Talk about some comfort food!

Okay, so comfort food is something we all crave when the weather turns.  I don't know if it's from childhood memories or it's more primal than that, but something in our bellies wants stick-to-your-ribs goodness this time of year.  Unfortunately, that goodness comes at the price of pants buttons popping and food-induced comas.  So I wondered to myself, does comfort food have to give us that feeling that we never want to even look at food again?

That being said, I decided to tackle the classic Southern American dish, chicken and dumplings, and make it a little less heavy.  By creating a broth-based soup, instead of a thick gravy, and by adding tons of veggies and fresh herbs, I think I may have done just that!

Ingredients:
Stew:
2 large chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
kosher salt and pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1-1.5 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 sprig of fresh thyme (substitute 1/2 tsp. dried thyme if you need to)
2 cups of carrots, chopped into roughly 1/2-inch pieces (believe it or not I only had baby carrots on hand so I simply cut them in half!)
1 cup of celery, stalks chopped 1/4-inch thick
1/4 cup flour
6 cups chicken stock (I don't need to tell you that homemade is better. I happened to have some in my freezer, but 90% of the time I don't, so low sodium chicken stock is A-Okay)
1 cup water
3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill, divided in half (use 1.5 tbsp. if substituting dried dill)
4 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, divided in half (dried parsley is like rabbit food. do NOT substitute.)

Herbed dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup buttermilk (You may use a whole cup of heavy cream if you wish, and omit the buttermilk)
2 tbsp. butter

*I forgot to count as I was making them, but I think the dumpling batter makes about 20 dumplings, if not more.  This dish will definitely serve up to 6 people.

Step 1:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Season both sides of the chicken breasts with kosher salt and pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet (I almost always use parchment paper because it makes clean-up a breeze.)  Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken's internal temperature registers 160 degrees.  Allow to cool, then using 2 forks, break the chicken up into large shreds. You should get 3-4 cups worth.  Cover and set aside.

A small note, I prepped almost everything in advance and just left it in the fridge for the afternoon.  Come dinner time I just had to assemble the soup and make the dumplings, which made things so easy!

Step 2:
Pour the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed large pot and turn on to medium-low heat.  Add onion, 1/2 tsp, of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. of black pepper.  Cook until the onions are softened and slightly translucent, 5-7 minutes.  (Keep the heat on medium-low, we're not looking to brown!)

Step 3:
Add the minced garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Then add the carrots and celery. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the carrots have softened slightly and the celery is turning translucent, stirring halfway through.

Step 4:
While the carrots and celery are cooking, it's a good time to form the dumpling dough, which doesn't take long at all.  Combine the flour, salt and pepper, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine.  In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, buttermilk, butter, and half of the total dill and parsley.  When it just comes to a simmer, pour it onto the flour mixture and stir just enough so that the dough comes together.  I had to add a couple extra tablespoons of buttermilk, which is sometimes necessary.  Just try your best not to overwork the dough.

Step 5:
When the 10 minutes are up on the veggies, add the 1/4 cup of flour and bring to medium heat, stirring the flour in until it looks gummy and weird, about a minute.

Step 6:
Pour the chicken stock and water into the pot and bring to a boil.  Once the stew reaches a boil, lower it to a simmer (medium-low), fish out the thyme sprigs and start forming the dumplings and dropping them into the pot.  Just grab a couple tbsp. at a time, and roll them into loose dumplings, about 1.5 to 2-inches big.

Once they are all in there, place the lid on the pot and simmer gently for 25 minutes.  I had a boil over.  So when I say gently, I mean it.  In fact, if your stew is even close to the top of the pot, leave the lid slightly off and check on it often!
 
After 25 minutes, turn the heat off and take the pot off the burner.  Gently stir the chicken and the remaining fresh herbs into the stew and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.  Then serve!

This stew has a fantastic consistency!  It's thicker than a chicken noodle, but not as heavy as a dumpling gravy.  And the fresh herbs are such a welcome addition to the whole dish!  I particularly love the buttery, dill-y dumplings, which are just the right size that you can eat 3 or 4...or 5, or 6...and not hate yourself for the next 2 hours.  The next time you are hankering for some home-cooked comfort, consider tucking in to a steaming bowl of this. :)

~Lauren

This is one of those recipes that, no matter how many times I make it, I never get sick of. Inevitably, pictures of the perfectly roasted bird end up on my Facebook pages and Instagram. I am not ashamed.
Originally, I was inspired by Nom Nom Paleo's "Easiest Roast Chicken Ever*", which (if you have access to a Trader Joe's) means an amazing roast chicken dinner on the table in about an hour. Since I didn't and still don't have access to Trader Joe's (and their amazing pre-brined chickens), I had to make do on my own for the chicken-prep part. 
(*If you do have access to a Trader Joe's, hop on over to the site linked above. You are in for a quality recipe and some beautiful pictures.)

