Cooking for One: Chicken with Rice
I have been back from Los Angeles for just a day, but no matter how often I do this, the period of adjustment that travel requires hits me as if anew. There is the energy required by the travel itself: as I wrote on social media, I woke up in sunny Los Angeles, went to bed in rainy New York City, and am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that this happens. But there is also the energy required to recalibrate. I've done this often enough now to know that I'll need a few days of hunkering down to reacclimatize to being back in New York. Soon the pace of this wonderful city will work its invigorating magic, and by this weekend, I should be ready to dive into what promises to be New York City's first spectacular autumn weekend of the season.
After two weeks John and me being together and taking care of each other, we both have to adjust back to a period of caring for ourselves. Telephone, email and video conference are all great, but after we say our goodbyes, the simple facts of our situation remain: he is in LA, I am in NYC, and though this may change in the future, for now, though married, we are weathering long stretches of batching it. No complaining is allowed: we made the choice and as with any decision there are consequences. We are not the only couple who spend or have ever spent time apart. Managing locale is as necessary a skill in relationships as is managing money and schedule. As have many couples, John and I have long since gotten used to negotiating, but couples living apart for stretches of time and distance is not just a fact of the global economy now; it has long been a fact throughout history and across society.
Numerous circumstances create alone time, from military service to business travel, from trial separations to not having met the right person yet. One detail that demands being taken care of by everyone who live alone is meals. When I first started writing Cooking for One, it was with the intention of providing good recipes for solo chefs: dishes that are easy to make, good to eat, and tested in my own kitchen and on my own plate. The other criteria I have assigned to these recipes is that they are special enough to respect the profound act of feeding oneself.
I am glad to report that response to this feature has been positive. As I've been cooking for one, I have learned that doing so is not entirely different from cooking for two, except in such ways as portion and not having to take into account what a tablemate does or does not like to eat. I have also learned that eating alone can be a different story. It is easy to fall into the habit of eating take out, frozen food or junk food for dinner, or just not to eat at all. I suspect that most of us stumble through these impulses, but if we allow ourselves the occasional frozen pizza, bowl of cereal or carton of Chinese for dinner, we also learn to balance that with the simple, vital act of preparing and serving a meal for ourselves.
This month's cooking for one recognizes the sacredness of cooking for oneself with what may be the most supreme of comfort foods: chicken and rice. Something about a rich piece of chicken breast, tended well, brings us to the special times associated with the Sunday table. Rice is one of the most fundamental foods to our species. Almost every culture has a way of pairing chicken with rice, from stir fry to curry, from arroz con pollo to chicken stew. Preparing and eating this meal is so simple yet so visceral. It opens up an appetite not just in our taste buds and in our stomachs but in our spirits -- and then feeds that. It is one of the ultimate expressions of the profound act of self-care. And if we do not take care of ourselves, how we can be there for anyone else during those golden times when we get to be with the people we love?
CHICKEN BREAST WITH RICE AND SPINACH
For the chicken
1 split bone-in chicken breast, approximately 1 pound, preferably free-range
1 lemon
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small shallot
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh rosemary or thyme or a combination of the two
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt (Greek sea salt works well)
Freshly ground black pepper
For the rice
¼ cup Basmati rice
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock, home-made or low sodium canned
Extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad
1 handful fresh, cleaned spinach
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
One day before cooking
1. Unwrap the chicken breast. Place the breast chest down on a clean cutting board dedicated to poultry so that the ribcage is facing upwards. You should see a line of cartilage down the center of the ribcage that corresponds with a white strip on the chest-side of the chicken breast.
2. Working safely, position a strong bread knife over the line of cartilage and press down firmly. The knife should go into the cartilage. Continue to safely press downwards with the knife until you have cut through the cartilage and fat and separated the chicken breast into two even-sized pieces.
3. Place one of the breast halves into a freezer-safe bag and place in the freezer for another usage. Rinse the remaining breast half under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on the cutting board to rest while you prepare the marinade.
