Chicken goodness; no guilt

The first time I tried a Chick-fil-A sandwich, I was dazzled. So simple, but so good. Nothing mysterious about it. I was much younger then, and while no less passionate about social justice and politics, I was not nearly as connected to others, nor informed about issues as I am now. As a teen, I would glibly toss around derisive comments about all things gay, and I'm sure I was hurtful somewhere along the way. Then, a funny thing happened.  I realized that a whole lot of my friends, people I cared about deeply, were gay. And over the years, I noticed that I cared less and less about their sexuality, and a whole lot more about how others treated them. I had similarly enlightening and evolutionary experiences over the years, having heard my fair share of closed-minded rants about "otherness" throughout my youth; I like to believe that I've managed to outgrow the vast majority of my misperceptions.

When it became clear to me over the past year or so that Dan Cathy, president of Chick-fil-A, supported a number of (at best) distasteful causes, I joined many of my friends in swearing off the food. Yes, I know that the local franchisees are not the same thing as the overarching corporation, but when a businessperson chooses to open a franchise restaurant, they do tend to have some options. They could opt to start up a restaurant in partnership with a corporation that is supportive of positive causes, and not mired in, frankly, hate. In short, I just don't have a problem with opting not to buy food from a company that will, in turn, use some of my money to support causes that squarely target some of my dearest friends simply because of who they are, and who they love.

This doesn't help me with a fundamental problem - I love the taste of that chicken.

So, last night, I took my shot at making a good substitute for our family to enjoy. I did some digging around online to find what others had attempted, and settled on my own pathway. I knew I was looking at a simple egg/flour coating, but it seems that folks tend to add some kind of sugar in this recreation. I did add some powdered sugar to the flour, salt, and pepper, and also added a small dash of Old Bay seasoning. To the eggs (2), I added an equal part of milk. That's it. For those who like measurements, I can only offer you guesstimates. I had 5 chicken breasts, which I halved in thickness. I wanted to insure the chicken didn't overwhelm the bun, and these were some large breasts. I used about a cup and half of flour, probably 3-4 tablespoons of powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons of salt, 2 of pepper, and a scant 1 of the Old Bay. If used excessively, Old Bay can overpower, so I wanted to keep it modest, but still add a little something to the mixture.

I cooked my chicken in a 50/50 blend of canola and peanut oils, largely because I was almost out of peanut oil. I will make darn sure I have more peanut oil next time, but this worked just fine.  If I were cooking this many breasts again in the future, I would break out the deep fryer to save time. I do try to get food on the table in 30-40 minutes most nights, but in choosing to use the pan, it took much longer. To save time, I did most of my chicken prep while my fries were cooking. Sadly, I don't have a waffle cutter on hand, but my mandoline made quick work of the potatoes, and I had some great cuts in a hurry. As with all frying, the goal is golden brown and delicious (thank you, Alton Brown, for having your voice attached to that phrase for the rest of my life). I love Claussen pickles, and pretty much always have a large jar of them on hand (one of those great Costco perks). I had only spears on hand, so I cut them into 1 cm slices, and put 4 on each sandwich, which was spot on for proportions. I served up some green beans, having forgotten to pick up cole slaw (my preferred side dish when I used to patronize the chain) in my last shop.

The verdict

I think my wife and I agreed: this was every bit as good as what we used to get. I need to find a waffle cutter if I want the whole experience, but I can say with absolute certainty that I can now have my "Chick-fil-A" at home without the guilt. No compromise on taste at all, and well-worth the effort. In fact, it was good enough for our 4-year-old to declare it "delicious," and eat a whole piece of chicken herself! 

