CRISPY PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH MARJORAM

Let me tell you about the new cookbook I just bought.

I was out this afternoon shopping for a birthday present for Annie and I found myself in the same neighborhood as my favorite cookbook shop, The Cook's Library.  I had been wanting to get a new cookbook.  I was sort of feeling that I rely on Epicurious and Food Network a little too much and so I kind of wanted to expand my cookbook collection to include more non celebrity chefs.  I asked the guy who worked there if he had any recommendations, explaining that I was interested in farmers' markets and seasonal cooking.  He handed me a book called Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster.  It seems Ms. Foster has a little prepared foods market in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and this is her second book.  She sort of seems like the South's answer to Ina Garten.  I plopped down on the store's overstuffed loveseat to look through the book.  Let me just say, it was everything I was looking for - beautiful pictures, menu recommendations, and suggestions for adapting recipes depending on the season.  I excitedly made my purchase and then spent the rest of the afternoon perusing the recipes trying to decide what to make for dinner.

This is the one I chose.  It's not the most daring recipe in the book but it did feature an ingredient that I've not used before - marjoram.  Naturally my idiot supermarket didn't have any, so I had to have Mark pick some up on his way home from work.  For those who don't know, marjoram is a member of the mint family and cousin to oregano but has a sweeter and more delicate flavor.

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup dry white wine

METHOD
RInse the chicken breasts and pat the skin dry with a paper towel.  Stuff 5 or 6 leaves under the skin of each breast and season with salt and pepper.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium high heat.  Place the chicken breasts skin side down, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the skin is crisp and golden and the edges are opaque, about 7 or 8 minutes.  Turn the chicken over, squeeze in the lemon juice and add the white wine.  Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for 8 to 10 more minutes.

I should have browned that one on the left a little more, right?

Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.  Meanwhile turn the heat back up to high and simmer until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency.  Serve the chicken warm with a little of the sauce spooned over.

I make chicken a lot using this same basic method.  It's kind of my go to meal - very reliably tasty and easy to cook.  So I sort of knew what to expect and I certainly wasn't disappointed.  The chicken was juicy and you can never go wrong with a lemon and white wine pan sauce.  The marjoram under the crispy skin was a very nice variation.  It's flavor echos the lemon in the sauce and it has a very distinct, pleasantly bitter taste.  The cookbook suggested serving the chicken with Roasted Spaghetti Squash and Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes and who was I to question this.

Serves 4.

Comments

[MM]

I've made this before & it is incredibly tasty for such an easy dish. However, I can't remember where I got the recipe but it's not from Fresh Every Day - probably one of my cookbooks from decades ago. Hmmm ...

[randi]

why can't i find the link to your archives?

[Grant]

My bad. Sorry about the missing archives. I've fixed it.

[Daria Sofiyeva]

Excellent!! I threw in some garlic powder too.

[Kumar McMillan]

I only had skinless chicken breasts so I cut some slits and stuffed in the marjorom, this seemed to work.

Also, I was out of white wine so I used 1 part white wine vinegar to 7 parts water (to substitute the cup). It turned out fairly sweet and was nice.

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