Category Archives: Meat

Basics, Dairy-Free, Low Calorie, Lunch, Meal Prep, Meat, Weekend Dinner

Baked Chicken Breasts

August 24, 2024 Sam

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Baked Chicken Breasts

Prep Time45

Cook Time35

Total Time1 20

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: California, Simple

Keyword: Basics, Chicken, Meat

Servings: servings

Calories: 184kcal

Ingredients

Brine

6 cups water
3 tbsp kosher salt

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp avocado oil
4 tbsp seasoning

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of room temperature water and the salt. Stir until the salt is dissolved.
Add the chicken breasts, making sure they are fully submerged. Brine for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. (Cover and refrigerate if brining for more than 30 minutes.)
Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan or large baking dish with parchment paper. While the oven heats, remove the chicken breasts from the brine and pat them dry with paper towels, discarding the brine. Place the chicken breasts on the prepared pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil, flipping chicken so both sides are coated. Sprinkle with the dried oregano, garlic powder, paprika, if using, and some black pepper.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breasts reaches 165 degrees. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing into the chicken and serving.

Notes

5 servings

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Baked Chicken Breasts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 184 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Trans Fat 0.01g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Cholesterol 58mg19%

Sodium 1517mg66%

Potassium 484mg14%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 0.5g1%

Protein 20g40%

Vitamin A 228IU5%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 203mg20%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Holiday, Meat

Cast-Iron Steak

May 11, 2015 Sam

This is part of a special meal that’s a tradition from at least 2014, maybe even earlier. On New Year’s Eve (or sometimes New Year’s Day, plus or minus a day or two), I cook up very nice steaks and serve with twice-baked potatoes and sometimes roasted vegetables, like asparagus. A tannin-heavy red wine is a great friend as well.

I have traditionally liked buying New York Strip, but a Ribeye would also be delicious. If you can, select Prime, but Choice is good if it is what is available. Bone-out is easier to cook in a pan and the bone has little impact on the overall flavor or cooking.

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Cast-Iron Steak

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Beef, Meat

Servings: servings

Equipment

1 cast-iron skillet, 12"
1 Thermapen

Ingredients

2 steaks at-least 1" thick
Salt and pepper
Canola oil
Butter
Thyme
Shallots

Instructions

As soon as you can (up to 4 days in advance, and at least a few hours before), salt the steaks by covering all sides with a good amount of kosher salt, but not too much. (Some people say to rinse off the salt before cooking but that sounds like a bad idea to me.) Place in the fridge.
About 90 minutes before you're ready to cook the steaks, remove them from the fridge and allow to warm up a bit. This is, according to some science-based food writers, apocryphal, because the internal temperature increases very slowly so the effect is minimal. I still recommend it.
When ready to cook, put the cast-iron on the stove and heat to medium-high. Add canola oil as the pan warms up. Heat for a minute or two, but not too long. Oil should be shimmering but not smoking heavily.
Add the steaks carefully. Flip frequently (every 15 seconds) for up to 4 minutes, until a basic crust begins to form. Turn the heat to medium to start allowing the pan to cool a tiny bit.
Then, add some butter to the pan along with the thyme and shallots. Continue flipping, though less frequently, and use a spoon to baste the meet. If you are seeing lots of smoke, turn the heat further down.
Start checking the temperature after a minute or two of the basting. Remember, the steak will continue to cook off the pan. For medium-rare meat, a final temperature of 130ºF (or 125ºF in the pan) is ideal; for medium, (or 135ºF in the pan) 140ºF is your goal.
Place the steak on a plate or cutting board Let rest for a few minutes.

Holiday, Meat

Twice-Baked Potatoes

December 31, 2014 Sam

This, along with the cast-iron steak, is a New Year’s tradition since at least 2014, when I first published this recipe on my former website. I then updated the recipe in 2020. And finally I made small updates and published on my new site in 2021.

It’s classic for a reason! Indulgent and the leftovers even save pretty well for a day or two.

