Winner, winner ... chicken dinner!
Serve these seasonal chicken dishes
“What’d you get?” a woman asked, squinting in the sun as she approached the Heart Food Truck parked outside her Exton office.
“I got the chicken,” a coworker replied.
“I saw it. It looks really good,” she said and ordered her own pesto chicken sandwich.
“Chicken is such a neutral meat. You can pair pretty much anything with it,” explained chef Michael Falcone, who offers pesto chicken with mushrooms, onions, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon crema. “I think all the flavor combinations really work well together.”
Another taste of spring: chicken with asparagus, lemon and garlic.
“It’s just one of those tried-and-true recipes that I’ve been making forever,” said Chris Welsh, executive chef and owner of The Secret Ingredient Personal Chef Service in Wayne. “I love it, and it always turns out great.”
Her clients across area think so too.
“In the summertime, you can adapt it for the grill by using the sauce as a marinade and serving the asparagus on the side,” she noted. “I just like the fresh, light flavors.”
Those words are synonymous with the season.
“Things are springing up, so you get the better vegetables, the better herbs, the best produce,” agreed Glaister Knight, executive chef at Dino’s Backstage and The Celebrity Room in Glenside.
Try his organic chicken with summer succotash, featuring sweet corn, squash, red pepper, English peas, Bermuda onion, fava beans and fingerling potatoes.
“It’s colorful. It’s vibrant,” he described. “It looks lovely on the plate.”
Add easy and elegant to that list.
“It’s a pretty simple dish,” Knight said. “My daughter can make it. She’s 13, and she’s been cooking since she was 8 years old.”
Back in Exton, customers lined up to enjoy pesto chicken and other the sandwiches – many asking when the truck would return.
“Thank you,” a woman called out. “Hope to see you again!”
Chicken with Asparagus, Lemon and Garlic
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
4 boneless, chicken breasts ½ cup white wine 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 cup chicken broth 1 lemon, zested juiced 2 tablespoons capers 2 cups chopped asparagus
INSTRUCTIONS
Pan-fry chicken on each side until golden and cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 165 degrees. Remove from the pan and deglaze with wine. Add thyme and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add lemon zest and capers. Then add asparagus and cook until fork-tender. Spoon the asparagus-wine mixture over the chicken and serve.
Chef’s note: Enjoy the remaining wine with dinner and save extra lemon juice for your morning water.
Pesto Chicken INGREDIENTS
skinless 2 chicken breasts Salt and pepper Pesto
INSTRUCTIONS
and
Season chicken with salt and pepper and rub with just enough pesto to coat (store-bought is fine). Roast chicken, covered, at 350 degrees until cooked through.
If serving whole breast, remove from oven, coat with more pesto and serve with sides of your choice. If serving in a sandwich, pull chicken with forks, toss with more pesto and put on long roll with mayo and greens.
Organic Chicken with Summer Succotash
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
4 (10-ounce) chicken airline breasts (boneless breast with the drumette attached) Salt and pepper 1 ounce vegetable oil 16 ounces summer succotash (see below)
2 ounces apple cider vinaigrette (see below) 8 ounces arugula salad 2 to 4 ounces julienned apple
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a saucepan, add oil, season chicken and put in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until done. To serve: spoon succotash onto plate, top with chicken, then arugula salad and julienned apple. Pour vinaigrette over the salad and entire meal. Summer succotash: 4 ounces sweet corn, diced
4 ounces squash, green and yellow, diced
4 ounces red diced 4 ounces English peas 4 ounces Bermuda onion, diced 4 ounces fava beans 8 fingerling potatoes Roast the potatoes. Blend all ingredients and sauté with a little butter, salt and pepper, pepper. Apple cider vinaigrette: 1 cup apple reduction ½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups oil extra-virgin olive Salt and pepper to taste Combine all ingredients.