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Making meals for one or two people is paradoxically difficult, it would seem that the less people you have to cook for, the easier cooking should be, but in most cases it isn’t. Condensing a recipe that is meant to serve 4 or 6 people down to 1 or 2 people is not easy, and involves a lot of math (ew). How do you half a recipe that calls for 3 eggs? So whenever I find recipes that serve one or two people, I practically jump for joy.
I recently planted a mini windowsill herb garden (!) that contains: rosemary, basil, oregano, and sage. So far nothing has died! Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs and I had 3 chicken breasts waiting to be thawed and eaten in my freezer. I decided to search my recipe books and the internet for a simple rosemary chicken meal that I could make for myself. Somehow, I actually found a rosemary chicken recipe that serves one! Thank you Tyler Florence 🙂
On my mission to find recipes that serve less people, I stumbled upon a preview magazine at Target by America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated titled Cooking for Two 2009: The Year’s Best Recipes Cut Down to Size. This preview (you can order the hardcover recipe book which is 312 pages long here) is 64 pages long and features 63 recipes like Chicken with Couscous and Spinach, Chicken Kiev, Grilled Chicken Fajitas, Pan-Roasted Chicken and Vegetables, Beef Wellington with Madeira Sauce, Lighter Meat Loaf, Baked Manicotti, Lasagna, Pan-Fried Crab Cakes, Seafood Risotto, Ricotta Gnocchi, Potato Gratin, and New York-Style Cheesecake that all serve 2 people. I was so excited when I saw this, I immediately put it in my shopping cart. Not only does this magazine feature recipes made for 2, it features amazing recipes that would be extrememly hard to cut down to size by myself. Several of my next posts will probably feature recipes from this magazine!
Anyways, onto the Pan-Roasted Chicken that I found courtesy of foodnetwork.com before I bought the Cooking for Two magazine! I only had boneless, skinless chicken breasts on hand so that is what I used instead of boneless chicken breast with skin and wing attached. I was a little worried it would be dry and flavorless, but it definitely wasn’t! Not to mention, boneless skinless chicken breasts are healthier. The chicken ended up be tender and perfectly cooked. The shallots were softened and very sweet and the mushrooms were tender and substantial. The rosemary added a perfect pine-y flavor that complemented the sweetness of the shallots. I used chicken broth instead of water for the sauce to add more flavor. My sauce was not very thick but it added a brightness and freshness to the dish. This recipe was quick and easy and left hardly any dishes to be cleaned. I will definitely be making this chicken again!
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Rosemary
Ingredients
- 1 (6-ounce) boneless chicken breast with wing attached, with skin
- Kosher salt and freshly black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin
- 5 fresh white mushrooms, halved
- 2 shallots, halved
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup water (I used chicken stock)
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Season the chicken on both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Place a cast-iron or regular ovenproof skillet on the stove over medium heat. Drizzle the pan with the oil and lay the chicken in the hot fat, skin-side down. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin begins to set and crisp. Throw in the mushrooms, shallots, and rosemary. Stick the whole thing in the hot oven and roast for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked, and the mushrooms and shallots are soft and roasted.
- The last thing to make is a quick sauce using the flavors left in the bottom of the skillet. Take all the stuff out of the pan and arrange on a dinner plate to keep warm while preparing the pan sauce. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered chicken fat and return the skillet to the stovetop. Stir in the water and lemon juice and cook over medium heat, scraping up the flavors with a wooden spoon. Cook the liquid down to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Drizzle the pan sauce over the dish, season with salt and pepper.
Sara- Thanks 🙂 Definitely take a look at Cooking for Two the next time you're at the store!
Marta- Some food is even better the next day but sometimes I just hate leftovers! Thank you 🙂
Alyssa- Recipes with few ingredients are not only easier, but cheaper! Best of both worlds. Wow, can I come over to your garden?!
Nick- Ew, I can't even imagine trying to use a kitchen scale to do that. I'll leave it up to the masters at America's Test Kitchen 🙂
I'm 100% with you on it being easier to cook for 3-4 than it is for 1-2. That's why we like when Geoff comes over for dinner.
This:
“How do you half a recipe that calls for 3 eggs?”
requires a kitchen scale and is a pain.
Wow, this recipe looks so tasty and has few ingredients (my favorite!). I'm definitely going to try this.I also have a little herb garden. I'm growing three herbs on my kitchen windowsill: basil, chives, and parsley.Outside in a pot I'm growing sweet fennel, dill, more basil, rosemary, greek oregano, english thyme, and oregano thyme!Great post
cooking for two is such a challenge for me, I always get portion-distortion when I'm cooking and end up making giant batches of stuff. Thankfully I love leftovers 🙂
this chicken looks delicious, I love mushrooms and rosemary 🙂
I totally agree that cooking for 2 can be annoying, especially since we are not big on leftovers.
Your chicken looks great. I can't wait to hear your reviews from the ATK book, I may have to pick that one up soon.
Liz- You're welcome! Yeah, and sometimes left-overs just aren't very good. Oh I know, herbs are so much cheaper to buy as a plant, it costs the same exact price as the little boxes with only a few leaves. I agree, the freshness of home-grown plants and herbs is unparalleled, and you know there was no pesticides sprayed on them.
Jen- Thank you! Fresh herbs really take a dish to the next level.
The chicken sounds wonderful – especially with fresh rosemary. I love having fresh herbs to cook with!
Thanks for the heads up about the new book/magazine; I'm definitely keeping an eye out for the magazine and your reviews of the recipes! Cooking for 2 can be really difficult, I agree. Like you said, some ingredients are just really difficult to reduce (like an egg), but I don't always want 2-3 days worth of leftovers, especially if it's a new recipe and doesn't turn out well.
And congrats on the herb garden. I have a pot of basil out on my patio (my cats would destroy it if I brought it indoors…) and have been amazed at how well it's growing. I can't believe how much cheaper it is to buy the plant than the packages of herbs, especially when you take into consideration how much better the freshly grown herbs taste.