Pan Seared Rosemary Flounder

From time to time, I read the recipes that come with packaged products, and this time I actually tried a recipe that was printed on the package of flounder flillets I purchased.  Lucky for us, this turned out to be delicious.

Here's what you will need to prepare this dish:

2 flounder fillets, thawed

1 Tbl. olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, stem removed

flour for dredging

1 Tbl. butter

salt and pepper

lemon wedges

Directions:

1)  Heat oil in pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and rosemary to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes.  Garlic should start to brown, but be careful to avoid burning it.  

Remove garlic and rosemary, transfer to a bowl and set aside.  Leave the oil in the pan.  Along with the garlic and rosemary into the bowl, add 1 Tbl. butter, and a wedge of lemon.  This will be used to make the pan sauce.

2)  Pat the fillets dry.  Dredge fillets in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.

3)  Put the fish in the pan in the oil.  Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, turning only once -- flounder is very delicate and can easily break apart.

4)  Place fish on serving plates.  Return the garlic/rosemary to the pan, add 1 Tbl. butter and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Once the butter has melted, stir and pour over the fish.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy friends!

Chicken with Rosemary Dijon Mustard Sauce

I'm always searching for new ways to prepare chicken. Plus the fact that my fresh herbs are growing and are quite abundant.

This dish is very easy to make, it takes about 20 minutes and will serve two people. It is tangy and zesty. The ingredients you will need are: boneless skinless chicken breasts, olive oil OR coconut oil, white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc), garlic, fresh rosemary, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper.

If you don't want to use wine in this recipe, chicken stock would be a great substitute.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pound them down to 1/4" thick)

2 Tbl. olive oil OR coconut oil

1/2 Cup white wine (use a wine you would drink--not "cooking wine")

2 Tbl. fresh rosemary sprigs

1 clove garlic minced

2 Tbl. Dijon mustard

salt & pepper

 

Directions:

• After pounding the chicken to 1/4" thick, season with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet, add the chicken and cook until done on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.
• When the chicken is done, set it on a heat proof plate and keep it warm in the oven
• To the same skillet, add the wine, rosemary, and garlic.  Simmer and reduce by half.
• Take the skillet off the heat, add the Dijon mustard and stir in.
• Slice the chicken breasts on a diagonal and pour the sauce over.  Serve.

Enjoy friends!

Roast Chicken with Smoky Bacon Biscuit Dressing

I purchased some free range chickens from a local farm.  These chickens are super delicious.  The family has been in the business for over 20 years, and they know their stuff!

Along with the chicken I made this wonderful dressing--recipe from Williams and Sonoma--bacon and biscuits in a dressing?  How can this be wrong?

Start by getting the chicken ready to roast.  I brined the bird in a salt and honey brine overnnight, drained, rinsed, then dried the chicken skin.  Stuff the cavity with lemon and a rosemary sprig.

Tie the legs together with kitchen string.

Rub the chicken with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  

Place the chicken on a roasting rack in a large foil roaster.

Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 2 hours,

or until the juices run clear.

Get the ingredients ready for the dressing:

Biscuits, bacon, mushrooms, onion, celery, seasonings, and chicken broth.
(That half & half was for another recipe, oooops)

Bake the biscuits while the chicken is roasting. 

Cut the biscuits into cubes.

Saute mushrooms, onion, and celery until tender.

Add seasonings--salt, pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning.

Add the biscuit cubes and mix it all up.
Add chicken broth to moisten the mixture to your liking.

Butter a baking dish, pour the dressing in and cover with foil.

This will bake for 30 minutes in the oven with the chicken.

Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes so the top gets kind of crispy.

Close up of the finished chicken and dressing.
Drying the chicken skin before rubbing on the oil,
makes a beautiful golden brown roast chicken!

Here's the entire Williams and Sonoma recipe for the dressing:
This recipe serves 10

Twelve 4-inch biscuits cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb. smoky bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 yellow onions, diced
5 celery stalks, diced
8 oz. white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
2 Tbl. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbl. chopped fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
5 cups chicken broth

Enjoy friends!

Lemon Chicken -- American Style

This is a classic American lemon chicken recipe without being too lemony, I think it has just the right amount of lemon flavor to it.  Thanks, SIMPLY RECIPES food blog, for this wonderful dish!

p.s. This is nothing like the lemon chicken dish one would order at the Chinese restaurant.  Although that is also delicious!

Gather up the ingredients and let’s get cooking!

2 large chicken breasts (skin on, bone in), or use thighs and legs if you prefer dark meat. With the tip of your knife, cut into each chicken piece one or two times by about 1/2 inch.  This will allow the marinate to penetrate.

Place 2 Tbl. lemon zest, 1/3 Cup lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic (grated or crushed), 2 tsp. dried thyme, 1 tsp. dried chopped rosemary, 1 tsp. sea salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper in a small bowl, whisk to combine.

Ok, confession!  I thought I had some dried thyme---not!  So I started thinking of the song by Simon and Garfunkel.  "Parsley, sage, rosemary and Thyme".  Good, I have parsley!  And it worked out great.

Place the chicken breasts and the marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Mush the chicken around in the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (in case of leakage). Let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Remove the chicken from the marinate and place in a single layer on a baking dish skin side up.  Reserve the marinate.  Brush the chicken with some melted butter and olive oil.  Then into the oven.  Bake for a total of 50 to 55 minutes.  Half way though the baking, baste the chicken with the reserved marinate, then back into the oven.

Chicken is done when juices run clear and internal temp of breasts is 165 degrees, thighs 175 degrees.  The skin is crispy and brown!  Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes before carving.

Carve the chicken breasts on the diagonal.  And get ready to eat....

Tonight we had the chicken with steamed broccoli and cauliflower.  Oh, lemon chicken you are my friend!

This chicken was juicy and tender and very delicious!  Enjoy friends!