Tag: chicken

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Fried Rice

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Quintessential Fried Rice

Fried rice: the perfect solo or double date weeknight shutdown when there is leftover (white, long-grained) rice in the fridge.

This hits. Pretty much any night. The post is old but the recipe is updated.

what you need

2-3 eggs, whisked

1 tablespoon butter

2 carrots, peeled and diced tiny

1 cup frozen peas (take them out during prep, let them thaw)

1/2 yellow onion, diced tiny

2-4 cups cooked, leftover, long-grain white rice (like a basmati or a jasmine). For best results, use day-old rice. You actually need the rice to be dry for this recipe.

1/2 cup green onions, sliced thinly, with some extra for topping

1 knob of fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 small knob of fresh turmeric, grated

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon toasted or regular sesame oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari + a bit more for cooking 

2 teaspoons chili oil and/or 1-2 tiny diced red Thai chilies 

2 teaspoons of rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame seeds 

1 bunch of green onions, washed and chopped

(optional) prepared/leftover protein such as chicken, steak, or tofu. Personally, I am happy with eggs + veg.

🌶️🔥🥢

how to make it

Here is how we are going to approach this. And hopefully you have a wok, but if you don’t, a regular old large frying pan will work just fine.

First, scramble your eggs in the tablespoon of butter and set aside. Leave them on the softer side and break up the curds into smaller pieces.

Next, dice all your veg and set it out so it’s ready to go. I recommend three piles:

  1. Carrots, onions
  2. Garlic, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, chilies and chili oil 
  3. Green onion, green peas, sesame seeds

The creation of this is going to move quickly so best have everything set out.

Heat up a few tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil in your wok. For me, that is avocado oil (no seed oils in this house). Get it really fucking hot. And turn on the stovetop vent.

1 tablespoon of tamari + the carrots and onions. Two minutes.

Follow with the garlic, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, chilies, and chili oil + 1 tablespoon of tamari. One Minute. (Stir it a lot). 

Move the veg to the sides of the wok, add another tablespoon of cooking oil, and add the leftover rice. Spread it out and stir it up a bit, optimizing for maximum rice contact with the wok. To the top of the rice, add 1 more tablespoon of tamari, the sesame oil, and the rice vinegar. Stir it all up and now let it sit for two minutes. Stir. Two more minutes. Stir. A little smoke is okay. 

// If you are using a protein, throw it in now, stir. One more minute. Just warm it up. 

Last step. Add the green onion, green peas, sesame seeds, and scramble egg. Stir it up. Then take it off the heat.

You’re done. You made it. 20 minutes tops. With no seed oils. Now go eat that shit with chopsticks and sake. 
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Tuscan Chicken Soup

one and a half slices local simple recipes food

Tuscan Chicken Soup

Man, the soups are slaying this fall. This one is in the same category as the Zinger Chicken Soup, which is zestier, and Viking Lentil Stew, which is heartier. This one, above all, is warm. Just warm. Super freaking cozy while maintaining a light level of flavor profile intrigue. It’s a curious little sweater of a soup for fall and winter evenings that takes exactly 1 hour to get on your table.

⛄🔥❄️

what you need

1 quart (36 fl oz) chicken broth + 1 cup water

~3 small white or red potatoes, skinned and diced tiny

~3-4 carrots, skinned and diced tiny

2-3 cups swiss chard, washed and chopped coursely (without the stems removed)

1 tablespoon salted butter

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 yellow onion, diced tiny

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lb fresh white meat chicken

1 can (8 oz) cannellini beans (or other white bean of choice)

zest from 1 full lemon

1 parmesan cheese rind

freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

2 tablespoons olive oil per bowl for serving

how to make it

Method: stovetop

Utensil: Dutch oven or large cooking pot

Melt butter over medium heat in pot. Add diced onion, sauté for 2 minutes, then add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the thyme, oregano, and crushed red pepper, and give it a good stir.

Place the parmesan rind, chicken broth, water, and whole pieces of chicken in the pot with a generous amount of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer with the pot covered for ~30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot to a cutting board and shred it with a fork. Then return it to the pot. Also remove the parmesan rind from the pot and throw it away.

