It's good to be posting for KTK again after being out of commission for a few weeks. My KTK participation hasn't been the only thing that has suffered as I've been taking research trips. I've also been eating horribly while away from home, usually at gross burger joints. (I'm looking at you, Fatburger...I didn't even know you existed...P.S., I miss you...call me...) Being diet-conscious is one of the factors that makes traveling a nightmare for me, and it's nice to be back in control of what I'm putting into my body.
Tonight, I'm making one of my more recent favorites. I love chicken thighs to the point of basically swearing off breast meat. Why would I want to risk overcooking the breast when I can have succulent dark meat that is tender and moist and damn near impossible to overcook? So when I have meat, which isn't too terribly often, I've been getting a lot of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. And as I was looking around recently for leftover thigh ideas, I came across a linguine recipe from The Pioneer Woman, and with some modifications (the first being the removal of the linguine), I'd found myself a new favorite "easy" dish. I mean, it's basically chicken marinara sauce. It's really simple, but oh so delicious. Since I don't have any other diary ideas tonight, here's the recipe. Follow me below the fold...
So here's everything you'll need:
Well, almost everything...there is also a secret ingredient that will be revealed later...
Start by cutting the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-size pieces. And don't even think about trimming the little fat that comes with them off. Everything in moderation, even chicken fat. Heat some olive oil in a pan until it's nice and hot, and then drop the chicken in. What you don't want to do right now is stir them. Let them get brown and then flip them, because the fond on the bottom of the pan is free flavor.
They don't need to be cooked all the way through. When they're browned nicely, transfer them (
and their juices) to a bowl.
Heat some butter along with the fond in the pan and add a teaspoon of dried oregano, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a few grinds of black pepper. I like the flavor of dried oregano a lot more than I like fresh, so it's one herb that will always be on my spice rack. Chop a medium yellow onion and mince 5 or 6 or 10 cloves of garlic and throw it in. Yes, I know, you're supposed to add garlic after the onions have mostly cooked. Wasn't caring tonight, and I lived. Add a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste. And then, to deglaze the pan, chicken stock will work just fine. But why use chicken stock when you can use wine? I'm adding about 1/2 cup of chardonnay and stirring up all of the brown bits. Mmmmmm...
When the liquid has reduced by about half, add 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes. You can get the tomatoes already crushed, of course, but the whole tomatoes are almost always better in quality. I like to get whole tomatoes and hand-crush them when I'm not feeling lazy. If you want to be hoity-toity, you can pay $5/can for San Marzano tomatoes. But I'm using Hunt's. Oh well.
Oh, I almost forgot my secret ingredient. You might have noticed that I haven't used any salt (aside from a pinch to help sweat the onions). That's because a tablespoon of my secret ingredient contains about 75% of your daily recommended sodium intake. I can sense your dread growing, as you slowly figure out what I'm about to add. That's right...
"FISH SAUCE!?!" Zoe exclaimed. "ARE YOU MAD!?! PUT IT DOWN!" Actually, ever since I read in a
Serious Eats article that I should try adding a dose of fish sauce to marinara, I've been adding it to all of my tomato-based sauces. I mean, why not? Adding anchovy fillets to sauce is not unheard of. The fish sauce adds salt, plus that little extra flavor boost that a person struggles to identify but knows is good. Just don't tell anybody you're adding it, because this stuff gets a bad rap from some corners. A glug or two should do the trick. Calm down, Zoe. Then, simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.
At this point, reintroduce the chicken and its juices to the pan. Give it a good stir and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. In the meantime, get your pasta of choice boiling in salted water. I prefer some whole grain spaghetti. By the time the pasta is cooked, the sauce should be ready.
But not quite. Chop as much Italian parsley and fresh basil as your heart desires. My heart desires a lot.
Now it's ready.
Actually, no.
Now it's ready.
Pardon me as I dig in. What do you want to kibitz about tonight?
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Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
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