I know some of my friends have different takes on the issue of gay rights, and I understand why they feel the way they do. But I firmly disagree with them, and feel it is vitally important to take small stands on my own beliefs. I can't knowingly spend money knowing that some of it is going to causes that are completely at odds with what I feel is good and decent. My daughters live across the entryway to our building from a lesbian couple with a son between them in age. They see a loving family, just like ours, nearly everyday, and I'm glad that my 2 girls are not going to hear from us the kind of bitter, hateful attitudes I heard about same-sex couples when I was growing up. Sure, they'll hear it and see it in life, but it is my sincere hope that they will be voices of reason and care when they do. I officiated a wedding ceremony for 2 other friends, both women, a few years ago, and I look forward to doing it again when I can sign their marriage certificate that grants them the same legal rights my wife and I enjoy. 

In love, in life -- and in chicken -- there should be no guilt!

Fried rice and five spice chicken

Tonight, at dinner, we hosted Ben, Amanda, Lizzie, and AJ for dinner (and, of course, Ben & Amanda's daughter!). The occasion was to work on the wedding ceremony for Lizzie and AJ for which I will serve as officiant in a couple of weeks. I decided to do a simple marinade for some chicken, and popped the chicken breasts into a large Ziploc with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, some organic sugar, and some Chinese five spice earlier this morning. I've fallen in love with the flavor of five spice, and have not had nearly enough opportunities to cook with it lately, so the thought that the rain would stay away and allow me to grill gave me the incentive I needed today. When I grilled the chicken, I added a dash of garlic salt, some more five spice, and a hint of cayenne to ratchet up the flavor a bit. 
I was also looking forward to making some fried rice tonight, as well. I like using sherry wine to make my fried rice, and was glad I found the last of the snow pea pods in the produce section this morning, since I enjoy those in my fried rice, too. I added in some carrot and baby corn, skipping the egg and onion I usually add tonight in favor of a quicker version with powdered ginger, garlic salt, soy sauce, peanut oil, and a hint of fish sauce. I used both brown and wild rice, and the texture of the rice itself really stood out as a result, keeping some "tooth" in the face of large pieces of vegetable.

The verdict

The chicken was great, plain and simple. Nicely cooked, and just enough of the five spice to tantalize without overpowering. I would have liked a tinge more heat, and may play with that the next time around.  The rice was also quite tasty, but I need to add the onion and some fresh ginger next time to really keep it as I usually like it. The egg would have been nice, too, but I do sometimes feel a bit odd having both chicken and egg in the same meal (yes, I'm thinking of Paul Simon's "Mother and Child Reunion" right about now). I think our guests enjoyed as well. We did have a bit of wine, but for the life of me I can't recall what it was (maybe a Cabernet/Merlot blend). It was a bit much for the meal, but whatever. A white would have been lost to the five spice and smoky grill flavor in the chicken, even if it would have been better with the rice.

The best part of the evening, however, was having a relaxed conversation about the wedding ceremony, helping Lizzie and AJ think about what they do and do not want, and (hopefully) putting them at ease about the event. I recall planning my own ceremony with my wife several years ago, and can't help but think that some five spice chicken probably would have made that planning all the better. As I recall, we met our officiant at a chain restaurant of some sort near the interstate in Indianapolis, and it wasn't nearly as fun as tonight.

All hail, Caesar!

I had some chicken in the fridge on grocery day, so when I saw the romaine staring at me in the produce section today, I figured dinner was a done deal; Caesar salad with grilled lemon pepper chicken and portabella mushrooms. I also recalled that we had a fair bit of garlic left around, and knowing I would use much of what was at home was a good excuse to buy more (as if I ever need an excuse to buy more garlic). My only concern was the weather. I had to hope that the rain would stay away when grilling time came. It did, thankfully.


I haven't made a Caesar dressing in a while, and unless things are already prepped, it does take a bit of time to come together. That makes it more appropriate for a weekend than a weeknight in our house. But since the chicken breasts were rather thick, I figured I had ample time to work on the dressing anyway. I stuck to the basics; egg yolk, olive oil, garlic (lots of it - we love our garlic in our house), Parmesan cheese, anchovies (I know, some folks consider this inauthentic or unnecessary, but it is one of the places where I feel an anchovy has a culinary home), Worcestershire sauce, etc. I was glad that we had an extra lemon on hand, as fresh lemon juice always beats the bottle in a dressing. I think I was overly generous with the lemon juice in the dressing tonight, but only to the point of making the dressing a bit brighter than I usually care for.


