Part of the key to sticking to a diet, is that it has to satiate. Chicken breast is a great part of a diet designed to reduce weight, but they are so low in fat, they can be chalky and dry. Follow these 3 steps that add moisture, not fat. They guarantee moist, juicy chicken breasts every time!

1. Brine As soon as you get it home, rinse it and soak it in salt water until cooking.

2. Use a splash of white wine and fresh herbs to add lots of flavor. I used sprigs of mint, lemon verbena, tarragon and basil freshly clipped from my garden.

3. Cook on a very low temperature and with a lid to trap moisture. That means 250º in the oven or super low flame under your skillet. It will take longer at this temperature, but you can set it up and walk away. Cut with a sharp knife in the thickest part. As soon as the pink is gone, its done. Remember not to overcook it even at this low temperature and to remove it from the hot pan or baking dish or it will continue to cook. Cooking time will depend on your oven and thickness of the chicken breast, but expect about 60 minutes.

Here’s an incredibly flavorful way to make roast chicken that’s so fast, you can even make it in the middle of a busy work week. It’s my go to meal when up to 3 people are joining me for dinner. I use only organic chickens because I don’t want to ingest chickens raised with artificial hormones, antibiotics or even feed with GMO corn. The flavor of organic chicken is cleaner and sweeter. You can justify paying about three times the price, by using all the remains to make organic chicken stock that will serve as the base of great soups or sauces. Just boil the skin, bones, cartilage, etc for 2 hours, strain it, freeze it and skim off all the fat before using it. It’s many times more flavorful than store-bought chicken stock. It’s easy and it’s thrifty.

In the video below I use parsley, purple basil, lemon verbena all of which were growing on my terrace, plus fresh ginger, but the recipe in my book I use other herbs. That’s because I’ve made many, many variations on this fool-proof roasted chicken. So feel free to any herbs or spices you like, because its the method that makes if great. Enjoy!

3-5 lb hormone-free chicken
3 T olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 T minced rosemary
3” fresh ginger root
2 large cloves fresh garlic
2 T pink peppercorns
1T salt
1 ½ t black pepper
1 lemon
1 Bermuda onion

If the preparation time is available, brine the chicken in cold water with one handful of salt overnight in a large container or stockpot. Rinse the chicken before continuing the preparation.

Move an oven wrack to the lowest position and take the others out of the oven, before preheating to 475º. Select a baking dish longer than the chicken and a minimum of 2” deep to create a water bath in which the vertical roasting wrack will stand upright or be placed above.

With a mallet or poultry scissors, cut off the end of the wings up to the first joint and the knobs on the end of each drumstick. With your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the flesh of the bird.
In a cup, grate the ginger and garlic and combine with 3 tablespoons oil olive oil, ½ tablespoon salt (reduce to ½ teaspoon if chicken was brined) black pepper, finely chopped rosemary, parsley and cilantro. Spread 2/3 of the mixture both inside the cavity and between the skin and flesh of the bird, being sure to work it all the way into the legs and wings. Thinly slice the lemon and Bermuda onion and slide these under the skin, too.

Measure and cut 5 feet of cotton kitchen twine. Cross the drumsticks secure them upward as far as possible so they are above the water line if the chicken is placed in the water-filled pan. Continue trussing the bird by crossing the twine around the body and tucking the wings in tightly. Season the outside skin with the rest of the olive oil spice rub and the remaining ½ tablespoon salt. Place the bird and roaster vertically on the wrack above the water pan if possible. For smaller ovens place the vertical roaster in the pan of water or horizontally on the rack above the pan of water in the hot oven. The chicken will cook quickly so set a timer for only 25 minutes and check the bird!!

If the bird is horizontal, turn it over halfway through the roasting time.

To check for doneness, cut the chicken in the crease between the leg and the body. As soon as the liquid runs clear with no traces of blood, it is cooked!

Saucy, luscious Pulled Chicken Molé with secret ingredient, cocoa powder

Hello People,

I’m working hard on finishing the first volume of the Enlightened Cook: Entrees.  Here is one recipe on which I’d love some feedback. What I generally ask of my recipe tests to provide feedback on the clarity of  the directions, accuracy of the measurements (i.e. too much salt? enough oil?). In the case of this terrific recipe, what I need in addition is info on how accurate the timing of each step was:

How long did it take at the given temperature to initially cook the chicken breasts so that they were slightly pink inside?

Was 2 minutes enough to sufficiently break down the tomato at the end into a smooth sauce?

I am considering instead instructing readers to add the tomato and then add the cocoa powder a few minutes later.  It’s really important the cocoa powder is not scalded or truly it ruins the sauce. (I’ve tasted that overcooked taste soooo many times in Mexican restaurants.)

So here is the recipe and a note on brining that will appear on that page of the book. Pulled chicken Molé is a recipe I truly love for it’s utterly unique yet unidentifiable flavor.

Hello Cooks and welcome to the Enlightened Cook’s first blog post!!

I thought I’d kick off with something timely like Superbowl Wings!

The Wing Story

One of my dearest friends, Vicent Grupi, whose since passed on, told me he had fabulous chicken wings at a party, and he was told they were made with yogurt.  He remarked that it seemed a very strange combination, yet they were the best wings he’d ever tasted.  I wondered how anyone, especially Vinny, could get that excited about chicken wings. To me they were greasy junk food with little culinary merit. Yet somehow the thought of deriving a recipe from that one piece of information, stuck in my mind for 15 years. By then I knew marinating in yogurt was part of India’s Tandoori tradition, in which foods are slow-cooked in an oven for a long time.

Finally, when I looked down at the meat counter one day I saw a package of the plumpest wings I’d ever seen.  They were hormone/antibiotic-free, organic chicken wings and still very inexpensive, and that was a great place to start. So I decided to do what I often do when I cook; I “winged it.” I dreamed up what I thought would taste good and marinated these wings for 3 days, before bringing them raw and swimming in sauce to Candy and Will’s Labor Day BBQ. Being from Texas, Will’s a master griller and knew to cook them slowly on a cooler part of the grill. My rock star date, who I’m sure prefers to go nameless, was licking his fingers with delight over them and our drummer friend, was stomping his foot with speechless appreciation. Everyone at the party said they were the plumpest, most succulent wings they’d ever had, except Will.  Unfortunately, the wings were all gobbled up before he got one.  Sorry, Will!

Try to plan ahead on this one, so you can marinate for the full 3 days.  I think you’ll be amazed at the result. And please, save one for the host!

SUPERBOWL WINGS

4 lbs chicken wings

1 quart plain yogurt

3 oz. beer

Juice of 2 limes

1 1/2” ginger root- coarse chopped

2 t. dried thyme

1 t. dried lavender

1 t. black pepper

3/4 t. sea salt

Rinse and poke holes into the wings with a sharp knife, so the sauce penetrates the flesh of the chicken.  Mix all the ingredients together and marinate 1-3 days. Stir the mixture twice a day.

Grill very slowly on the BBQ or bake on a lightly oiled baking sheet in the oven at 325º for 45 minutes.  Goes good with a beer. Enjoy!

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