Add the potatoes, carrots, and beans to the pot and simmer, covered, for an additional 2o minutes. At this point, kill the heat and add the lemon zest and swiss chard, stirring a bit, then covering the pot (without heat) for 5 more minutes.  

Note: at this point, you can add a splash of heavy cream of half & half if you want the soup truly creamy, but I find that the starch from the potatoes and the beans has thickened it to my particular liking. 

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of really good olive oil per bowl (you should be able to see plenty of the little oil beads in the soup). Grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top and enjoy immediately.

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Zinger Chicken Soup

one and a half slices chicken soup recipe easy thai spicy local
one and a half slices local simple recipes food

Zinger Chicken Soup

one and a half slices chicken soup recipe easy thai spicy local

The origin of this soup is… Fridge Soup. Fridge Soup is soup I make at least once a week, sometimes at the end of a week, when the fridge is almost empty but the freezer is stocked with chicken broth because I bake so many chickens. Fridge Soup involves chicken stock and whatever happens to be in the fridge (and pantry). It is flexible. It is hearty. It is warming, calming, homey, and very, very low maintenance. At minimum, you need something like dried herbs, onions, carrots, garlic, a rice or a noodle, maybe some chicken or perhaps just some really nice beans. This particular Fridge Soup, though, came out really, really well. So well that the entire household agreed it deserved its own post. So here is it. I dub thee Zinger Chicken Soup, mostly because it blends thai flavors with Italian inspo super well in this spicy, zesty, fresh yet hearty soup like nothing I’ve ever quite tasted. If you want that specific experience, recreate the recipe precisely. If you just want to go the way of Fridge Soup, vibe on, my friend… vibe on.

what you need

1 lb chicken (a breast is fine)

1-2 cups cooked brown rice or wild rice, or 1-2 cups cooked pasta noodles of choice 

1 cup beans (like a great northern bean, a pinto bean, or a kidney bean – a can is fine, but if fresh, soak overnight)

1 cup finely chopped vegetables in the allium family (e.g., garlic, onions shallots, green onions, leeks)

1 large knob of fresh ginger, minced

the zest from 1 lemon

the juice from that same lemon

2 thai chilies or serrano peppers. minced

6-8 oz dry white wine

1-2 cups finely diced carrots, celery, and/or baby turnips 

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup parmesan cheese

8-10 cups chicken and/or vegetable broth (a mix of both is fine)

3 cups washed and trimmed kale, spinach, or swiss chard

3-4 tablespoons herbs of choice (e.g., herbes de provence, oregano, thyme, parsley, salt)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

how to make it

Method: stovetop

Utensil: Dutch oven or large cooking pot

Chunk your chicken and season it as you see fit (salt, olive oil, mustard, paprika, lemon juice, ???, get jiggy w it)

Place the olive oil in the dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken really well until cooked almost through. Remove from the pot and shred or cut into smaller pieces for the soup. Set aside.

Back to the pot. Go in with the white wine and fully deglaze the pan. Add the butter, alliums, peppers, ginger, red pepper, lemon zest, herbs, and salt, and give it a good solid sauté for a minute or two. Then add the carrots/celery/turnips, along with some more salt and black pepper, and soften for a minute or two more. 

Once everything is softened, add the broth and the beans. If the beans were raw, at this point you’ll need to cover the pot and boil steadily for 40-50 minutes or until the beans are soft. If the beans were from a can, you can keep the boil to around 15 minutes. 

Add the chicken, rice/noodles, and kale/chard, and boil steadily for another 10-15 minutes until everything is fragrant and combined. After the soup is mostly composed, kill the heat. Into the steaming soup, add the heavy cream (slowly so it does not curdle), the parmesan cheese, and the lemon juice. Stir to combine. 

Ladle into 2-3 bowls, top with fresh chives or parsley, a glug or two of olive oil, and more parmesan cheese. Serve on its own or with very crusty, hearty bread.  

