Holy Chicken Batman

Yesterday I started prepping for Lily's Spring Dinner on Saturday

I made parsnip puree for the flan, buttermilk ice cream and

cut up 20 Old Ackley Farm chickens for the

braised thighs on the menu

I'll marinate and roast the legs for easy snacks in the freezer
and package up the wings in baker dozens
and the breasts in fours for future meals

I loved the work, in a quiet space, listening to music

(I hope they really couldn't see me dancing from Peter's workshop)

and cooking.  Every now and then I'd need a change of scenery

and this is what I can see from my back kitchen window

How cool is that?  I really do live in a thriving fishing village in Maine.

Dream come true - over and over -

It was late when I returned home, my kitchen aid ice cream

maker thingy just didn't work, so I had to stir the ice cream in a bowl

in the freezer intermittently for hours - thankfully I knew I could

do this after reading it on someone's blog, or I would

have panicked.

Anyway, Renee had brought home these wonderful little white

turnips that are starting to show up and I whipped up a

quick supper, using - what else - boneless chicken breasts!

It came out tasty and I thought I'd share the recipe 

Chicken Cutlets with Spring Herbs and White Turnips

2 -3 boneless chicken breasts, flatten out to 1/2 inch thickness

(I put the breasts in between plastic wrap in a single layer

and use the side of a hammer to flatten them - not a lot of kitchen gadgetry here)

Kosher salt

1 bunch of small white turnips, 

cut the turnips from the stem leaving about an half inch of stem,

 remove the little roots and cut in quarters

I used the greens too, cut the stem off and julienned them

1 T fresh chopped winter savory

This is truly an herb you should have in your garden, or yard

it is a perennial and very hardy and tastes like a cross between

rosemary and thyme

1 T fresh chopped parsley

A sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, I love Aleppo

1 T minced preserved lemon or some fresh lemon juice

about 1/2 cup white wine

Water as needed

Heat a skillet over med high heat and add some olive oil

salt the chicken with kosher salt and when the oil is nice and hot, add to the pan 

Sear on both sides to give it some color and flavor, remove from pan 

and set aside - you don't have to cook it all the way thru -

In same hot pan, add the turnips, greens and red pepper flakes with a bit of kosher salt

Cook until greens are wilted and turnips start to take on some color

Add the chicken back to the pan, with the preserved lemon or a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice, sprinkle the herbs on top

and pour in the white wine

Allow this to simmer gently until the chicken is cooked thru and the

turnips are crisp tender,  about 8 minutes

You may need to add a bit of water if the pan starts to dry out

taste for salt

ready to serve

I had some parsnip puree from earlier and served the chicken over that, but

mashed potato, regular or sweet, would work nicely too

You all enjoy your weekend and I'll let you know how the dinner goes

Have fun!

Kyra