Moist and Crispy Baked Chicken

Tessa frequently asks me to make this chicken to accompany the fresh produce we get from our organic CSA. It's crispy from the panko breadcrumbs and amazingly moist on the inside thanks to the yogurt coating, and is baked, not fried, so it has very little fat/oil to boot.

I modified what I make from a dinner we had at Tessa's uncle's house, using whole wheat panko breadcrumbs, and substituting yogurt for most of the butter. It takes a while to bake, admittedly, but doesn't require any monitoring, really, so you can focus on the rest of the meal while the oven does all the work. (Also, it takes about the same amount of time to bake as it takes whole grain brown rice to cook... just saying...) I like it with broccoli, roasted carrots, summer squash, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, potatoes...

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
6 oz low-fat, plain yogurt
1 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
sea salt, to taste
1 tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place yogurt in a bowl or on a plate and stir until smooth.
3. In a separate shallow dish or bowl, combine the bread crumbs, seasoning, and parmesan cheese.

4. Lightly oil or butter a 9x13 baking dish.

5. Dip each chicken breast in the yogurt, then into the breadcrumb mixture, coating completely but not heavily. 

6. Place each coated chicken breast in the baking dish, topping with a drizzle of olive oil or a small piece of butter.

7. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken is 165 degrees and the coating is golden brown.

8. Allow chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-8, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.

Warning: Breading your kitten may result in adorable pictures.

Aloo Gobi

After watching Bend It Like Beckham, I get a major craving for Aloo Gobi. Plus, I just love Indian food. So when I found this recipe, I knew what I was making for dinner. It's creamy and spicy and melts in your mouth.

I made a couple of modifications to the spices based on what I had available, but our CSA had happened to give us both an onion and a couple of tomatoes, so I (uncharacteristically) put those in instead of substituting leeks and tomato paste. I added peas for a little sweetness when I threw in the potatoes and cauliflower. Also, did you know coriander is cilantro? I do now...

The potatoes take much longer to cook than 20 minutes... I ended up cooking mine for almost an hour (as reflected below). If you'd rather not do this, you can parboil the potatoes first, but if you have the time, I recommend cooking low and slow, because you can't beat the flavor. If you like a crunch to your cauliflower, leave it out until the last 20 minutes of cooking.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 bunch fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
1 small green chilies, chopped into small pieces (or one teaspoon chili powder)
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly into eighths
1 lb organic Yukon Gold or red skin potatoes, cut into even pieces (leave skin on!)

1 cup peas (optional)
2 (8 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes, or tomato paste)
fresh ginger, peeled and grated, to taste
fresh garlic, chopped, to taste
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garam masala

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion and one teaspoon of cumin seeds to the oil. Stir together and cook until the onions become creamy, golden, and translucent.
2. Add the chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, one teaspoon of salt, and chopped chilis (or chili powder).

3. Stir the tomatoes into the onion mixture. Add the ginger and garlic; mix thoroughly.
4. Add the potatoes and cauliflower (and peas, if you're using them) to the sauce, plus a few tablespoons of water to ensure that the mixture doesn't stick to the saucepan. Thoroughly coat the potatoes and cauliflower with the sauce.
5. Cover and allow to simmer for fifty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked-- see notes above).
6. Add two teaspoons of Garam Masala and stir. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top.

7. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving over whole grain brown rice.

Serves six to eight over rice.

Don't forget to rinse off the veggies first!