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Moroccan Tagine

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Moroccan Tagine

I have been SO excited to release this post!!! Why? Because this is your new weeknight dinner. It will impress your family, fill your stomach, warm your heart, and make your house smell like North African spices. I started making tagine [pronounced tah-jeen with a soft ‘j’] years ago when I first moved to DC and came across a tagine (distinction below) in World Market. I was instantly and aesthetically intrigued, and purchased the thing on the spot not having a clue what I would do with it. Well… figured that one out. A tagine is the OG slow cooker.  And whatever you put inside – lamb, chicken, chickpeas, rabbit, potatoes – you will taste the spicy exoticism. If you don’t have a tagine, no worries. You can make it in a Dutch oven, stovetop or, yes, in a slow cooker. And before you think this is just chicken slow roasted in tomato sauce… keep reading…

For reference, the clay pot pictured above (the vessel) is a tagine. What is pictured below it is the deliciousness you are about to create in said vessel, which also happens to be called tagine. Both the pot AND the dish are called “tagine.” A tagine (the vessel) is a clay or ceramic pot. A tagine (the food) is a stew. Both of these items are native to North Africa (think Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), but this cooking style is traditionally Berber and has its counterparts in both Cypriot and Ottoman cuisine.  In Cypriot cuisine, it is called the tavas and in Ottoman (present-day Turkish) cuisine, it is called testi.

In the traditional Berber implementation, a fire is made in a hole in the ground, the clay pot nestled inside, buried, and left for many hours. Upon return, the meat and vegetables inside have become a hearty stew and the meat is super tender (see? slow cooker…). In traditional Ottoman cuisine, the clay pot is made and preliminarily fired before the meat and vegetables are added. Then the clay pot is sealed (with more clay) and placed in the fire for several hours like a kiln. To extract the food, the pot is broken (often tableside for showmanship), and its contents poured onto a bed of rice. The streets of Turkey brought me this Ottoman delight in 2014, well after I tasted Moroccan and Algerian flavors in 2011. One of the best meals I have ever had in my life was rabbit plum couscous (made in a tagine) in central Morocco (the blue city, to be precise). While the cooking methods are similar, the tastes can vary drastically due to the spices! An exemplar Moroccan spice blend is pictured below. Cloves, fennel, anise, fenugreek, caraway, cardamom, turmeric, and saffron could just as easily find their way into the mix. As we move further east from the Berber origins, Lebanese (deep red) or Turkish (purple) Sumac may make an appearance. 

This has always been a personal fascination of mine… how culinary traditions jump borders. For example, German schnitzel is Argentinian Milanesa is American Country Fried Steak (well, almost). Similarly, almost every Eastern European country, to include Greece and Turkey, has its own version of borek (baked, fried, cheese-filled, spinach-filled, meat-filled… recipe coming eventually). Borek is not too dissimilar from the Latin empanada (which varies drastically from country to country –  baked, fried, with potatoes/peas/carrots, with egg/olives/raisins, with cheese, without cheese). 

Given the diversity of this dish and its multicultural origins, it is like almost everything I make – flexible. You can make it your own. You can also eat it on Monday with chicken, on Wednesday with lamb, and go vegan on Saturday – versatile. I’ve provided a base ingredient list and a base recipe below, with instructions for how to make it stovetop or in the oven. If you love it as much as I do, a simple tagine isn’t hard to come by. No, it isn’t technically required… but neither are sprinkles. For testing purposes, however, your Dutch oven or a large stovetop pan will suffice. Truth be told, I typically make it stovetop unless it’s for presentation. The quickest, weeknight version is made in the oven. Don’t be alarmed by the length of the ingredients list – it is mostly spices that you already have in your pantry.

