First Course

I have come to the realization that I am driven by food. Okay, this wasn't much of an epiphany, but my desire to share my culinary attempts is fairly new. I've been bothering friends and family with my culinary attempts via text and Facebook for a while now. I suppose its time I inundate the rest of the worldwide web with my culinary endeavors. To start off, I present my most recent culinary experiment. It started off as a recipe from Food Network Magazine, but I didn't have all the spices that they required, and I felt like adding more flavors/veggies. It was an absolute success!





Skillet Chicken with Potatoes, Onion, and Lemon

3/4 lb. small red-skinned potatoes, halved or quartered
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
pinch Italian seasoning
pinch seasoning salt
S&P
1 large lemon, squeezed halves reserved
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 yellow onion, sliced into quarters
EVOO

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium pot, cover the potatoes with salted cold water; bring to a boil, cook until tender (about 8-10 minutes). Drain and set aside.
2. Pile garlic, Italian seasoning, seasoning salt, and salt and pepper ona cutting board. Smash into a paste, transfer to a bowl, adding EVOO and lemon juice. Whisk together and coat chicken. **Since I'm usually cooking for one, when I buy chicken, I separate it into individual samdwich sized zip-top bags and freeze until I plan to use them. Its really easy to defrost in a bowl of warm water as you're prepping the rest of the meal. I just add the marinade to the individual bags as needed**
3. Heat a cast-iron skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook until the skin browns. Add onion, potatoes, and lemon rinds, lightly drizzling with EVOO. Sprinkle with more Italian seasoning and seasoning salt. Transfer to oven; roast uncovered 20-25 min.

I loved the way this meal turned out. It was really easy to make and had a really great flavor . I cook a lot of chicken (it's cheap and easy), and I can get really bored with it. The mix of lemon and garlic gives it a nice flavor, and the searing in the skillet before cooking helps seal in moisture. Delicious!