4. Open a plastic food bag and place the opened bag into a bowl. Measure the salt, cayenne pepper and several grindings of fresh black pepper into the bag.. Separate about half of the fresh herbs and place them into the bag.
5. Roll the lemon under your palm along the counter to express the juice. Cut the lemon in half. Place each lemon half into a lemon press and hold the press over the food bag containing the herbs and spices. Press each lemon half so that the juice expresses into the bag. Measure the olive oil into the bag.
6. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Use a garlic press to press the garlic into the bag. Gently move the bowl containing the bag in a clockwise direction, so that the mixture swirls around inside the bag and mixes together.
7. Gently nestle the chicken breast into the marinade, meat side down. Gather the sides of the bag up, pulling the bag taught so that the chicken breast is in contact with the marinade. Secure the bag.
8. Place the bowl containing the bag containing the marinating chicken into the refrigerator until ready to cook, 4 hours minimum.
1 hour before eating
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Remove the marinating chicken from the refrigerator. Gently open the bag with the bag still in the bowl, to catch marinade if any runs out.
3. Remove the herb stems (it is okay if some of the leaves come off) and scatter the herb stems along the bottom of a small roasting pan.
4. Remove the chicken and place on the herb stems, breast side up.
5. Gently squeeze the bag over the bowl to express the marinade into the bowl. Drizzle the marinade over the chicken, using a silicon spatula to get as much of the marinade as you can. Gently measure the wine into the roasting pan.
6. Cover the pan with its lid or a layer of aluminum foil, shiny side down. Place the pan in the oven. Roast the chicken breast for 20 minutes.
7. While the chicken breast is roasting, remove the root and stem ends of the shallot; remove the papery outer skin. Halve the shallot from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents and then cut across the crescents to form dice. Scrape the diced shallot into a small bowl.
8. After 20 minutes, remove the chicken breast from the oven. Remove the foil. The chicken should be starting to cook through. Use tongs to gently flip the chicken so that it is breast side up. Replace the lid/foil and return the covered pan into the oven. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes.
9. While the chicken is roasting, drizzle a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid with a three-count of extra virgin olive oil. Scatter about a quarter of the diced shallots across the oil. Turn the burner to medium and sauté the shallots until it is translucent and gives off its fragrance, approximately two minutes.
10. While the shallots are sautéing, strip a few leaves of herbs into the shallot-oil mixture. Measure the rice into the shallot/hot oil mixture. Use a silicon spatula to sauté the rice, moving the rice frequently around in the pan, until the rice smells toasty, approximately one minute.
11. Remove the sauce pan from the burner and sprinkle the rice with 2 tablespoons chicken stock. The stock should bubble and evaporate; that is okay. Stir the mixture and return the pan to the burner.
Measure the remaining ½ cup stock into the pan. Stir the rice-stock mixture well, and place the lid on the pan. Turn the burner to low. Cook the rice, covered and undisturbed, for 10 minutes.
12. After 10 minutes, check the rice. It should be fluffy and very fragrant. If it is soupy, return it to the stovetop to cook a couple of minutes longer. If it is dry or undercooked, add some stock to the pan and cook longer if indicated.
13. After the chicken has roasted 20 minutes, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Remove the lid/foil and use a meat thermometer to test the doneness of the chicken breast.
14. Sprinkle the remaining diced shallot over the chicken breast. Top the shallots with the pat of butter. Season the chicken breast with several grindings of fresh black pepper.
15. Return the pan uncovered to the oven. Roast the chicken until the skin is golden and crispy and the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
16. While the meat is roasting and the rice is cooking, measure a couple of handfuls of cleaned spinach into a bowl. Sprinkle the spinach with the red wine vinegar and a three-count of extra-virgin olive oil. Use your hands to toss the spinach salad.
Serve
1. Once the rice and chicken have finished cooking, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Use the spatula to gently stir the pan juices with the chicken still in the pan.
