A flavor-packed chicken, I didn't do much to up the ante on this one. As usual, I added more salt than what was called for in the recipe; I omitted the tequila as well (I've had a few bad run-ins with that vile substance, so I like to avoid anything that will trigger my gag reflex in food). I kind of failed to read this recipe ahead of time and ran out of time to refrigerate the chicken breasts with the oregano/lime mixture for four hours; it ended up being only one hour, and the recipe still turned out well, so I assume another three hours would have made it a true knock-out. It's important to choose bone-in chicken breasts with skin intact because that will help protect the lime mixture and (most importantly, at least from my perspective) prevent the minced garlic in the mixture from burning. Plus, bone-in and skin just add much more flavor to chicken, normally a pretty bland meat.
Sides included a warm potato salad and sliced sourdough bread from a local bakery. The potato salad was super simple and a lighter version of the mayo-laden original:
2 lb. red potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into 3/4" pieces (or you could use Yukon gold, which is just a staple in our pantry)
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar (I subbed in red wine vinegar since it was in the pantry; it was just as good)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
(Alternatives: the original, pulled from the latest Martha Stewart Living, includes 3 oz. crumbled goat cheese; however, I used a few dollops of olive oil mayo because I kinda forgot to grab the goat cheese on the trip to the grocery store; the original recipe also called for flat-leaf parsley, which [just being honest here] I think is one of the most worthless herbs to use in any recipe)
-Cover potatoes with water in a medium saucepan; season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 Tbsp. cooking liquid (this will help thicken up the vinegar mixture a bit since it's full of the starches from the potatoes). Let potatoes cool for 5 minutes.
-Whisk together vinegar, mustard, and reserved cooking liquid. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until emulsified.
-Transfer potatoes to a bowl, and drizzle with vinaigrette. Gently stir in mayo (or goat cheese), celery, and shallot. Season with salt and pepper.
This weekend is kind of an easy one, so there should be plenty of cooking opportunities and up-to-date posts--stay tuned!
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