Chicken Pomodoro--The Weeknight Cooking Series

Chicken Pomodoro: Come to daddy.

I thrive on routine, much like a child or a dog learns that certain times an certain days mean a certain predetermined sequence of events. We're all like this, a little bit--little habits determining our own unique "ways" of life long before we get set in them.  Consequently, I live portions of my life according to a number of rituals that have developed over the years.  No, I'm not talking about OCD or any number of bizarre "it puts the lotion on its skin" rituals.  Just...little things.  Like the order in which I do things in the shower (shampoo; condition; knot hair with conditioner; wash; shave; wash face; rinse hair; pumice; squeeze hair)--if I don't wash my hair on a certain day, sometimes I find myself standing in the shower at a loss for what I'm supposed to do next.

Grocery shopping has its own ritual.  First, I pull out my coupons and my earmarked recipes.  I select the recipes I want to make that week and the coupons for the things we need.  Then I make a list on the front of an envelope, tuck the coupons inside, and write the week's menu of meals on the back.  And, in another of many tricks I learned from my mama, I make my grocery list in a certain order--the order of the supermarket I'm going to.  Produce first, bread/cereals next, baking/canned goods, meat, dairy, then frozen.  This helps me to not forget as much as my scatterbrained self usually would forget.  And also makes it easier to give direction to A, who sweetly volunteers to help me grocery shop, then must have specific assignments handed out throughout the grocery excursion.

Setting the stage

Little did I know that this week's recipe selection was inadvertently all "30-minute" or "weekday cooking" type recipes--things designed to be cooked after work, before the day's energy is drained completely and I collapse on the couch, exhausted.  I am not usually drawn to these sorts of recipes, especially a certain Ms. Ray's, because in order to be cooked quickly they often leave out some steps that help build flavor or otherwise balance/round out the final dish. And, truth be told, I really don't mind spending time at the stove or chopping vegetables.  I find these little rituals--preparing meals, creating food and recipes--to be enriching and rewarding.

That said...I'm also impatient.  And I sometimes am so hungry I just can't be bothered to slowly build a sauce, braise meat, roast veggies, and, most importantly...wait.  This Chicken Pomodoro recipe from Cook's Country (Feb/Mar. 2010) has been torn out and awaiting its chance to shine for a while. And, since I had a half-pint of heavy cream in my fridge (hey, It's a birthday weekend for Brother-in-law, and I need to make a ganache!), it was the right time.

The recipe is really straightforward: you sear chicken breasts until browned, then remove to a plate and saute onions and garlic in the same pot until softened. Stir in some diced tomatoes, cream and spices, then return the chicken to the pot and cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly reduced.  Serve the chicken and sauce over rice, polenta, or pasta, and dinner is DONE.

As you can see, my cutlet-making skills leave a lot to be desired.

Of course (surprise, surprise) I made a few tweaks.  We're trying to cut back on the amount of meat we eat, so instead of 4 boneless, skinless breasts I used two, halved through the equator to make 4 cutlets.  I didn't have enough fresh basil left from last week's Italian-orama, so I used some sage and fennel along with dried basil.  It at first didn't look like enough sauce for 1/2 lb of pasta, so I rinsed the tomato can with maybe 1/4 cup water and added that in with the cream.  My thinner chicken pieces cooked much quicker than the recipe stated, so instead of letting the sauce reduce for 10 minutes, I dumped the almost al dente pasta into the pot (after removing the cooked chicken) and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce, absorbing some extra moisture.  And, since "why not," I topped the finished plates with parmesan cheese.

All in all, I say winner winner.  Subscribers can click this link to see the recipe online; my slightly amended version is after the jump.



Quick Chicken Pomodoro

4 chicken cutlets (or 2 boneless, skinless breasts, halved through the middle longitudinally)
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chicken stock
 parmesan cheese, for serving
pasta, rice or polenta, for serving.

1.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet or large saucepan.  Season chicken with S&P, then sear in pan until browned on all sides (not cooked through).  Remove to a plate and reserve.

2.  Heat 1 tsp olive oil in same skillet; saute onions until softened (5 min) then stir in garlic, red pepper, fennel, basil, and tomato paste; saute until fragrant (1 min).

3.  Stir in tomatoes, cream and stock; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

4.  Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.  Either boil sauce until slightly thickened, or ad almost al dente pasta to pot and cook 5 minutes until pasta is done and sauce is reduces.   Top with parmesan cheese.