You can serve this over rice or over couscous, or even just with the stewed potatoes all mashed up if you wanted to. 

what you need

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (2 cups for the stovetop version; 1 cup for the oven version)

1 cup dry couscous or rice

4 chicken pieces (drumsticks or thighs work best, but breasts cut into chunks work as well). You can also use rabbit meat, chunks of lamb loin, or a can of chickpeas for a vegan option.

fresh cilantro, coriander, or parsley

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground turmeric 

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you prefer your tagine super spicy)

2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil

1-2 tablespoons honey

1/2 onion, thickly diced

1 whole, small lemon, washed and cut into wedges with seeds removed

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 can crushed or diced tomatoes

1/4 cup golden raisins or diced dried apricots

1/4 cup sliced almonds, cashews, or pine nuts, roasted

(optional) 1/4 cup green peas

(optional) 1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced in half

(optional) 2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

(optional) 1 16oz can of chickpeas

My favorite: I prefer a chicken drumstick tagine made stovetop with golden raisins and lemon wedges, with or without the chickpeas, topped with toasted almonds. The golden raisins, lemon, and almonds are what make the dish. 

how to make it (stovetop method - recommended for best flavor)

Mix the dry spices together and set aside (cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and cayenne pepper).

Prepare the protein. Heat olive oil or ghee over high heat in Dutch oven or large pan on the stove. Brown the chicken on all sides, about three minutes on each side, and sprinkle with salt. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add onions to the pan and sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Add sliced garlic and grated fresh ginger and cook another 30 seconds, taking care not to burn the garlic. 

Make the tagine. Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes, chicken broth, honey, drained chickpeas (if using), green olives (if using), lemon wedges, and golden raisins to the pan. Stir in the spices and bring to an extremely low simmer. Nestle the chicken back into the stew, cover, and cook on the lowest possible setting for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until chicken becomes extremely tender. Check the stew once every 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally to ensure there is enough liquid and nothing is burning. If the liquid dissipates, you can add about 1/2 cup of water. About 45 minutes out, throw in the carrots so they stay a bit firmer. You can do this with half of the lemon slices as well if you choose. 

Notes on cooking time: 1 hour is plenty sufficient for chicken breast or rabbit, but this dish is more delicious with bone-in chicken drumsticks or thighs.  These will do better with a 2-3 hour cooking time to ensure it is extremely tender. Lamb will benefit from the 2-3 hour cooking time as well. I will be posting a second rabbit couscous recipe down the road with a different set of ingredients.

Serve. While the tagine is cooking, make the rice or couscous according to instructions on the package, and roast the nuts in the oven as well. When the stew is ready, spoon rice or couscous into a bowl and spoon the tagine over top. Garnish with a lemon wedge, fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, and toasted nuts. 

how to make it (Dutch oven or tagine method - recommended for speed)

Preheat oven to 350 or 200 (see notes below). Mix the dry spices together and set aside (cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and cayenne pepper). 

Make the tagine. Place chunked meat in tagine or Dutch oven and nestle vegetables (carrots, chickpeas (if using), onions, and lemon around the meat). Top with sliced garlic, grated ginger, golden raisins, and green olives (if using). Sprinkle with spice mixture. Pour 1 cup of chicken broth and can of diced tomatoes over the mixture, secure the lid, and place in the oven.

Notes on cooking time: If you are making a quick weeknight meal and are using diced chicken or rabbit breast, you can get away with cooking this on 350 for 1 hour. If you have the time, aim for 2-3 hours on 200, checking once at the 1 1/2 hour mark to ensure there is still enough liquid. 

Serve. While the tagine is cooking, make the rice or couscous according to instructions on the package, and roast the nuts in the oven as well (or quickly under the broiler when the tagine comes out). When the stew is ready, spoon rice or couscous into a bowl and spoon the tagine over top. Garnish with a lemon wedge, fresh cilantro or parsley, and toasted nuts (almonds work especially well).

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Chicken Francaise

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Chicken Francaise

one and a half slices chicken francaise easy weeknight recipe

This recipe has just a few ingredients but a lot going on. And it wants for capers. But nevermind. It’s fabulously simple and deceptively French (deceptively so, because it is not actually French). It is kind of German and kind of Italian, reminiscent of the Italian Chicken Piccata (without the capers). It’s a beautifully simple technique to master that makes for a glorious weeknight affair – over brown rice (for health), over pasta (for joy), or with a well-earned, crispy, buttery potato of choice. Or… wait, wait… haricot vert. 

