Column: Great Date Plates; The return of the creamy chicken
I’ve been told by people that, as a fungus, mushrooms don’t belong with food.
While I disagree whole-heartedly, (who doesn’t love a fungi? He’s the life of a party! Please, one pun per semester) I provide for all you fungi-hating, chicken-dish-loving folks a solution.
The other role this variation plays is to encourage the masses to branch out and try new things.
Cooking is not as hard as everyone makes it out to be – if you think it will taste good, then there’s a very high chance that you are right. It’s just a matter of taking that first leap of faith.
The Variation: Creamy Chicken with Smashed Baby Reds
Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Replace the cream of mushroom with cream of chicken
Replace the egg noodles with baby red potatoes (about 4 should work for a date)
Directions:
Cook the chicken all the way through (remember what cutting it in smaller pieces does).
Medium-low heat, a lid on your pan, a little garlic salt and pepper, chicken-y juices.
Here’s the new fun experience: rather than coating your chicken with the mushroom goodness, coat it with the cream of chicken.
Let it simmer for 30 minutes and you are done with that. And, a cooking tip that applies to both recipes: if you get done with the chicken earlier than you meant to, turn the heat down to low and keep a lid/aluminum foil on the top. Because it’s so moist (at least, it should be) you can leave it to simmer for quite a while.
In the meantime (I’d say about the same time you set the chicken to simmer), cut up your baby reds and boil them in water.
The key to great mashed potatoes is to cook them within an inch of their lives. If they break apart as soon as you place a fork in them, then they are perfect. Drain all the water from them and return them to the stove.
Mash them with a potato masher, or if you don’t have one of those, use a fork. I like the consistency to be a little chunky – making them ‘smashed’ reds rather than mashed.
Add some milk, or if you’re feeling really adventurous, some half and half or cream, *cooking tip: less is more – start with a little bit because you can always add, but you can never take away*, lots of butter, salt and pepper.
Mix it all together and you should have the best potatoes ever.
Pair this great date plate with a veggie and you are golden. And always remember, just like the oboist I saw a few years ago, variations are never limited to just one – try a different soup or pair it with some couscous and a quick, easy gourmet meal will be yours in just a little while.
Mary Carman is a senior in American studies and had chocolate raspberry cheesecake for breakfast yesterday. To get other great breakfast tips, e-mail her at
mkimbercarma@cc.usu.edu.