Swoon for this easy chicken by Mark Bittman

Herb Garden is the topic for this week cooking with Mark Bittman at IHCC.  I usually attempt to take the recipe, I am going to use and make sure, it fits into one of our meals, rather than make it and plan around it, which I do all too often.  Mark has recipes for everything so I can easily find what I need.  For the Sabbath, I had not decided what kind of chicken to make but I had defrosted cutlets, so I was limited by that, which is not at all limiting.  As I looked through Mark’s recipes, I checked out those for drumsticks, thighs and breast and then I found IT.  It is the recipe, I wanted to make.  I usually do not like “frilly” chicken recipes.  That comes in the sides.  A plain but tasty treat is what Iwas looking for, and this week, I found it in Herb Roasted Cutlets.  Note that, with all my looking at different chicken parts, Mr.Bittman even had the perfect recipe with cutlets. What did I like about this recipe? 

 As usual, we are given choices: of spices; of  fat element; of stock or water.  I like choices, simply because, I don’t have every item, that may be needed. 

 This chicken is fried for a moment and then roasted  in the oven. 

 The ease of making this. 

 Herb Roasted Chicken Cutlets – adapted from Mark Bittman 

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon or summer savory, dill, parsley, or chervil leaves 1/8 cup minced fresh parsley leaves, plus a little more for garnish  (garden grown) 1/4 cup flour  (I used soy flour because it was handy.)     salt and black pepper to taste  1 tablespoon butter, olive oil, or a combination   (olive oil for me) 2 boneless, skinless, chicken cutlets , rinsed and patted dry with paper towels 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock, or water, plus a little more of needed  (I needed more water – about another 1/ cup)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Mix together the tarragon, flour, salt, and pepper. Heat a flame proof baking dish over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the butter and/or olive oil. (cast iron) When it is hot, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, add it to the pan, and brown for a minute or so on each side.    Add the stock or water and place the pan in the oven.  Roast the chicken, turning once or twice, until it is cooked through, about 6 to 10 minutes (if you are unsure about whether the cutlets are done, cut into one with a thin-bladed knife; the center should be white or light pink).    Remove the pan from the oven transfer the chicken to a plate. If the juices remaining in the pan are thin, return the pan to the stove and cook over high heat for a minute or two to thicken them if they’re too thick, add a little more stock or water and cook over medium heat for a minute or two. (Again I needed additional water – 1/2 cup) Garnish the chicken with some parsley and serve with some of the sauce poured over it, and pass the remaining sauce at the table.

linked to