Spring is Finally Here!!!

Greetings from incredibly warm Richmond, VA:

It's been a while since I have blogged. So sorry for that, but my job has kept me really busy. It's a blessing to be busy! Believe it or not we need to mow our yard. Hope to do that this week. Spring and summer is when I do lots of recipe development, reorganizing and rethinking all I do in the kitchen. I have come to the realization that I need to reorganize my kitchen storage room and some parts of the kitchen. The more steps you can save yourself the better when it comes to time management. I am looking for good organizational tips that others would like to share. When you get time share with us your favorite organizational tip for the kitchen. I would love to read them all!

We are going to enjoy Mexican tonight since my youngest son is on a trip to Kentucky. He is not a huge fan of Mexican so we are going to love it tonight! The rest of us LOVE it!! I am going to wrap up this note and go get started on it.

I wanted to share my latest recipe that I found that is really easy and yummy! Pan-Seared Chicken Breast with Lemon and Chive Sauce. It is absoulutely scrumptious! Let me know if you try it. Let me know what you think of it. It is a light and "springy" recipe!

For the best results, buy similarly sized chicken breasts. If your breasts have the tenderloin attached, leave it in place and follow the upper range of baking time in step 1. For optimal texture, sear the chicken immediately after removing it from the oven.




Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat (see note)
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 recipe pan sauce , optional (see related recipes)

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Using fork, poke thickest half of each breast 5 to 6 times; evenly sprinkle each breast with ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon table salt). Place chicken, skinned side down, in 13 by 9-inch baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake until thickest part of breast registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 30 to 40 minutes.

2. Remove chicken from oven and transfer, skinned side up, to paper towel-lined plate and pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. While pan is heating, whisk butter, flour, cornstarch, and pepper together in small bowl. Lightly brush top side of chicken with half of butter mixture. Place chicken in skillet, coated side down, and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. While chicken browns, brush with remaining butter mixture. Using tongs, flip chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cook until second side is browned and thickest part of breast registers 160 to 165 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate and let rest while preparing pan sauce (if not making pan sauce, let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving).


Lemon and Chive Pan Sauce
Ingredients
1 medium shallot , minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon unsalted butter , chilled
Table salt and ground black pepper

Instructions
Add shallot to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add broth, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Simmer rapidly until reduced to ¾ cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in any accumulated chicken juices; return to simmer and cook 30 seconds. Off heat, whisk in lemon juice, chives, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken and serve immediately.


Enjoy!