Recipe Roundtable – Brined Chicken

I am so proud of my husband.  When we met, his diet ranged from Pizza Hut Meat Lovers Stuffed Crust all the way to Taco Bell Burritos (no onions).  Since then, I’ve seen him eat a vegan lentil casserole and seared Ahi tuna.  He adamantly refuses to eat iceberg lettuce.

He is a changed man.

Except… as it seems with all things in the Husband Department… we take two steps forward and one step back.  For whatever reason, he started rejecting chicken.  I tried stuffing the chicken with bacon and cheese.  He took another step back.  I tried Chicken Parmesan, only to have the plate pushed away.  He would try a bite, but just could not eat the chicken.

We thought perhaps his finely tuned palate had detected changes in chicken taste brought about by modern processing methods? Maybe that “sodium solution” isn’t such a good idea? I bought a $12.00 chicken that was, from what I understand, fed only choice bugs, slept on a Sealy Posturpedic Chicken Bed and required some sort of personal assistant to keep her feathers from falling into disarray.

Nope.

After trying and failing for literally years to find a chicken dish my husband would eat (I pick my battles so wisely, don’t I?), I have finally succeeded. And despite a mild dislike of Jamie Oliver’s snarky little self, it was his recipe that did it.

I’ve included his recipe, as well as my mistakes modifications.

Tray-Baked Chicken

Marinate the chicken in brine for at least two hours (overnight is best). It will become outrageously soft and juicy

For the brine: (I doubled this because I was nervous it wouldn’t be enough and the ingredients are all cheap)

1 quart water

2 Tbsp kosher salt

1/3 cup honey

3 cloves garlic, crushed (I used minced garlic)

2 sprigs fresh sage, leaves only (I used 2 tsp. dried sage leaves)

1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar (I used 1 part apple juice and 3 parts white vinegar)

Juice and zest of 1 lemon (I used lemon juice)

For the bake:

4 chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (I used boneless skinless because that’s what was on sale)

2 slices smoked bacon, finely chopped (I used this but would totally use pancetta next time)

3 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced (I didn’t use any sweet potatoes because it seemed weird)

4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced (I just used 6 baking potatoes, total)

1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced (Again with the minced garlic)

2 sprigs fresh sage, leaves shredded (Ditto with the dried sage leaves)

Olive oil

Sea salt and fresh black pepper

1²/³ cups chicken broth, preferably organic

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

A few pats of butter

Directions:

1. Mix brine in a large bowl; add chicken. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 to 8 hours.

2. Remove chicken; let come to room temperature. Drain chicken, discarding brine, and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a roasting pan, toss the bacon, veggies, garlic, and sage with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in broth. Cook 30 minutes.

4. Remove veggie pan from oven; pour in cream and sprinkle with pepper and Parmesan. Add chicken, dotting pats of butter on each piece. Cook 35 minutes, or until chicken is golden. (I didn’t catch the roasting pan part, so I ended up with two casserole dishes; either of which would have fed our family with leftovers.)

Serves 8. Per serving: 450 calories, 23g fat, 90mg cholesterol, 610mg sodium, 37g carbs, 24g protein, 5g fiber

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