One glance at the available recipes online (ahem, Paula Deen), and it was enough for me to steer clear of any pre-made recipe (although I'm sure there are other great ones out there). I wanted the brine to be strong enough to work in 30 minutes, but not enough that the salt or pickling spices would overpower the chicken. Keep reading to find out how I solved that problem!

Ingredients
1 4-5lb chicken
1/3 (rounded) cup sea salt, or more, if you're a salt lover
1-2tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp pickling spices
2-3 bay leaves
8 cups water
4-5 cups of tough/root vegetables of your choice (leeks, carrots, onions, potatoes), roughly chopped
2-4tbsp butter, softened

First, prepare your brine. Throw all of the brine ingredients (sea salt through water, above) into a large stock pot (it will need to hold the water and your chicken), and stir well to combine. The salt will begin to dissolve as you prep the chicken.

Some folks like to simmer the brine first, to ensure that all of the salt has dissolved, but I've done it both ways and never had an issue with either one.

Next, you're going to need to know how to butterfly the bird. This ensures that it will cook quickly and evenly (that, plus the brine, means fully cooked white and dark meat that's still super tender). 
To begin, pat your bird dry (health/microbiology note: Don't rinse first! You're significantly increasing the spread of surface bacteria around your kitchen, even if you don't see the water splash. Here's a great NPR article on this, thanks to my friend Chad.)

Step 1. Lay your (now dry) bird on a cutting board (or other easy-to-clean surface, since chickens carry Salmonella spp.), breast side down. Locate the tail-- the backbone runs along the top of the chicken, starting at this point. We'll be cutting out the backbone, so the chicken will lay flat.

Step 2: Take a strong, sharp pair of kitchen shears and use them to cut from the tail end (I find this the easiest way, but whichever works for you) along the backbone, all the way through. Like so:
Also: BE CAREFUL! Chicken bones are sharp and obviously this guy contains bacteria, so be sure not to cut yourself. If you do, wash your hands really well with some antibacterial soap. Probably twice.

Then, repeat on the other side. Feel free to turn the chicken around to cut from the other direction, if that's easier for you (we almost always do). 

Once the backbone has been removed (great to save for stocks or soups, if you're into that kind of thing), the chicken should open partway, almost like a book.

Step 3: Now, we want to cut the cartilage near the neck area, so the chicken will open up all of the way and lay flat. Part of what is keeping the shape of the bird is a structure called the keel bone (which, unsurprisingly, looks like the keel of a boat). Locate the keel bone, and take a sharp knife...

...which you will use to cut the top ~1 inch of cartilage, starting at the neck region. This will separate the breast meat and allow the chicken to lay flat.

Step 4. Use your hands to open the chicken like a book. You may have to use a little force, as we're going to separate the cartilage in this step. 

Optional step: Using a sharp paring knife, carefully remove the keel bone. Some folks like to do this, and I definitely do (unless I'm feeling lazy)! This won't affect the cooking time or flavor of the chicken, but this is what you'd normally cut the breast meat off of. Without the keel bone, there are no bones keeping you from white meat bliss after this baby is done cooking!

Step 5. Put your chicken in the brine at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

Step 6. While your bird is brining, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Then, prep and roughly chop your favorite root vegetables, and throw them into a baking pan (that will also fit your chicken).

If you're feeling especially decadent, add some pats of butter to the top of the veggies (or toss with your favorite cooking oil). Kerrygold is arguably the best butter, ever.

Step 7. Once the chicken has finished brining, remove it from the brine and rinse. (I know, I know... I just told you not to rinse. However, it's pretty terrible biting down on a fresh peppercorn or other pickling spice while you're trying to eat roasted chicken, so we need to do this to remove the brine 'debris'. Just be sure to clean your sink and surrounding area really well afterwards.)
Pat the bird dry, and rub down with a generous coat of softened butter or your favorite cooking oil (both sides).

Step 8. Place the chicken breast-side down on the tray of vegetables, and make sure it fits within the tray. 

Step 9. I like to roast butterflied chicken as follows:
45 minutes, breast side down
15 minutes, breast side up (It's helpful to use tongs for the flipping step.)
broil, 2-5 minutes, breast side up
...What you end up with is tender, juicy chicken, with a crunchy, golden skin on top...
Like this!

Step 10. Tent the chicken in tinfoil for 15-20 minutes.

Step 11. Then serve up alongside the vegetables you just roasted under the chicken! Delicious.

Here's what my dinner plate looked like:

Enjoy, and thanks for reading! 
- Kaitlin

Ah the chicken breast.  One of the greatest gifts to weeknight dinners, and also one of the worst.  There are literally thousands of chicken breast recipes in existence, but a lot of them are really bland or boring.  Yet since this staple is healthy, easy to prepare, and usually relatively inexpensive, I'm always trying to think of ways to keep it interesting in the kitchen. 