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Twice-Baked Potatoes

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Potatoes

Servings: servings

Ingredients

5 slices bacon
3 baking potatoes
½ cup salted butter
2 tbsp cream cheese
⅓ cup sour cream
chives
thyme
olive oil
4-6 oz cheddar cheese
paprika

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two sheet pans with tinfoil. On one, add the cooling rack and place the bacon on top. Bake the bacon for 18 minutes or longer until it’s crispy. Remove and put on paper towels.
5 slices bacon
While that cooks, clean each potato and then rub thoroughly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour, making sure they're sufficiently cooked through. (When cooked, they will slice easily and cleanly.)
3 baking potatoes, olive oil
Once both are done, turn off the oven for now. Shred the cheddar cheese until you have more than 1 cup. Strip thyme leaves from the stem.
While the potatoes are cooling, in a stand mixer with the flat attachment, add ½ cup of butter, 2 tbsp cream cheese, ⅓ cup sour cream and ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Add the thyme leaves.
½ cup salted butter, 2 tbsp cream cheese, ⅓ cup sour cream, 4-6 oz cheddar cheese, thyme
Cut each potato in half, lengthwise. You want to scrape the insides out into the stand mixer bowl, but make sure you leave a small amount around the edge (close to the sink) that will give the potatoes structure. Lay the potato shells on a baking sheet.
By hand with a spoon, gently mix the potatoes and the ingredients until just combined, so you don't develop the starch into a glue-like texture.
Fill the potato shells with the filling, hopefully so that the potatoes are overflowing some. Sprinkle smoked paprika on top. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop 'em in the oven until the potato is warmed through and developing a nice crust, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4-6 oz cheddar cheese, paprika, chives

Dinner Party, Favorites, Indian, Meat, Projects, Weekend Dinner

Chicken Tikka Masala

December 24, 2014 Sam

An oldie by goodie!

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Chicken Tikka Masala

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Marinating4

Total Time5 15

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Chicken, Meat

Servings: servings

Calories: 614kcal

Ingredients

Ginger-Garlic Paste:

½ cup cloves garlic whole
½ cup fresh ginger peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
¼ cup canola oil

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Sauce:

2 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
⅓ cup Ginger-Garlic Paste recipe follows (or 6 cloves garlic and 2-inch thumb ginger minced)
2 serrano peppers minced (seeds removed if you don’t want it spicy)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp paprika
8 Roma tomatoes diced
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil for chicken
½ cup heavy cream
fresh cilantro minced, for garnish

Instructions

Ginger-Garlic Paste:

Add 1/2 cup cloves garlic, 1/2 cup fresh ginger, and 1/4 cup canola oil in a mini-food processor and process until it is a semi-smooth paste.

Marinade:

In a large tupperware, mix together 1 cup plain yogurt and whisk until it is smooth.
Add 3 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks and poked with a fork. Toss everything to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator up to overnight.

Sauce:

The cooking goes fairly quickly, so I like to chop the 2 serrano peppers and 8 Roma tomatoes in advance.
When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tsp olive oil and melt 3 tbsp butter.
Add the remaining 1/3 cup Ginger-Garlic Paste and the chopped serrano peppers. Saute until lightly browned around the edges.
Add 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes.
Add 1 tsp garam masala and 2 tsp paprika and saute for about 1 minute to draw out their flavors.
Add the tomatoes, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 cup water, more if the tomatoes do not have a lot of liquid.
Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. You may need more water depending on how much liquid the tomatoes give off.
Meanwhile, cook the chicken in a separate pan with 2 tbsp olive oil. Shake off some of the excess marinade and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Don't worry that the chicken will still be a little uncooked, it finishes cooking in the sauce.
Once the chicken is done and the sauce is cooked down, use an immersion blender to blend the sauce (or put into a blender or food processor and transfer back to the pan) and bring to a boil again.
Add the chicken. Take the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup heavy cream and stir through.
Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Tikka Masala

Amount Per Serving

Calories 614 Calories from Fat 432

% Daily Value*

Fat 48g74%

Saturated Fat 17g106%

Trans Fat 0.4g

Polyunsaturated Fat 6g

Monounsaturated Fat 22g

Cholesterol 137mg46%

Sodium 1766mg77%

Potassium 1056mg30%

Carbohydrates 19g6%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 2057IU41%

Vitamin C 31mg38%

Calcium 154mg15%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.