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chicken, orzo and peas
Mar. 18th, 2010 11:20 amLast night, as a combination of what the poll said and what sounded good to me, I made the baked chicken with a Chinese black vinegar glaze, the orzo pilaf, and the minted peas.
None of them really merit a recipe. I made the glaze with 1/4 cup black vinegar and 2 tbsp brown sugar; the black vinegar (which is, I believe, a fermented vinegar) had a lovely complex flavor, faintly reminiscent of Worcestershire sauce. I brined the chicken (bone-in, skin-on) and then baked it at 350F, painting it with the glaze toward the end of cooking. It didn't come out perfectly: the glaze started to scorch before the skin had crisped properly. Were I to do it again, I'd paint the glaze on the underside of the chicken and under the skin but not on the skin until the skin was fully crisped, and then I'd paint it with glaze and give it five minutes to caramelize before I pulled it out. But the flavor combination was quite tasty.
The orzo I made risotto-style, starting with caramelized onions, adding the orzo, and then adding chicken broth a half-cup at a time until it was, well, done.
The minted peas were just a small knob of butter and a cup or so of frozen peas in a small saucepan, heated over medium with frequent shaking, until the peas were warm through and the butter had melted, and then adding a handful of chopped mint and shaking over medium heat until wilted, about two more minutes.
None of them really merit a recipe. I made the glaze with 1/4 cup black vinegar and 2 tbsp brown sugar; the black vinegar (which is, I believe, a fermented vinegar) had a lovely complex flavor, faintly reminiscent of Worcestershire sauce. I brined the chicken (bone-in, skin-on) and then baked it at 350F, painting it with the glaze toward the end of cooking. It didn't come out perfectly: the glaze started to scorch before the skin had crisped properly. Were I to do it again, I'd paint the glaze on the underside of the chicken and under the skin but not on the skin until the skin was fully crisped, and then I'd paint it with glaze and give it five minutes to caramelize before I pulled it out. But the flavor combination was quite tasty.
The orzo I made risotto-style, starting with caramelized onions, adding the orzo, and then adding chicken broth a half-cup at a time until it was, well, done.
The minted peas were just a small knob of butter and a cup or so of frozen peas in a small saucepan, heated over medium with frequent shaking, until the peas were warm through and the butter had melted, and then adding a handful of chopped mint and shaking over medium heat until wilted, about two more minutes.