chicken breasts poached in butter: on the verge of a nervous breakdown

CHICKEN BREASTS POACHED IN BUTTER: ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Dinnertime can be a nightmare. The pages of this blog are filled with photos of glorious food and their recipes. The point of it is to show you, my busy friend, that while you may not always be able to control your schedule, you can learn how to fit homecooked family dinners into your life. I promise you that sometimes it’s really hard. I also promise you that it is all worth it.

Transitioning from lazy unscheduled summer days to the busy every-second-counts school year is a heart attack. Eventually, everything will settle into a nice routine, but right now, it seems chaotic with too much to do. Dinnertime doesn’t wait. The family wants to be fed….every single night. I am barely making it through this first week. Instead of taking charge and planning, I am on the defense. The only smart thing I did was make two roasted chickens on Sunday. I didn’t give much thought to dinner other than that. As it turns out, I have been driving loops around my city shuttling the children this way and that until late evening every single day. Thank goodness for those chickens because I made them into several meals ….a horrible thing to put your family through apparently.

We’re having chicken…AGAIN? What IS this? Why can’t we order pizza? I am STARVING! My tummy hurts. I can’t eat. My head hurts. MOMMY! I am not hungry. Can I have more computer time….it’s for school, I swear. No, I have not finished my homework. Mommy, I can’t find my retainer. Mommy, you have to sign this. Mommy, I am the ONLY person in my grade who doesn’t have a cell phone! I need to buy supplies at Michaels before it closes! Mrs. PLK, your son vomited at school, please come and pick him up. OMG, Mommy, I saw a rat outside by the bunny’s food. MOMMY! The potty is stopped up! I am NOT waking up this early. EEEW, WHAT are you cooking?

Those were some of the comments from the first week of school. They illustrate the fact that manners and responsibility take years to learn. I hope they also show you that life with children is an adventure: sometimes fun; sometimes not. Next week, things are gonna be different. I can’t control much, but I can do dinner. It is too important to just let it go. A little chaos in the beginning, is to be expected. Life is not The Brady Bunch. I promise you though that once you get into the groove, dinnertime becomes an elixer. It is a respite for your whole family. Eating meals together becomes like a glue that connects everyone. When we eat together, we remember who we are and why we are here. We need that. EVERYONE needs that.

Keep it simple. Here is a meal to get you back on track: poached chicken breast (yes, we are having chicken AGAIN), brown rice and microwave-steamed broccoli. Serve it with THE THREE BOWLS. Chicken Breasts Poached in Butter is exactly what it sounds like. You season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, herbs and lemon juice and then place them in a covered casserole with melted butter where they poach in the oven. When they are done, they are plump with moisture and laying in a ready-made sauce.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 a large lemon, juiced

1 Tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried tarragon

4 Tbsp butter

fresh parsley, chopped

1. PREP: preheat the oven to 400. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and tarragon to taste. Place butter in a flame-proof casserole and heat over MEDIUM until butter is melted. Add lemon juice and stir. Roll the breasts in the butter and then lay them flat in one layer in the casserole. Place a piece of wax paper over them. (This will help keep the moisture in and make your chicken breasts plump.) Cover the casserole with the lid.

2. BAKE: Place the casserole into the oven and bake until chicken breasts are fully cooked, about 25-30 minutes. To serve, place a chicken breast over rice or noodles. Spoon the sauce over the top and then sprinkle with parsley.