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The Stovetop-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Cornichon Sauce was wonderful with a slightly tart sauce made with lemon juice and cornichons (both sweet and tart), making a lovely complex sauce. For the recipe you’ll need bone-in split chicken breasts (10-12 ounces each), bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks, salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, cornichons, fresh garlic, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, unsalted butter and fresh tarragon. I find chicken breasts these days to be quite large, definitely heavier than 12 ounces.
The recipe begins with a cold skillet and chicken breasts that have had their thickest end pounded to a thickness of 3/4 to 1-inch. They’re seasoned with salt and pepper, placed skin side down in a cold nonstick skillet; then covered. This will allow the fat to render out thereby helping to achieve a golden-brown skin. The accompanying herb sauce is made with some of the fat rendered from the chicken, minced cornichons, minced garlic and chopped rosemary. The ingredients are sautéed until fragrant. Scrape the fond from the bottom of the pan to incorporate additional flavor. The pan is removed from the heat at which time you’ll add some water, the lemon juice and lemon zest. Butter is whisked in one piece at a time until the sauce is smooth and emulsified. It’s seasoned with the tarragon, salt and pepper. What an easy recipe to prepare. It takes just under an hour to prepare this dish, but the sauce really elevates its presentation. Both my husband and I enjoyed this dish. I love a sheet pan supper, everything goes on one pan and makes for easy clean up. Melissa Clark’s Sheet-Pan Gnocchi with Sausages and Peppers incorporates shelf stable gnocchi for a heartier meal. For this recipe you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh or dried oregano, fine sea salt, red chili flakes, shelf stable gnocchi, red or yellow onion, bell peppers (red or yellow plus a green one), cherry tomatoes, Italian sausage, grated Parmesan cheese, fresh basil or parsley. I am partial to Wegmans imported Italian Classics Gnocchi with Potato and Gianelli Mild Italian Turkey Sausage which is excellent. I also like Costco’s imported Parmesan Reggiano cheese which sells for under $15/lb. The recipe starts by mixing a dressing of olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and chili flakes and tossing together the gnocchi, onion, peppers and tomatoes. These ingredients are placed on a rimmed baking sheet. The sausage is nestled into the vegetables. The ingredients roast in a 425° oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the sausages are cooked through and the veggies and gnocchi are golden. To serve, the dish gets a shower of grated Parmesan and basil. This was delicious! I do prefer my sausage and peppers dressed with a tomato sauce marinara, but for an easy weeknight family meal, this does the trick. Totally easy and I’m sure the kids will like it too. I was at a loss one day as to what to prepare for supper. A roasting chicken is great for weeknight meal for two, especially since the chickens these days average about three to four pounds, which means sometimes two meals out of one recipe. Clare deBoer, chef/owner of King in New York City and Stissing House in Pine Plains, New York created One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles, which is a perfect meal for this week’s chilly weather. My description of this recipe is a chicken that’s roasted with beautiful burnished skin, then poached in water, creating a chicken stock to which egg noodles are added and finished with sour cream to create a creamy sauce. The broth is quite flavorsome from the addition of a head of roasted garlic, Parmesan rinds and fresh rosemary. The chicken, along with a head of garlic is placed in a Dutch oven and roasted at 500° until the chicken is golden. It’s removed from the oven and the garlic cloves are pressed with the back of a fork and returned to the pot. Water is added, up to mid-thigh on the chicken so as to retain the crispy breast skin. It’s cooked in a reduced oven temperature of 400° until the chicken seems to fall apart (approximately another 60 minutes). The pot is removed from the oven and the egg noodles are added and cooked on the stovetop until tender. Contrary to the recipe, I added the fresh rosemary at this point to make sure the broth and noodles were sufficiently infused with flavor. A few cooks commented on the recipe’s blandness. However, my husband and I didn’t find this. Between the garlic, Parmesan rinds and rosemary, the broth was quite flavorsome. I also added some frozen peas to the pot for color and to squeeze a veggie in. I didn’t use a whole bag of egg noodles either, as we’re just two. There were plenty of leftovers and the chicken was quite moist and tender. My last recipe is another weeknight favorite, meatloaf, especially for my husband. Lidia Bastianich’s recipe for Turkey Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce was scrumptious. Turkey meatloaf is lighter tasting than beef and this one incorporates grated cheese, bell pepper, scallions and parsley. The accompanying mushroom sauce was made with cremini mushrooms, fresh sage leaves, kosher salt, tomato paste, white wine, chicken stock, butter and fresh parsley. The meatloaf roasted covered in the oven for 40 minutes before removing to finish cooking. While the meatloaf was cooking, I prepared the mushroom sauce. This was a delightful meal. The meatloaf was quite tasty, moist and tender. The mushroom sauce added complexity and enhanced the flavors. This is another great recipe to keep on hand as it can be prepped ahead of time and baked when ready. While I scaled this recipe down to accommodate two people, the originally recipe feeds 8 to 10. So even if you family is half this size, the leftovers wonderful sandwiches for lunch. Have a question? Use the "Comment" radio button and include your email address so I can reply to you directly.