✨ 

what you need

this is a perfectly portioned weeknight dinner for two

2 fresh chicken breasts

1 lemon, washed 

1 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup dry white wine

a handful of fresh chives, chopped finely 

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon paprika

2 eggs

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated 

5 tablespoons butter, cubed and kept cold

3 tablespoons olive oil

how to make it

Method: stovetop

Utensil: one very large pan

PREPARE slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that you are left with four thinner chicken breasts, as if you were making schnitzel 

in a small bowl, mix flour, oregano, paprika, and a generous amount of salt together

in another bowl, whisk the two eggs along with the parmesan cheese and a bit of salt

slice four rounds out of the center of the lemon and retain the two ends for juice

PAN FRY heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a very large pan over medium heat (leave the rest of the butter in the fridge). once heated, roll each piece of chicken one by one in the flour mixture, coating completely, and then dip in the egg mixture. arrange the four chicken breasts in the pan and allow to pan fry, flipping once, until almost cooked through (~150-160 degrees). remove the chicken from the pan to a plate and pan fry the four lemon slices for ~45 seconds on each side. remove those to a plate. by this point, your pan is probably smoking and quite hot.

SAUCE deglaze the pan with the white wine and scrape the chicken bits off the bottom of the pan (yes, there will be a lot of smoke. it’s okay, calm down). then add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. take the butter cubes from the fridge and roll them generously in the flour mixture before adding to the pan. whisk the butter in to create a very silky sauce. at this point, if you have a lot of chicken bits or flour chunks in your sauce, you have the option to strain it quickly and return it to the pan. 

throw in your handful of chives (reserving a few for serving) and return the chicken breasts to the pan, spooning the sauce over them. place one lemon slice on each breast. squeeze the remainder of the lemon juice from the lemon ends into the sauce. allow to simmer for a few minutes until the chicken climbs over 165 degrees. if your chicken seems undercooked, you can put a lid on the pan and simmer on low for ~10 minutes to bring it up to temperature.

SERVE so far, my preference is to serve this over brown rice. it provides more structure than orzo. but if your jam is chicken piccata, I could easily see this over some capellini. it also pairs exceptionally well with sturdy green vegetation such as asparagus or broccoli, and/or potato mash or some sort of internet-trending crispy buttered potatoes. serve two chicken breasts over your base, spoon a little sauce on top, and throw on a few fresh chives and some additional parmesan cheese. enjoy immediately. 
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Chicken Korma

one and a half slices healthy local recipe chicken korma curry indian food
one and a half slices local simple recipes food

Chicken Korma (updated!)

(this recipe has recently been updated | updates in bold) If you’ve been following this blog for a minute, it’s no secret that I love curries of all kinds (tagine, dahl, Thai noodle… to name a few). This one is more traditional. A Korma is a traditionally Moghul dish, which has origins in Northern India on into AFPAK. It has a base of coconut, roasted nuts, and raisins or honey, blended into a thick paste which serves as the base for a species of spiced gravy. Served over rice, with naan, or with a side of lemon arugula, it is hearty and filling and brimming with spice. 

what you need

1 large chicken breast cut into chunks, marinated as you desire (e.g., lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, cayenne, thyme)

(optional) 1 can of drained chickpeas, or 1 cup of cut cauliflower, or 1-2 cups of other vegetables 

1 tablespoon Ghee or sunflower oil

1/2 unsweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup roasted nuts of choice (cashews or almonds work very well) (pro tip: toast the nuts first!)

1/4 cup golden raisins

Juice from one lemon

2 onions, sliced thinly or diced

1 small, hot chili pepper, minced with all its seeds

1 large knob of fresh ginger, minced or grated

1 knob fresh turmeric, minced or grated

2 large garlic cloves, minced or grated

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup water

1 16oz can coconut milk

//spices

2 tablespoons turmeric powder

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons fennel

1 teaspoon mace

(optional) 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 tablespoon coriander powder

2 teaspoons cumin  

//

Fresh cilantro (for topping)

Na’an, basmati rice, or simple arugula salad for serving

how to make it

First, you’re going to make the paste, which is going to serve as the base for the korma. Place the coconut, roasted nuts, poppy seeds, and golden raisins in a small grinder along with all the spices (except the fresh turmeric, ginger, and cilantro leaves). Add 3 tablespoons of water and grind until meal-y and well-combined (adding water as necessary). 

