Month-of-Chicken: Chicken PMS

Ever have one of those days? Sure. We all have. This is the recipe for you for those days! Chicken PMS allows, nay, dare I say, requires you to pound the heck out of your dinner fixings!

Chicken PMS-Piccata Moore Style-is a quick dinner that looks and tastes like it took forever. The fun part is the pounding. So pick your chicken breast, slice it lengthwise in half and pound it down to less than ¼” thick. (If you have Mae West breasts, you may need to slice them in thirds.) Don’t you feel better already?

Chicken PMS (Piccata Moore Style) (serves 4)

½ c all-purpose flour

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in half, pounded thin

2 T butter, divided

2 T Persian Lime olive oil (or regular EVO and add zest of half a lemon or lime)

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ c white wine

1 t fresh ground black pepper

1 t salt

¾ c chicken broth

½ lemon, juiced

1 T caper juice

2 T capers

¼ c Half and Half

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

8 oz angel hair pasta, cooked and drained

Coat both sides of each piece of chicken with flour. Set aside leftover flour for later use.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly fry chicken, turning to brown both sides. Remove from skillet.

In skillet add both garlics and stir to cook about 1 minute. Add wine and deglaze the skillet to get all the small cooked bits into the liquid.

Cook pasta in boiling water for ~ 5 minutes. Drain and keep warm until serving.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter, salt, pepper, broth, lemon juice, and caper juice. Stir in left over flour to thicken the sauce. When it starts to thicken add Half and Half. Whisk to incorporate. Add capers, stir. Add in chicken, coat with sauce, and heat to serving temp about ~5 minutes.

Remove chicken and put drained pasta into the skillet. Toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Serve on a plate with chicken on top of pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up! This is a dish I don’t make often enough. It really is a different way to serve chicken. And this late in the month of chicken, that is a welcome respite!

Month-of-Chicken: Slow Lemon-Garlic Chicken

Did you ever notice I use a lot of garlic? I mean, a LOT! Love the stuff! And, we haven’t seen a vampire around in, oh, a dozen years or more! This stuff works!

I also cook a lot with citrus. I love the freshness and brightness of the flavors of citrus. You can try this recipe with orange or limes, if you’d like some variety.

This fall-off-the-bone chicken recipe is one that will have people asking, “How did you make this?” because of the flavor layers. And who doesn’t love a slow-cooker recipe? Not only is dinner ready when you are, the house smells amazing!

The first time I made this, I put the rosemary on top of the chicken for the last half hour. Waaay too strong a rosemary taste, so now I cook it with the broth. Much better!

Slow Lemon-Garlic Chicken (Serves 6)

1 T dried basil

½ t salt

½ t pepper

6-8 chicken thighs

2 T olive oil

1 T butter

zest of ½ lemon

½ lemon, juiced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

½ packet Swanson Flavor Boost-Chicken (where bouillon is found)

½ c white wine

3 sprigs fresh rosemary or tarragon

Mix together basil, salt, and pepper. Spread on all sides of chicken thighs. Set aside while you heat olive oil and butter in a skillet.

Brown both sides of thighs in the oil and butter (~ 5 minutes per side). Remove from skillet and place thighs in slow cooker. Drain off the fat.

In the skillet mix together lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, Flavor Boost, rosemary, and wine. Bring to a boil. Throw out the rosemary sprigs and pour sauce over the chicken thighs. Cook on low for six hours.

Couscous or quinoa makes a nice side with this dish. Spoon some of the pot liquor over the chicken and carb on your plate.

DH’s Rating: 4 Tongues Up. He didn’t love the lemon of this dish and he wanted the thighs to be firmer. (Is there a message here for me, DH???) They were fall-off-the-bone tender.