Three Things

Chicken platters, an ode to parchment paper, glassware I love

Good morning! I’m pleased to report on this sunny Monday in New York that I got my second shot last week, and now feel more than ready to live my best vaccinated life. I don’t know if this is connected or not, but I suddenly I find myself obsessively thinking about starting a 100 Day Project even though it’s been around for a while now. (Anyone want to join me? It’s fun just to even think about it.) Also! I gave everyone the wrong email address last week! If you have questions for my upcoming podcast (about spring produce, but, really, you can ask anything), email me a voice memo at Jenny@dinneralovestory.com. Thank you and sorry about that. Here are this week’s three things…

1. Chicken Platter Dinner

The first thing I want to tell you about is the chicken-potato-asparagus dinner platter we had the other night. The chicken itself — a simple, soy-maple marinated breast that was in no way dry, I swear — was delicious, but the whole meal has a special place in my heart because in a weird way, it’s the one that made me realize what I wanted to do with my career. Or at the very least changed the way I fed my family. In the mid-aughts, I was working as a magazine editor (RIP Cookie) and I had two little kids, one of them an extremely picky eater. One night, frustrated and looking for something to cook that everyone would eat (hahaha) I stumbled upon this page above, in the old Martha Stewart cookbook, Great Food Fast. To most people, it would appear to be your standard-issue chicken dinner, but to me, at my wits end trying to just have a normal family dinner without losing my mind, I can’t explain it, but something just clicked. All of dinner served on one large platter! Diners could just take what they wanted! Somehow it felt like this would extricate me from the equation and from that point on, I started serving everything that way instead of on individual dinner plates, and started deconstructing meals that were meant to be mixed together, like salmon salad and tortilla soup. I wrote a story about the strategy (called “Deconstructed Dinners” as many of you know), and loved working on it so much that I decided family dinner was what I wanted to write about at least for the next year or so. Fifteen years later, as I was recalling all of this over my millionth version of the same chicken platter dinner, that picky eater was asking for seconds.

Pan-fried Soy-Maple-Glazed Chicken
We only needed two breasts to serve three members of our house because we went with the meat-as-condiment strategy, surrounding them with a ton of vegetables. I would imagine three large-ish breasts would work for a family of four in this way, too. However many you cook (you know your family better than I do) make sure you don’t crowd the pan when you sauté them.

3 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3-4 scallions (roughly chopped) or 1/2 onion (chunked) or 1 shallot (halved)
3 tablespoons olive oil

Place chicken, soy sauce, syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and scallions in a zip-top plastic bag and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 24.

When ready to eat, add olive oil to a heavy skillet set over medium heat. Remove chicken breasts from marinade, brushing off excess, and add to pan once the oil looks shiny. (Don’t crowd the pan, cook in batches if necessary.) Let them sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes so they develop a nice brown crust. Using tongs, flip them over and repeat. Depending on thickness, you will probably want them to cook for about 12-15 minutes total, but start checking for doneness on the early end to avoid the dreaded dry chicken breast syndrome. (When the chicken is cooked, it should feel firm to the touch — no mushiness at all and not rock hard.) Remove from pan, let sit another minute, then slice on the bias as shown. Serve on a large platter with asparagus and boiled red potatoes that have been drizzled with a simple vinaigrette. (I also added pre-cooked beets, sprinkled with feta and thyme, because I was cooking down an end-of-the-week fridge.)

2. Parchment Paper to the Rescue

Confession and Apology: When I read back recipes I’ve written for the past ten years, I call for so much foil-lining of sheet pans, when what I should’ve been doing all along is calling for parchment paper. I can’t believe how much it has changed the game for the most basic kitchen jobs. I line baking sheets with it when I roast delicate foods that have a propensity to stick, like tofu cubes and and eggplant. (They slide right off!) When I make my week’s supply of pre-soccer-practice veggie burgers (coming soon!) I freeze the patties between two squares of parchment paper, for easy individual separating and thawing. After I watched Hetty McKinnon’s hypnotic dumpling folding tutorial, I was moved to make my own, then laid out my handiwork on parchment to prevent the dumplings from sticking together. I bake cookies on parchment-paper lined cookie sheets, then just slide the whole sheet — cookies and all — onto a rack to cool in one fell swoop. Am I the last person to realize all this? Maybe don’t answer that.

3. Trend Alert!

I know by now you probably think I have some sort of partnership with Crate & Barrel because it always seems like I’m pushing their glassware. But I swear, my enthusiasm for the brand comes straight from the heart…and the family budget. I’m always amazed at how well-priced their coupes and lowballs are compared with other brands of equal quality. My latest obsession is the soda/beer-can-shaped glass that I drank from a week or two ago at my new favorite local restaurant. I’ve seen them in a few places now and I’m thinking, the next place I should see them is in my own kitchen.

Thanks for reading. See you in a few days.

P.S. Have you watched the basketball season of Last Chance U yet? Didn’t want it to end.

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Jenny

P.P.S. Remember, this post, and all the others you’ve received by email, also live permanently and accessibly in my searchable Archive.