Korma Base
Korma Paste

Next, you will make the curry. In a large pan, heat the ghee over medium heat. Sauté the onions until fragrant (~4 minutes). Then add in the chopped chili pepper, fresh ginger, fresh turmeric, and fresh garlic. Cook for one minute more. Add the paste and continue to cook until the oils begin to separate over the top of the paste (~3-5 minutes). Add the tomato paste and stir. 

Onion, Ginger, Garlic
+ Chili
+ Korma Paste
+ Tomato

Add the cup of water and the chicken chunks, stirring to combine. At this point, add in salt and a hefty amount of black pepper. Bring mixture to a low/medium simmer for ~15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Stir in the lemon juice and test korma for salt, adding more if required. Add the coconut milk, stir well, and bring to a rolling boil (I usually use slightly less than 1 full can of coconut milk). Hold the boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Top with fresh cilantro leaves. 

//interlude. Did you know that CILANTRO and CORIANDER are the same plant??? In the U.S., “coriander” is the name for the dried, ground seeds, which you see in the ingredients list above. “Cilantro” is the name for the fresh, green leaves. In other parts of the world, both parts are referred to as “coriander.”//

+ Water, Chicken
+ Coconut Milk

Serve the korma on its own with a side of toasted na’an (see note below) or spooned over basmati rice. I also like it with a side of arugula tossed in salt and lemon juice, which adds a super fresh component to this otherwise dense, sweet dish. 

Stonefire Roasted Garlic na’an is great with this (or just the plain or whole wheat versions). Cut into quarters, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Broil in the oven on high until brown and crisp, being careful not to let it burn in the broiler. Simple as that. 

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Roasted Orange Chicken

oneandahalfslices recipe recipes food blog healthy chicken orange
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Orange Roasted Chicken

aka Citrus Bird

Spring is here! Friends are visiting! Students are graduating! It’s a warm, exciting time which calls for something warm and exciting to put on the table. If you can be bothered to plate it, this is a glorious dish to set in the middle of a full table. It really elevates the concept of a baked chicken. From onions to shallots; from celery to fennel! #levelup  

what you need

for the rub

1 tablespoon ground fennel pods

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon salt

5-6 tablespoons fresh orange zest (~ 2 oranges worth)

1/4 cup sugar 

2 tablespoons ground tarragon

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

for the dish

1, 4-4.5 pound chicken, spatchcocked 

2 oranges, sliced evenly to 1/2 inch rounds

2 fennel bulbs, tops cut off, sliced evenly to 1/2 inch slices

*save the green fennel tops

2 shallots, skinned, sliced evenly to 1/4 inch slices

3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

salt, black pepper, and dried thyme for seasoning 

how to make it

preheat your oven to 425 and settle on some sort of high-sided casserole dish

in a small bowl, use your fingers to mix the orange zest with the sugar until it turns bright yellow. add ground fennel, coriander, tarragon, and salt, and mix until combined. then add the olive oil, honey, and Dijon mustard, mixing until a cohesive paste forms.

wash, dry, and spatchcock your chicken. (this involves cutting out the neck and spine with thick kitchen shears, then smashing the bird breast-side up until it lays flat)

massage the rub into the entire chicken, allocating some to the inside of the bird but reserving most for the skin. let it rest for a bit (it’s been through a lot)

now prepare your casserole dish. layer the orange slices on the bottom of the dish (picture below). then add the sliced fennel bulbs and shallots to the top. sprinkle lightly with salt, black pepper, and dried thyme, and then pour the orange juice over top. situate the spatchcocked bird atop the layer of oranges and veg, and cover with foil.

place in preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 15-20, checking for an internal temperature of 165 at the deepest part of the breast. note: this bird browns and crisps quickly. you are welcome to baste it after the initial 40 minutes with the juices but be mindful of how brown it will get once uncovered. i like crispy skin and darker birds, but if this is not your preference, you may wish to adjust covered vs uncovered time in the oven. 