2. Remove the lid from the rice and fluff the rice with a fork.
3. Place a handful of spinach salad onto a plate and then place a serving of rice on the plate so that it nestles up against and slightly wilts the spinach.
4. Use tongs to gently place the chicken onto the rice. Carefully drizzle the chicken and rice with the pan juices, allowing the juices to run along the plate and under the salad.
5. Serve immediately.
After two weeks John and me being together and taking care of each other, we both have to adjust back to a period of caring for ourselves. Telephone, email and video conference are all great, but after we say our goodbyes, the simple facts of our situation remain: he is in LA, I am in NYC, and though this may change in the future, for now, though married, we are weathering long stretches of batching it. No complaining is allowed: we made the choice and as with any decision there are consequences. We are not the only couple who spend or have ever spent time apart. Managing locale is as necessary a skill in relationships as is managing money and schedule. As have many couples, John and I have long since gotten used to negotiating, but couples living apart for stretches of time and distance is not just a fact of the global economy now; it has long been a fact throughout history and across society.
Numerous circumstances create alone time, from military service to business travel, from trial separations to not having met the right person yet. One detail that demands being taken care of by everyone who live alone is meals. When I first started writing Cooking for One, it was with the intention of providing good recipes for solo chefs: dishes that are easy to make, good to eat, and tested in my own kitchen and on my own plate. The other criteria I have assigned to these recipes is that they are special enough to respect the profound act of feeding oneself.
I am glad to report that response to this feature has been positive. As I've been cooking for one, I have learned that doing so is not entirely different from cooking for two, except in such ways as portion and not having to take into account what a tablemate does or does not like to eat. I have also learned that eating alone can be a different story. It is easy to fall into the habit of eating take out, frozen food or junk food for dinner, or just not to eat at all. I suspect that most of us stumble through these impulses, but if we allow ourselves the occasional frozen pizza, bowl of cereal or carton of Chinese for dinner, we also learn to balance that with the simple, vital act of preparing and serving a meal for ourselves.
This month's cooking for one recognizes the sacredness of cooking for oneself with what may be the most supreme of comfort foods: chicken and rice. Something about a rich piece of chicken breast, tended well, brings us to the special times associated with the Sunday table. Rice is one of the most fundamental foods to our species. Almost every culture has a way of pairing chicken with rice, from stir fry to curry, from arroz con pollo to chicken stew. Preparing and eating this meal is so simple yet so visceral. It opens up an appetite not just in our taste buds and in our stomachs but in our spirits -- and then feeds that. It is one of the ultimate expressions of the profound act of self-care. And if we do not take care of ourselves, how we can be there for anyone else during those golden times when we get to be with the people we love?
CHICKEN BREAST WITH RICE AND SPINACH
For the chicken
1 split bone-in chicken breast, approximately 1 pound, preferably free-range
1 lemon
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small shallot
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh rosemary or thyme or a combination of the two
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt (Greek sea salt works well)
Freshly ground black pepper
For the rice
¼ cup Basmati rice
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock, home-made or low sodium canned
Extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad
1 handful fresh, cleaned spinach
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
One day before cooking
1. Unwrap the chicken breast. Place the breast chest down on a clean cutting board dedicated to poultry so that the ribcage is facing upwards. You should see a line of cartilage down the center of the ribcage that corresponds with a white strip on the chest-side of the chicken breast.
2. Working safely, position a strong bread knife over the line of cartilage and press down firmly. The knife should go into the cartilage. Continue to safely press downwards with the knife until you have cut through the cartilage and fat and separated the chicken breast into two even-sized pieces.
3. Place one of the breast halves into a freezer-safe bag and place in the freezer for another usage. Rinse the remaining breast half under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on the cutting board to rest while you prepare the marinade.
4. Open a plastic food bag and place the opened bag into a bowl. Measure the salt, cayenne pepper and several grindings of fresh black pepper into the bag.. Separate about half of the fresh herbs and place them into the bag.
