C-lucky find

CHICKEN VESUVIO. 

The first recipe in America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2010 magazine is for Chicken Vesuvio, a specialty of Chicago. The picture, while small, stopped me on that page and I read the whole story and recipe before moving on. Actually every page of this magazine has something interesting. What a good deal I got when I found this in the bargain bin at one of the magazine stores close to where I live.


As this post appears, I am in India. Obviously, I wrote this before I left to visit a huge handicraft fair in New Delhi and write about it for my newspaper. I didn't want to have a gap in my publishing schedule, and that's why this post is out. Today, according to the programme, I will be in Agra, at the Taj Mahal. I will probably be tearing a little in awe at the majesty of the structure.

I'm sure I would already have gorged on lovely Indian vegetarian food and will be looking forward to some more until I leave in a few days. I know I'll be taking pictures of all the dishes I tried.

For now, here's a dish I made some time ago; it is really good, so those of you who like chicken, this is a good recipe to have (the picture doesn't do justice to the dish, though, so please don't judge it by that). Enjoy!

CHICKEN VESUVIO
From Cooking for Two 2010
Serves 2

¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 (170-225g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (please use free-range), trimmed and pounded 1¼cm thick
Salt and pepper
5 teaspoons olive oil
340g red potatoes (about 3), cut into 2½cm chunks
1 garlic clove, minced
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or ⅛ teaspoon dried
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• Place the flour in a shallow dish. Pat the chicken breast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with 1 breast at a time, dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 25cm nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Carefully lay the chicken in the skillet and cook until lightly browned on both sides, 6-8 minutes, flipping the breasts halfway through. Transfer chicken to a plate.
• Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until simmering. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, rosemary and ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broth and wine, scrapping up any browned bits. Nestle the chicken, along with any accumulated juice, into the potatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the chicken is cooked, 12-18 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.
• Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil to keep warm. Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is thickened slightly, 5-7 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the platter with the chicken. Off the heat, stir in the peas, butter and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and potatoes and serve.

PRINTABLE RECIPE