Chicken Breast with Kiwifruit

We buy a basket of fruits and vegetables each week from a local company – we never know what will be in the basket, but I enjoy trying new things. One item in the basket was leeks. I have never cooked with them before, so I found a recipe on About.com to try. When I make a new recipe, I make as it is printed that first time. This recipe has good flavors, but next time I will change a few things that I think will make it even better. In this recipe, they have you simmer the chicken in chicken broth – yum – boiled chicken (not) – next time I will sauté the chicken and get a good sear on it. I’ll sauté it with onions, celery, and a bit of olive oil.

I love Swanson chicken broth because they don't add MSG (which gives me migraines). But boiled chicken just doen't do it for me.

Here is the recipe:
4 cups chicken broth (no, don’t do it – it would be better sautéed).
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (they called for bone in – isn’t happening here)
1 stalk celery – chopped
1 leek, white part only, chopped (use green onions or regular onions for better flavor)
6 kiwi fruit – peeled and sliced (completely unnecessary component of this recipe)

The sauce is wonderful, but they don’t have you make enough of it. I am going to give you the ingredients doubled. It really needed more sauce than the original recipe makes.
2 oranges
2 lemons
2 TBS butter
2 TBS sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Bring chicken broth to a boil in large saucepan. Add chicken and simmer 10 minutes, skimming off any scum (I can't get excited about a recipe that has scum in it) that rises to the top. Add celery and leeks and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Remove chicken from broth and keep warm. (Broth may be strained and reserved for other uses.)

Again, don’t do this – sauté your chicken with olive oil, onions, and celery.

Arrange kiwifruit in a fan-shaped pattern on a serving dish. The kiwi didn’t add anything to the dish; plus the seeds seemed a bit gritty when eaten with the chicken. Next time I won’t bother with the kiwi – although I do love kiwi.

Zest the rind of half of the orange. Sprinkle zest over kiwifruit. If you don’t use the kiwi, you can forgo this step.

Juice the oranges and lemons into a small bowl. Heat butter in a small saucepan and add sugar. Stir until sugar is melted and begins to carmelize (begins to darken), about 5 minutes. Add orange and lemon juices, stirring until incorporated. Boil until the sauce is reduced and begins to thicken. Stir in salt and cayenne pepper.
This is the best part of this recipe. The sauce is so good.

Slice chicken into strips, place on kiwi and top with the sauce.

I don't care for the texture of boiled chicken even when boiled in broth, celery, and leeks.

I made twice baked potatoes and steamed broccoli to go along with the chicken. It was a yummy dinner, but next time the chicken will be even better.

I don’t have a recipe for the twice baked potatoes. I cut them in half, mash the insides, and add butter, milk, sour cream, paprika, chives, salt, and pepper. Mix them up, put them back in the shells, top them with shredded cheddar cheese, and bake them at 350 degrees until the cheese melts.

The broccoli was mild flavored – very tender and yummy.

Overall dinner was a hit with eveyone. Next time it will be even better.




Don't be afraid to add your own touches and tastes to a recipe.

Where did Everyone Go?

I’m having one of those days where it feels like everyone else (inside) is missing. When I can’t hear or feel them, it makes it hard for me to feel anything. I feel like a shell walking around waiting for someone else to wake up so I can be someone. I feel this way because yesterday, I used most of my energy. I taught all day, and at the end of the day was offered a long term sub position in a subject I am not certified in.

I love the idea of having my own students and classroom. I told the principal I would think it over and let her know this morning. I looked at all the pros and cons, looked at the state core for the subject, but in the end felt that I would be letting the students down by not knowing the content. I called the principal this morning, expressed my worries, and turned the down the position. Now I feel guilty.

I wish I could be what the principal needed. I try to be all things for all people, but I can’t fake education that I don’t have (or even want to have). It would also be very hard to enter the grades for over 200 students for this week and end of quarter which is in two days. All the alters were stressed over this decision. We don’t like to fail. Some wanted us to do it – just for the challenge, but the sensible ones wanted us to use caution and just say, “no!” So today I am walking around with everyone resting and not really coming forward. Today I am not quite myself because my alters are silent. I made it through the day and I even made bread, brown rice, brussel sprouts, and lemon chicken for dinner. I over cooked the chicken just a bit because I didn't look at the recipe - just went from memory. It would have gotten me chopped if I was on Food Network's Chopped. Things turn out better when it isn’t just me (the host of all my parts) doing the work.

Lemon Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves - cut in thirds
1 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon sesame seeds – add to crushed corn flakes
2 cups crushed corn flakes
½ cup light olive oil

Put chicken breasts in bowl, add lemon juice and parsley - cover and refrigerate over night. Dip each piece of chicken in melted butter or olive oil and coat with corn flakes and sesame seeds. Reserve lemon juice mixture for sauce. Spray 11 X 15 baking dish with Pam. Arrange chicken in single layer in a baking dish and bake uncovered at 375 for 50 minutes.

Lemon Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups water
reserved lemon juice from chicken
1/4 cup additional lemon juice

In sauce pan mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water and lemon juice. Heat and stir constantly until thickened. Serve over chicken.

I used the same bread recipe as the white bread from a couple of days ago except I substitued two cups of whole wheat flour for two cups of the white flour. It was just as yummy.