Recipes: Week 2 Goals, #cook90, Epicurious

Chicken. Ugh. The bones, the blood, the flesh, yuck. But when it’s cooked well, it’s heavenly. And I totally know HOW to cook chicken: a whole bird or parts; I can make braised chicken, roasted, baked, sautéed chicken; I can make chicken stews and soups. 


But, I don’t usually want to.

So, my challenge for week two of #cook90 was to cook chicken. (NB: I didn't get to it week 1 because by the time I was emotionally prepared to tackle the chicken I had purchased, it didn’t smell right. I took it back to Whole Foods and returned it. PS Whole Foods is great with returns, no questions asked, no stink eye.) My chicken didn’t have to be anything crazy fancy or complicated; just something yummy to get back into the habit of cooking chicken.

Monday, I bought chicken thighs (skin and bones included. Yum, crispy chicken skin) and chicken tenders, all by Bell & Evans, one of my preferred brands. I tossed the chicken tenders into the freezer to use next week and turned up my oven to pre-heat. And I also planned on using goal #2: use more herbs and spices daily.

To one thigh, I added an Italian herb-mix-blend I created (dried oregano, thyme, basil, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper); two thighs received a sprinkle of Kosher salt and one thigh received a Greek yogurt treatment (yogurt, lemon juice and zest, dried oregano, salt and pepper).

They smelled very chicken-y whilst they baked. A good smell, a meaty smell but also a little too chicken-y. 

First lesson of week 2: four thigh of chicken is a lot of chicken for this Allergic Girl to consume in one week.

The first night, I had the Italian herb thigh and it was delicious: crunchy skin, gentle herb notes, with a side of rice and peas. (I cooked it in a 375 degree oven for an hour. I've also cooked thighs in 450 degree oven for 45 minutes. Both worked!)

The next day, I had the plain thigh, sliced, with blackberry jam and sauteed broccoli. I used my homemade blackberry jam like cranberry sauce and OMG what a discovery, cold dark meat chicken with a sweet, sour, jammy sauce was delicious. This needs to happen more often.

The third day, I had cold sliced chicken thigh on a sweet and crunchy salad (chopped carrots, chopped raisins, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper).

And then, I topped out on chicken – too much chicken. That fourth thigh, I couldn't get to it and as it’s been over 4 days, I fear that left over is too left over.

So, what did I learn week two of the #cook90 challenge by Epicurious?

I can totally throw chicken thighs into the oven with easy, on-hand pantry staples (herbs, spices, citrus etc.) any night of the week. And that I probably should freeze two of those thighs for the next week right away, because, ugh, too much chicken. Or enjoy them with my future boyfriend. Or invite friends over.

Next week’s plans: more herby combinations (like orange rosemary chocolate bark, what? yasss!), maybe those now-frozen chicken tenders (I’d love to recreate my teenaged recipe of breaded tenders to dip in honey), redo a meringue (I added twice the sugar, and it didn't bake properly, bah!) and continue playing with #nextovers.

Oh and dip further into those cookbooks!

So much to do, cook, bake eat and enjoy! 

Join me on Instagram @allergicgirlnyc and on my Facebook feed to see the #cook90 month unfold.  Or tag me at @allergicgirlnyc #cook90 to cook allergen-friendly with me!