Here it is, the end of the month and time for our first cookbook review! For our first review we decided to do the Williams-Sanoma: Chicken cookbook. This has become a staple in our house. In fact, every member of the Flint family has a copy of this cookbook in their house!
Our sample recipe for this month is:
Chicken Breasts with Cherry Tomatoes, Zucchini and Olives
2 Tbs olive oil
2 zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbs chopped shallot
2 C halved red and yellow cherry tomatoes or whole grape tomatoes
1/3 C pitted, coarsly chopped black olives
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves, pounded to an even thickness
1/2 C dry white wine or vermouth
1 1/2 C long grain white rice or Orzo, cooked according to package directions
(This time we did a few things differently to accommodate for what we had on hand. Here is what we switched out: Onion instead of shallot, cubed plum tomato instead of cherry, Chicken tenders instead of breasts and brown rice rather than white. Also, threw in some yellow squash that we needed to use.)
In a large non-stick frying pan, heat 1 Tbs of the oil over med-hi heat. Add the zucchini cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, olives and rosemary and cook until heated through but not collapsed, about 2 minutes. Season with S&P and transfer mixture to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 Tbs oil to the pan. Season the chicken with S&P. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides and firm when pressed in the centers, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Return the vegetables to the pan and cook for 1 minute to reheat, stirring once or twice. Transfer to a warm platter and top with the chicken breasts. Serve immediately with hot rice or orzo.
Serves 4
This recipe turned out exactly as expected. Besides our small tweaks that were to accommodate for what we had on hand, it turned out exactly as the recipe and picture predicted it would. I would say it was a success!
What we like about this Cookbook:
First of all, it is all about Chicken! What is not good about that? Chicken is, for sure, one of our go-to proteins around here. We also like that all of the recipes are written in a very readable, understandable way. They are easy to follow and have a lot of helpful hints throughout about ingredients and cooking techniques. Personally, I really appreciate that there is a picture to go with every recipe. Yes, I am one of those people ;) Also, most of the recipes are fairly easy to prepare, although there are a few more impressive dishes that take a little extra time, but it really helps to round out the selection of recipes. There is also a chapter at the end called "beyond chicken" that contains 7 recipes for things like turkey and duck. We also really enjoy that there is a helpful section at the back called "Chicken Basics" which, just like it sounds, helps by giving you some more in-depth cooking techniques that are common when cooking with chicken. One of the things we like most about this cookbook is that it uses a lot of common, basic ingredients. So, we usually don't have to spend a lot of money going out and buying last-minute things, because we tend to keep a lot of them around anyways. I have been thinking about it for a while now, and I really can't think of any real negatives to this book. They did a great job putting a little of everything into it and they have packed a ton of information into a small-ish book :)
Other recipes we have tried and liked from this book are: Fajitas, they are unique and by far our fave way to make them now... we also really like the Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Saltimbocca and Chicken Breasts with Chili Rub.
Well, there is our first cookbook review! I hope we covered all the bases... if you have been left with any questions or have any helpful tips for future reviews, please leave us a comment. Thanks for reading :)
Oh, and Kahlan approves too!!
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