cut them open like you would cut a fish to make filets. Then I took a pie pan and coated the bottom with olive oil and some truffle oil (my favorite ingredient to put on everything). And by the way, I found a really good bottle of white truffle oil for $9 at Whole Foods, so it CAN be affordable.
Next, I fried 6 pieces of bacon--just a quick toast on each side, and put aside for later. Now your pan is gloriously covered in excess bacon grease. Mmmm. I took each filet of chicken and cooked each side in the bacon greased pan until it was white on each side, but still very raw in the middle.
Now for the yummy part. I opened up each filet of chicken. Here comes the "stuffed" part. And here's where you can get really creative. Like crepes, you can put ANYTHING in stuffed chicken. I had some raw spinach that was about to go bad so I threw in a handful of spinach, some raw onions that I cut up and then three kinds of cheeses.
My trifecta of cheese. If you've been reading my blog all along, then you'll recognize these three cheeses which are my go-to cheeses for everything I cook: the manchego, goat gouda, and chevre.
Ok so I sliced up the manchego and gouda and crumbled the chevre on top of the spinach and onions. Then I "closed" the chicken by putting one filet on top of the other. Now comes the really good part. I took the bacon that I had quickly toasted and wrapped three pieces around each of the stuffed chickens. Sprinkle some pepper and salt and voila! Now stick the chicken in the oiled pan in the oven and wait 10 minutes.
While the whole chicken process happened, I steamed some brussel sprouts on the side. I know everyone says "ewww brussel sprouts," but brussel sprouts are really just a crunchy medium to put whatever flavors you want on it, sort of like zucchini.
So first I steamed the brussel sprouts for 7-10 minutes with a little bit of olive oil and truffle salt sprinkled on top.
A quick note about veggies. Given that I'm working on an anthropology research paper about the origins of food and cooking with fire, I thought I'd add a quick little interesting tid bit I recently read about our relationship with vegetables.
Raw vegetables contain toxins. Maybe you knew this? Anyway, our foraging ancestors lived off raw veggies, berries, fruit, insects, and whatever else they could find. However, we were consuming so many raw vegetables that the toxins were building up in our system, leading to malnutrition and death. Then we discovered the wonders of fire. And fire changed everything. We started eating meat, which gave us the protein and energy to grow physically and mentally. We cooked our vegetables as well, which took out many of the toxins that was leading to our malnutrition, and allowed us to absorb more of the nutrients in veggies. Basically, our diet had more protein and complex carbs which allowed us to develop our brains and bodies. And now look at where we are!
Now I'm not saying stop eating salads and raw vegetables. Just make sure its in moderation and that you're still getting your protein and carbohydrates.
Ok back to the sprouts. While the chicken was in the oven, I took the brussel sprouts out of the steamer and put them in the greased pan (because bacon grease is great for cooking everything). While I tossed the sprouts around, I threw in some sliced almonds and this seasoning called "Carribbean Adobo" from a spice shop downtown. It had garlic, onion, pepper, cumin, salt, and Mexican oregano.
Quick note on spices. These kind of pre-made spices are AWESOME for these type of dishes where you don't wanna chop everything up by hand, AND it packs a lot of flavor in just a little morsel. Go to Penzey's or whatever spice shop is around and just smell everything until you find one you like. They're quick, simple, and incredibly flavorful.
So I toss the brussel sprouts in the Adobo seasoning and almonds for just a quick second and by that time the chicken was ready. I puledl it out of the oven and my lord it smelled good! All three cheeses were melted, the spinach soft, and the bacon crispy. Not to mention how tender the chicken became. I sprinkled some lemon juice and it was ready to serve.
All in all, the whole process only took an hour!
Other stuffed chicken ideas:
-stuff the chicken with other meats like ham or turkey and then add whatever else
-bacon and blue cheese (like a black 'n blue burger but a bit healthier)
-lemon wedges, capers, white wine, and olive oil.
-ground mustard, beer, and onions (I think this one will be the next one I try)
Ok there you have it! Good luck! And let your creativity run wild!
Love & Doughnuts,
The Mrakulous Kitchen
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