The verdict


There is a certain kind of joy in a simple salad for a meal, and making the dressing from scratch, for me, makes all the difference. We had a bit of garlic bread - nice and crispy - with our salads tonight. The mushrooms were a good addition to the standard presentation. I suppose my thoughts on there being too much lemon might be because I used it on the chicken as well as in the dressing. Maybe a simpler or less citrus-y chicken preparation might do the trick next time. 


For some, this would have been a case of garlic overload. For us, it was just right. I appreciated the gesture my wife made, leaning her very pregnant self across the table to share a garlic-y kiss with me in appreciation of the effort. 

Playing the weather odds

It turned cold again here in Chicago, and while I am not against grilling in my winter coat, I prefer the indoors on days like today. I knew we would be in for this chill today, and so last night I decided to get some prep work done for tonight's meal. As I considered my options, I realized I would need wine, and lots of it.

On chilly nights, especially those around midweek, the crock pot (slow cooker, if you prefer) is a good thing to have around. It doesn't hurt to have a whole chicken in the fridge, either. When we shopped this past weekend, I hedged my bets. I figured we would either get a nice break from the cold, and I could then butcher and grill the bird, or it would stay lousy and I could just cut it in half and drop it in the crock.

We are fortunate to live near a "convenience" store, which around here often means a place that sells beer, wine, and booze, and might have some cat food or brownie mix if you are lucky. (We are lucky; our neighborhood shop has improved a great deal in the past couple of years, and honestly, they have a pretty decent wine selection). I was able to get a couple of bottles of pinot grigio on the (relative) cheap.

Some onion, basil (still had a little fresh left!), rosemary, carrots, salt, and pepper went in first, then the halved bird followed by the wine. Probably the hardest part of the prep work was clearing out the bottom shelf of the fridge to put the crock in for the night. I really wanted to get some tarragon in the mix, but we were out, unfortunately.

On my way home from work today, I stopped into the Spice House in Old Town and picked up that missing tarragon, and as an added bonus, found they had a nice supply of dried chanterelle mushrooms. Once home, I deboned the now-cooked chicken, returned the meat to the pot, and added the tarragon and (rehydrated) mushrooms to the broth that had been slowly cooking all day. What a treat it was to open that lid. Scientists claim that smell and memory are probably closely linked because of the proximity of our olfactory centers to the limbic system. I'm not sure I care much about the science of it, I am just grateful for moments when the smell of good food transports me to other good meals I've enjoyed in the past (and the memory of the good friends I shared them with).

To finish the sauce a bit more, I added a bit of milk and corn starch to get a bit of glisten, and was hoping for a smoother mouth-feel later on. I was not content, so I put a roux together and managed to get the sauce to my desired thickness. We at this over some egg noodles with a vegetable medley on the side. Full disclosure: on work nights, I sometimes get lazy, and am thankful for frozen veggies! Never (or at least rarely) as good as fresh, but so be it.

The verdict

The texture was spot-on. Exactly what I had wanted. A somewhat velvety sauce that stuck nicely on the noodles. The veggies were (predictably) unremarkable. But the taste was wonderful. The first bites were all about the wine. It dominated the initial flavor, and was just a bit sweet - in a good way. But once the mouthful was swallowed, the marriage of the wine and the herbs lingered. And lingered. And lingered. It was a dinner that was as much fun to eat as most wines are to drink.

Speaking of wine, I opted out on that front tonight. I wanted to really experience where this dish went on its own, and didn't want to complicate things with yet another flavor set. Tomorrow, when we enjoy the leftovers, I will reconsider that choice.