Adventure in the Kitchen
When a recipe begins with, "Make sure you open windows or that your kitchen is well ventilated". You know you're in trouble. Today I blackened chicken. On purpose;-) I had to evacuate the children from the kitchen and dining room and make them finish their supper in the living room to do it. But I didn't burn the house down. Small victories people.
This adventure began back in November when I had a chopped blackened chicken salad at a restaurant. It was delicious and spicy and I've been dreaming about it ever since. I Don't actually remember what was in it. Just that it was awesome.
My version of the salad (for two) begins with a head of green lead lettuce. Romaine would be good too.
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup black beans (canned, drained and rinsed)
1/2cup canned corn (drained)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 avocado (diced)
A big handful of crushed tortilla chips
Sliced blackened chicken breast
Spicy Ranch Dressing
To blacken the chicken you will need:
Cast iron skillet
Two boneless skinless chicken breasts
Blackening seasoning (I used Cajun)
4-5 Tablespoons melted butter
To cook the chicken: Heat a cast iron skillet over med high heat for five minutes. When you see smoke it's ready. I made sure the chicken would cook evenly by pounding it out to about an inch of thickness. Brush the chicken with melted butter and dredge both sides in the seasoning. Don't be shy. This is the step that makes it so good! Put the chicken in your crazy hot skillet and cook 5-7 minutes per side. Seriously, open the windows and probably send your kids outside. When the chicken is done remove it from the pan and let it rest covered with foil for at least ten minutes.
For the salad: Slice the ribs vertically the rough chop horizontally. This is where it gets fun. Take two chefs knives and go Swedish Chef on the lettuce. Chopping into small bite size pieces. Put the lettuce in a large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients except the chicken in the bowl and top with dressing. Mix it up and divide between two plates. Top with sliced chicken. Dig in!
This is a good dinner for a night Dad works late. The kids have been bugging me for Mac n' Cheese (yes I make it from a blue box. Get over it!) Tonight I obliged the little dears and cooked the chicken at the same time. When Dad came home I threw our salads together and had dinner for him ten minutes later.
Enjoy!
This adventure began back in November when I had a chopped blackened chicken salad at a restaurant. It was delicious and spicy and I've been dreaming about it ever since. I Don't actually remember what was in it. Just that it was awesome.
My version of the salad (for two) begins with a head of green lead lettuce. Romaine would be good too.
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup black beans (canned, drained and rinsed)
1/2cup canned corn (drained)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 avocado (diced)
A big handful of crushed tortilla chips
Sliced blackened chicken breast
Spicy Ranch Dressing
To blacken the chicken you will need:
Cast iron skillet
Two boneless skinless chicken breasts
Blackening seasoning (I used Cajun)
4-5 Tablespoons melted butter
To cook the chicken: Heat a cast iron skillet over med high heat for five minutes. When you see smoke it's ready. I made sure the chicken would cook evenly by pounding it out to about an inch of thickness. Brush the chicken with melted butter and dredge both sides in the seasoning. Don't be shy. This is the step that makes it so good! Put the chicken in your crazy hot skillet and cook 5-7 minutes per side. Seriously, open the windows and probably send your kids outside. When the chicken is done remove it from the pan and let it rest covered with foil for at least ten minutes.
For the salad: Slice the ribs vertically the rough chop horizontally. This is where it gets fun. Take two chefs knives and go Swedish Chef on the lettuce. Chopping into small bite size pieces. Put the lettuce in a large mixing bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients except the chicken in the bowl and top with dressing. Mix it up and divide between two plates. Top with sliced chicken. Dig in!
This is a good dinner for a night Dad works late. The kids have been bugging me for Mac n' Cheese (yes I make it from a blue box. Get over it!) Tonight I obliged the little dears and cooked the chicken at the same time. When Dad came home I threw our salads together and had dinner for him ten minutes later.
Enjoy!
Looks delish!
ReplyDelete