5. Roll the lemon under your palm along the counter to express the juice. Cut the lemon in half. Place each lemon half into a lemon press and hold the press over the food bag containing the herbs and spices. Press each lemon half so that the juice expresses into the bag. Measure the olive oil into the bag.
6. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Use a garlic press to press the garlic into the bag. Gently move the bowl containing the bag in a clockwise direction, so that the mixture swirls around inside the bag and mixes together.
7. Gently nestle the chicken breast into the marinade, meat side down. Gather the sides of the bag up, pulling the bag taught so that the chicken breast is in contact with the marinade. Secure the bag.
8. Place the bowl containing the bag containing the marinating chicken into the refrigerator until ready to cook, 4 hours minimum.
1 hour before eating
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Remove the marinating chicken from the refrigerator. Gently open the bag with the bag still in the bowl, to catch marinade if any runs out.
3. Remove the herb stems (it is okay if some of the leaves come off) and scatter the herb stems along the bottom of a small roasting pan.
4. Remove the chicken and place on the herb stems, breast side up.
5. Gently squeeze the bag over the bowl to express the marinade into the bowl. Drizzle the marinade over the chicken, using a silicon spatula to get as much of the marinade as you can. Gently measure the wine into the roasting pan.
6. Cover the pan with its lid or a layer of aluminum foil, shiny side down. Place the pan in the oven. Roast the chicken breast for 20 minutes.
7. While the chicken breast is roasting, remove the root and stem ends of the shallot; remove the papery outer skin. Halve the shallot from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents and then cut across the crescents to form dice. Scrape the diced shallot into a small bowl.
8. After 20 minutes, remove the chicken breast from the oven. Remove the foil. The chicken should be starting to cook through. Use tongs to gently flip the chicken so that it is breast side up. Replace the lid/foil and return the covered pan into the oven. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes.
9. While the chicken is roasting, drizzle a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid with a three-count of extra virgin olive oil. Scatter about a quarter of the diced shallots across the oil. Turn the burner to medium and sauté the shallots until it is translucent and gives off its fragrance, approximately two minutes.
10. While the shallots are sautéing, strip a few leaves of herbs into the shallot-oil mixture. Measure the rice into the shallot/hot oil mixture. Use a silicon spatula to sauté the rice, moving the rice frequently around in the pan, until the rice smells toasty, approximately one minute.
11. Remove the sauce pan from the burner and sprinkle the rice with 2 tablespoons chicken stock. The stock should bubble and evaporate; that is okay. Stir the mixture and return the pan to the burner.
Measure the remaining ½ cup stock into the pan. Stir the rice-stock mixture well, and place the lid on the pan. Turn the burner to low. Cook the rice, covered and undisturbed, for 10 minutes.
12. After 10 minutes, check the rice. It should be fluffy and very fragrant. If it is soupy, return it to the stovetop to cook a couple of minutes longer. If it is dry or undercooked, add some stock to the pan and cook longer if indicated.
13. After the chicken has roasted 20 minutes, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Remove the lid/foil and use a meat thermometer to test the doneness of the chicken breast.
14. Sprinkle the remaining diced shallot over the chicken breast. Top the shallots with the pat of butter. Season the chicken breast with several grindings of fresh black pepper.
15. Return the pan uncovered to the oven. Roast the chicken until the skin is golden and crispy and the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
16. While the meat is roasting and the rice is cooking, measure a couple of handfuls of cleaned spinach into a bowl. Sprinkle the spinach with the red wine vinegar and a three-count of extra-virgin olive oil. Use your hands to toss the spinach salad.
Serve
1. Once the rice and chicken have finished cooking, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Use the spatula to gently stir the pan juices with the chicken still in the pan.
2. Remove the lid from the rice and fluff the rice with a fork.
3. Place a handful of spinach salad onto a plate and then place a serving of rice on the plate so that it nestles up against and slightly wilts the spinach.
4. Use tongs to gently place the chicken onto the rice. Carefully drizzle the chicken and rice with the pan juices, allowing the juices to run along the plate and under the salad.
5. Serve immediately.
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