to plate, using a butcher knife, cut off the thigh/leg pieces and the wing pieces, and situate on a serving platter. slice the breasts into clean slices of meat and add to the platter. then arrange the fennel slices and the orange slices, twisting the orange slices slightly to create florets, around the meat. garnish with the green tops of the fennel fronds or with fresh dill. top with some of the pan juices. serve on a bed of white, brown, or wild rice, or with a green side salad. 
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Red Thai Curry

one and a half slices red thai curry soup simple recipe spicy
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Immunity Spiced Red Thai Curry

one and a half slices red thai curry soup simple recipe spicy

Guys, if there is a punch to be packed, this soup is packing it. This has everything you need to fight wintertime illness and boost your immune system, plus so much spice it’ll make you sweat, cry, and generally celebrate being alive. This is the stuff of morning face ice plunges, heavy weight workouts, and apple cider vinegar shots. But way more delicious. The best part is that it comes together in one pot on any weeknight. Yep, this weeknight meal is here to stay, and it is absolutely perfect to fight that February chill. This is your new chicken noodle soup.

🌶️🌶️🌶️

what you need

1 red bell pepper, cut into small slices

1 small yellow onion, cut into small slices 

1 pound fresh chicken breast, cut into medium-sized chunks

2 tablespoons fresh turmeric root, grated

2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, grated

4 cloves garlic, grated or thinly sliced

3 tablespoons red curry paste (choose a spicy one!)

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon black pepper

the juice from half a fresh lime

5 cups chicken broth (or 4 cups chicken + 1 cup water)

Almost 1 whole can coconut milk (I like the SIMPLE kind without guar gum or other stabilizers)

1 small package (2 servings) rice vermicelli noodles

1 handful fresh Thai basil and/or cilantro

salt to taste

how to make it

Method: stovetop

Utensil: Dutch oven or large cooking pot

Season chicken with salt and pepper, and brown the chicken chunks in the cooking pot over medium heat until golden. Remove from pot and set the chicken aside. 

Throw in some olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee to the bottom of the pan, and add the onion and bell pepper, stirring until they begin to soften, ~2 minutes. Throw in the ginger, turmeric, black pepper, and  curry paste, stirring continually for an additional 1 minute. Before anything burns, deglaze the pot with the chicken stock and add the chicken back in.

Bring mixture to a rolling boil. Add in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice, and continue to boil softly (may want to reduce the heat a bit, but keep it bubbling). 

After 10 minutes at a soft boil, add the rice vermicelli, pulling it apart in the pot using a fork or chopsticks. Depending on the brand you select, it should take around 5 minutes to soften and cook through. Check for taste and add salt if needed. When it is ready, use tongs to divide the vermicelli between two bowls. Ladle the soup on top of the noodles. 

Top copiously with the Thai basil and/or cilantro, and a squeeze more lime if you prefer.  
you know i love asian food
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Omni

Tortilla Soup

one and a half slices mexican tortilla soup sopa recipe easy weeknight
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Makeshift "Sopa de Tortilla"

one and a half slices mexican tortilla soup sopa recipe easy weeknight

I say “makeshift” because you can’t yell at me for being inauthentic if I never claimed it were authentic. In truth, I’ve got no idea what traditional Sopa de Tortilla is like, but I do know that I watched a rad vid of someone making a clearly Mexican-inspired soup and got inspired myself. So here we have a weeknight Mexican soup that will warm up any chill with its spice and quench that mole craving. The flavors here are perf and if you go the extra mile to top it with crunch and fresh, you won’t regret it. Fair warning: this soup is SPICY! Happy Winter!

🌮🌮🌮

what you need

2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs

6 cups chicken broth

Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil

2 poblano peppers

2 jalapeno peppers

1 white onion

4 cloves garlic

4 roma tomatoes

2 cups fresh or frozen yellow corn

1 can black beans

1 tablespoon: cumin, paprika, chili powder, crushed red peppers, dried oregano, & dried cilantro 

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder

For serving: 2 portions: 1 avocado, fresh cilantro, 1/2 diced red onion, 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 plain corn tortillas, 1 cup shredded white cheese (I use Oaxaca cheese)  

*Note: if you have dried Mexican chipotles or anchos, by all means, go ahead. You can rehydrate the dried peppers in the soup and blend them up with the tomatoes for a deeper, mole-style taste. 

how to make it

Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides (if your chicken breasts are super thick, you may want to cut each breast in 3-4 thinner pieces). 