Stovetop-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Cornichon Sauce
Cook’s Country December/January 2017 Serves: 4 Time: 50 minutes “To get ultra crispy skin on our bone-in chicken pieces, we dried the chicken well and then placed it skin side down in a cold nonstick skillet. We seasoned the meat with fresh rosemary, covered the skillet, and cooked the chicken over medium heat to render the fat until the skin was light golden brown. Then we increased the heat to medium-high to fully cook the chicken and take the skin to a gorgeous deep golden brown. While the chicken rested, we made an easy pan sauce with chopped briny cornichons, garlic, more rosemary, lemon zest and juice, butter, and minced fresh tarragon.” Ingredients Chicken 2 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed 4 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks, trimmed Salt and pepper ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary Herb Sauce 2 tablespoons minced cornichon 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons water ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon Salt and pepper BEFORE YOU BEGIN For even cooking, it’s important to buy chicken pieces within the specifications given. If you prefer all dark meat, this recipe will work with a total of eight bone-in thighs or drumsticks; if you prefer all white meat, you can use four bone-in breasts. Note that the chicken is started in a cold skillet to give the fat time to render. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CHICKEN:
FOR THE HERB SAUCE:
Sheet-Pan Gnocchi with Sausages and Peppers
“How to Make Sausage and Peppers Even Better? Add Gnocchi” By Melissa Clark The New York Times, January 9, 2025 Total Time: 55 minutes Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Yield: 3 to 4 servings Ingredients ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried 1 teaspoon fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon red chile flakes, more for serving (optional) 1 (14- to 18-ounce) package shelf-stable gnocchi 1 large yellow or red onion, thinly sliced 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1pound sweet or hot Italian sausages, pricked with a fork ¼ cup grated Parmesan ½ cup chopped fresh basil or parsley Preparation
One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
“An Easy One-Pot Chicken Dinner That’s as Generous as They Come” By Clare de Boer The New York Times, February 16, 2024 Total Time: 2 hours Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 55 minutes “Think of this warming dish as a relay race, each ingredient handing its flavor to the next. During the (almost!) hands-off cooking, a head of garlic and a whole chicken stuffed with a Parmesan rind roast, then give themselves to salted water, which in turn flavors the egg noodles that soften around the bird. Salt and water are your best tools here: Season the chicken, season the water and season both again. Don’t hesitate to add more water as the noodles are cooking to make sure they’re submerged. Every brand will absorb a slightly different amount of liquid, and you want a result that’s splashy enough to take on all the Parmesan you will grate at the table. Use your largest pot so everything fits. A 7- to 9-quart Dutch oven has ideal proportions with its wide base and chicken-height sides. You can substitute any short, quick-cooking pasta for egg noodles, and introduce sautéed mushrooms, spinach or herbs at the end, if that’s your mood.” Yield: 4 to 6 Servings Ingredients 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 Parmesan rind, plus grated Parmesan for serving 1 head garlic, cloves segmented, kept in their sheaths 1-pound wide egg noodles 1 sprig rosemary 3 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraîche Preparation
Turkey Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce
Polpettone di Tacchino con Salsa di Funghi By Lidia Bastianich, website “Lidia’s Italy Serves: 8-10 Ingredients Meatloaf 3 cups crustless day-old bread cubes 1 cup milk 3 pounds ground turkey 2 large eggs, beaten 2½ cups panko bread crumbs 1 cup grated Grana Padano 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper 1 cup finely chopped scallions, white and light green parts ⅓ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Sauce ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 large shallots, chopped 1¾ pounds mixed mushrooms (white, cremini, shiitake, oyster, etc.), thickly sliced (about 8 cups) 8 fresh sage leaves 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 cup dry white wine 2 cups chicken stock (see here) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley Directions For the meatloaf, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the bread cubes and milk, and toss. Let sit until the milk is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Squeeze out any excess milk, and put the squeezed-out bread in a large bowl. To the large bowl, add the turkey, eggs, panko, grated cheese, bell pepper, scallions, parsley, and salt. Mix with your hands to distribute the ingredients evenly. Brush a large roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Form the meat mixture into a loaf in the roasting pan, and brush with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Loosely cover the roasting pan with foil, and bake until the meatloaf is set on the outside, about 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake until cooked through (the center of the loaf will read 165 on a meat thermometer), about 45 to 50 minutes more. Let the meatloaf rest, covered with foil to keep warm, while you make the sauce. For the sauce, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sage, and season with the salt. Cover, and let the mushrooms sweat until tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover, and increase the heat to reduce away the liquid and brown the mushrooms, about 1 to 2 minutes. Clear a space in the pan, and add the tomato paste. Cook and stir the tomato paste in that spot until it is toasted and darkens a shade or two, about 1 minute. Stir the tomato paste into the mushrooms, and add the wine. Simmer to reduce the wine by half, then add the stock. Simmer to blend the flavors and reduce the stock a bit, about 5 minutes. Right before serving, whisk in the butter until the sauce is smooth. Stir in the parsley. Slice the meatloaf, and serve the sauce on the side.
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