midwest neurotica

As a vegetarian during the learning-how-to-cook-as-an-adult years, this whole chicken thing is new to me. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts at mastering the bird, I think I am getting there. The problem: dryness. The solution: don’t cook it so darn long. Duh!

On Thursday night, I made Chicken Jalfreize with buttered white rice and some Major Grey mango chutney. The sauce came from a jar (Patak’s) and the rice is Uncle Ben’s boil-in-bag.

Tonight, in an exciting move, I ventured beyond cubed chicken cooked in sauce. I was terrified of cooking a whole breast. I pounded it thin with the bottom of a bottle of vinegar. I combined leftover pumpkin seed pesto, shredded cheese and sour cream. This mixture was spread on the thin breast and rolled up tight. I dredged the rollatini in parmesan cheese. This recipe was my inspiration, but I only cooked 20 minutes covered and then another 15 uncovered. The meat was tender and cooked through. The gravy followed the recipe and really made this dish special. I am very content now, only wishing I had thought to make mashed potatoes too!

My recipe index has many chicken recipes (courtesy of my favorite food bloggers) awaiting a test drive, including:

Chicken Paprikash
Classic Baked Chicken
Poppy Seed Chicken

I am looking forward to continuing this poultry exploration and maybe soon I’ll gain the courage to make the Perfect Roast Chicken. Wish me luck!