LEMON CHICKEN

Reheating time: 7-12 minutes

What a lovely morning we are having! Rain, sleet, hail, whatever this is, I just LOVE IT. Makes you want to stay inside all day and curl up with a good book… or with WECO… or both… I’d go with both. Tonight’s dinner may not melt the ice on your doorstep, but it definitely will warm up your belly and your home. Braised chicken is the epitome of comfort food. So simple, so satisfying, so delicious. What else? Chickpeas stewed with sundried tomatoes and roasted red peppers, a fresh cucumber and tomato salad with capers and dill, lemony garlic labneh, and pita bread to stuff it all into. Get cozy, grab a book, and get in there!

For the chicken:

Fall-off-the-bone braised chicken is a thing of beauty. We braised tonight’s chicken low and slow with preserved lemons, meyer lemon juice, tons of saffron and spices, and rich chicken stock. To reheat, warm the saffron jus in a saucepan with a splash or two of water. Add the chicken pieces, and cover the pan with a lid. Over low heat, let the chicken warm in the jus until heated through. Should take about 5-7 minutes, but check them halfway. Once they are hot, remove the chicken pieces from the pan, and reduce the jus down until it’s thick and viscous. Put the chicken back in the pan to coat with the jus, pop the lid back on, and set aside till you’re ready to plate! 

For the chickpeas:

I’d recommend simply warming these in a pan on the stove, over high heat with a bit of water to facilitate the process. Keep stirring over high heat until they begin to simmer and steam- once they’re hot, they’re ready! 

For the cucumber salad:

This is ready to go! Just keep it cold until you’re ready to eat. Cool, crunchy cukes and tomatoes are the perfect contrast to the warmth and richness of the warm components. Balance is important!

Pita and labneh:

When we eat braised chicken around here, it’s usually for family meal, and it’s usually with some sort of bread and sauce. So naturally, we couldn’t set you up with some amazing braised chicken without also giving you some bread and sauce! The bread is whole wheat pita bread- one of our favorite choices, and the sauce is a roasted garlic and meyer lemon labneh, Chef Gigi’s recipe, and it’s out of this world. I recommend picking some meat off the chicken and stuffing it in here with the labneh and chickpeas. You won’t be disappointed!

That’s it!

We hope you enjoy tonight’s dinner, and thanks again for ordering 🙂

Dinner is served, and solved.

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA SALAD

Thanks for ordering!

It occurred to us that we had never done pasta salad before! This had to be remedied. It was a very fun process for us. Mayo based dressing, or vinegar? Raw veggies, or cooked? So many questions to be asked, with so many fun answers! We settled on a mix of everything. The end result is pretty darn tasty. We got caramelized onions, roasted peppers and carrots, some sundried tomatoes, basil, arugula and baby kale, crumbled feta cheese for on top, and an awesome maple balsamic vinaigrette. Keeping it simple is always best. To enjoy, simply drizzle the balsamic dressing on top, and top with feta cheese! Enjoy 🙂