In a large soup pot, add 1-2 tablespoons or olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. Scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, add a few more glugs of olive oil, and send in the diced white onion, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers (with seeds), and garlic. A thick dice is just fine. 

Once the veggies are slightly soft, send in the spices. Stir thoroughly. After ~2 minutes over medium heat, add about 1/2 cup of water to completely deglaze followed by all the chicken broth. Add back in the large pieces of chicken along with the cacao powder, stir thoroughly, and simmer gently for 1 hour or until chicken is tender. 

Remove chicken from pot to a plate and shred it thoroughly using a fork and knife. Halve the roma tomatoes and add to a blender along with ~3 cups of soup liquid. Blend until well combined and return the puree to the soup pot on the stove. 

Add the shredded chicken, corn, and drained black beans into the soup, stir, and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes on low. Taste for flavor adjustments. While the soup simmers, cut the plain tortillas into strips, fry them up in some oil, and toss them with salt to create little crispies. 

Once the soup is ready, place a small pile of tortilla crispies in the bottom of a soup bowl topped with some shredded white cheese. Ladle soup into bowl. 

Top with more crispies, more cheese, half an avocado diced, a dollop of yogurt, and fresh cilantro.

Enjoy the heat! 🔥

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Omni

Chicken Tenders with Hot Honey

one and a half slices hot honey nashville chicken tenders recipe local chicken
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

one and a half slices hot honey nashville chicken tenders recipe local chicken

Announcement: I love fried chicken. Full stop. I also love cheeseburgers. 

🍗🍯🐔

Fried chicken and cheeseburgers, despite my devotion to them as cultural staples, are not things I eat frequently. Why? The quality and provenance of the meat. It is difficult to find local fried chicken in a restaurant or a cheeseburger made from ground beef you can trust (yes, Copperwood Tavern, I know your burger patties are sourced from local wagyu beef Ovoka Farms and I thank you for that).

Now you guys already know my opinion on cheeseburgers. But the fried chicken I have yet to address. I will do so now. And before you ask, yes, I bake my fried chicken. It’s a bit healthier but, more importantly, makes less of a mess in my kitchen. The only time I ever actually fry chicken is for my epic Katsu Ramen. Believe me when I tell you, though, that this will scratch the fried chicken itch. The almighty secret: breakfast cereal. And, of course, local honey. 

Also, we are going to do a quick Protein Trio thing here with three distinct, unique proteins.

Consider this Protein #1: Baked Fried Chicken.

Proteins #2 and #3 coming soon!

what you need

1 pound fresh chicken breast, cut into strips like tenders (note: this is for 1-2 people. Double everything and use 2 pounds of chicken for a family of four). 

3 cups of corn flakes

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup fresh honey

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

(optional) fresh parsley for garnish

**credit for sourcing local chicken tenders: Whiffletree Farm and their brilliant neighborhood delivery throughout Northern Virginia.

***leftovers make for a great friend chicken salad with honey mustard vinaigrette! 

how to make it

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat eggs and add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.

Crush cornflakes in a ziplock bag until very fine, like the consistency of Panko. Add the remaining salt, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and remaining smoked paprika, and mix thoroughly. 

Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Taking the chicken tenders one at a time, dip them well in the egg mixture, then transfer them to the cornflake mixture and coat them completely. If you like a thicker crust, you can run them through a second time, but I just do mine once. 

Place on parchment and bake until crispy and golden brown, ~15 minutes, taking care not to overcook your chicken. (the internal temp of chicken should reach 165 in your thickest chicken tender). 

While the chicken bakes, place the honey and cayenne pepper over low heat on the stove. You don’t want to boil the honey – just warm it enough so it becomes more pourable. When the chicken comes out of the oven, stack it on a serving plate, drizzle with hot honey, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with large amounts of dill pickles. 

Never Enough Chicken