Those ways usually involve flour dredges and wine reductions and pan sauces, but sometimes that is too much work and too much of a mess, especially when it's Wednesday night at 6:30 and we haven't eaten yet.  Luckily, I stumbled into this great and easy recipe for Maple Dijon Chicken that takes about 20 minutes from start to finish to prepare, not to mention the fact of how yummy it is.  And paired with a DELICIOUS, no frills, perfectly baked sweet potato (**Which does take 50 minutes to bake, hence the asterisk in the title of this post), this is an awesome quick and easy Autumn Supper!

Ingredients:
Chicken:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt
pepper

Sweet potatoes:
4 medium sweet potatoes
olive oil
1 tsp. salt

(Our readers are smart, so we know you deduced from the ingredients list that this meal serves 4 people.)

Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Scrub the sweet potatoes to remove surface dirt and prick all over with a fork.  Throw into a large bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and toss to coat, then sprinkle with the salt.  Place on an oven rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 50 minutes.

The science:  Coating the potato with olive oil helps to regulate the temperature inside while it is cooking, and keeps it from drying out.  The salt on the skin is mostly for if you are eating the skin (which you should, it's really good for you!)  The olive oil might drip and cause smoke in the oven, so I put an 8x8 pan on the bottom rack with a little water in it to catch drippings.

Step 2:
About 20 minutes before the sweet potatoes' cooking time is up, prep the sauce for the chicken by mixing the Dijon mustard, maple syrup, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Step 3:
Blot the chicken breasts with paper towels to remove excess moisture and sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat and place the chicken breasts in the pan. Saute for about 6 minutes on one side, then flip.  At this point, you can start brushing the sauce onto the cooked side of the breasts.

Note, if you don't have a nonstick skillet, that's fine, but SKIP this 'basting' step.  The sugars in the maple syrup will burn, burn, burn, and you may not burn down your kitchen but with all the smoke, your family/roommates will think you are trying to.

Step 4:
After another 6 minutes on the other side, just continue to flip and baste the chicken breasts until they are done, and by done I mean, register 160 degrees.  (I use this thermometer.  At only 15 bucks, it takes the guess work out of knowing if your food is cooked, and can save you from tough, dry meat!)

Step 5:
Transfer the chicken to a plate, pour the rest of the sauce on it and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.  It's around this time that you can probably pull the sweet potatoes out of the oven and let them cool off a bit too!

I don't know about you but I get cranky when I'm served sweet potatoes that are 'candied' or covered in marshmallows.  If you let this potato stand on its own, you will be amazed.  Baking and serving with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper is absolutely my favorite technique.  The flavor and texture of a sweet potato cooked this way is transcendental!  And it pairs wonderfully with the maple Dijon chicken.

P.S. Much like eating the skin, it is a good idea to serve the sweet potato with a little olive oil.  The presence of a healthy fat actually helps to distribute some of those nutrients to your body!

Enjoy!

~Lauren

First, I apologize that this recipe doesn't contain any associated pictures. Since my husband is gluten-intolerant (it gives him migraines), this original version isn't something we've been able to eat. I'm planning to come up with a modified (grain-free) version in the near future, so I promise that that post will be photograph-heavy.

My husband often jokes that he married me for this recipe alone. (Similarly, our friend Chip swears he married his wife for her chocolate cake.) Although it seems complicated, this is a reasonable dish to put together on a weeknight. I often save it for special occasions, though, because it’s really that good. I credit my mom for the original recipe, although I always find myself changing it when the mood strikes.

Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast
(makes 6-8 servings)
Ingredients:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise and pounded flat (~1/2 inch thick)
1-2 lbs mushrooms, chopped (you can use white mushrooms, but portabellas taste better)
1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 – 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
0. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Prepare the chicken and lay flat in a large Pyrex baking pan, pop in the fridge until you need it. (The mushrooms take a little while.)
2. Melt the butter in a large, non-stick skillet and add the mushrooms, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
3. Saute mushrooms until they have released some of their liquid, and absorbed the majority of the butter. This can take a little while…if you get impatient, you can skip to step 4 without losing too much flavor. Remove from heat when you decide you’re done.
4. Add breadcrumbs to the mushroom mixture a little at at time, mixing as you go. Only add enough breadcrumbs to make the mixture cohesive (it should all stick together). If you add too much, the stuffing will be too dry.
5. Allow the mushroom “stuffing” to cool slightly (if still super hot), and then use it to make chicken “wraps”, as follows:
- Use a medium-sized spoon to place rounded mounds of stuffing on your flattened chicken
- Fold the chicken around the stuffing, and roll carefully so that the “seam” is on the bottom– if a little bit of stuffing falls out the sides of the wrap, that’s okay. You can always push it back in with your fingers.
- arrange neatly in your Pyrex pan
6. Pour chicken stock and heavy whipping cream over the whole pan of chicken, and top with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. (The time will depend on how thin your chicken is when you wrap it around the stuffing.)

We like to have this with lighter sides (steamed veggies, salad, etc.) which is a nice counterpart to the heavy dish.
Enjoy!

- Kaitlin