L ifestyle /C ulture
Light but Warming Chicken Dinner
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
AS THE TEMPERATURE
drops, we naturally crave
heartier, warming foods. I’m all
for soups and braises and stews
and roasts, but sometimes we
need to deviate to lighter fare.

This dinner hits the mark
— as a braise, it is plenty warm
with a “soppable” gravy for
rice or bread, but it features
chicken, lemon and mint which
are ingredients and flavors that
swing to the fresher, lighter
side of the culinary spectrum.

Bonus if the mint is
homegrown: As a hardy herb
it can withstand fairly cold
temperatures, so there may still
be some lurking in your garden.

The recipe was described
to me by my friend Kate
Markowitz, who I’ve refer-
enced before. Her Sicilian
nonna wasn’t much of a cook
but served this dish as her
“go-to” for family gather-
ings. Markowitz swears that
it must be done with bone-in
thighs, but I had boneless
breasts on hand, so that’s what
I used. I don’t wish to argue
with family tradition (or my
culinarily-skilled friend), but
we thoroughly enjoyed the
results. The cabbage elevates this
winter vegetable to a new
level. It is kind of sweet, due
to the lengthy spell in the
sauté pan for caramelization;
it has a little char for flavor and
texture, and the addition of
vinegar at the end adds a zing
of acid that delivers the perfect
balance. I’ve made it with both
red and green cabbage, and
both worked beautifully.

SICILIAN CHICKEN ALLA
MARKOWITZ Serves 4
For the boneless breasts,
I cooked this for about 40
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM YelenaYemchuk / iStock / Getty Images Plus
minutes; depending on what
you use, you may need more
time in the oven. And if you
prefer a “super-tender falling
apart” result, cook it on 300
degrees F covered, and leave
it in the oven for 90 minutes,
checking occasionally to
ensure that there is enough
liquid to continue braising.

1½ pounds boneless chicken
or 2 pounds bone-in
pieces 1 tablespoon oil
Salt and pepper to taste
(be generous)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Zest of one lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
¾ cup chicken broth
⅓ cup white wine
1 handful fresh mint leaves,
coarsely chopped (about
⅔ cup)
Heat your oven to 350
degrees F.

In a large, ovenproof skillet,
heat the oil. Salt and pepper the
chicken pieces, and sear them
in the pan on all sides. Remove
the chicken from the heat, and
add onion, garlic, zest, salt and
pepper. Sauté until fragrant.

Add the lemon juice, chicken
broth and wine, and bring it to
a boil. Remove the pan from
the heat, return the chicken to
the pan, spoon the liquid over
the chicken and place the pan
in the oven. Bake for about 40
minutes or until done. Remove
the chicken from the oven, cover
it with chopped mint and serve.

CARAMELIZED AND
CHARRED CABBAGE
Serves 4
This sounds contradictory —
caramelizing is a low-and-slow
JEWISH EXPONENT
method of cooking that brings
out the sugars in a food.

Charring is the polar opposite, a
high-heat application. But when
you fuse the two techniques,
something magical happens.

The recipe below is vegan/
pareve, but if you are serving
a dairy meal, add a couple of
tablespoons of butter to the oil
for an even more sublime dish.

A note on the vinegar: I
used apple cider for this, and
it was wonderful, but any type
of vinegar would work; it’s just
there to counter the sweetness
and balance out the flavor.

½ a large head of cabbage,
sliced into ribbons
1-2 tablespoons oil (enough
to coat skillet)
Generous pinch salt,
generous grinding fresh
cracked pepper
2 teaspoons vinegar
In a large skillet, heat the
oil (and butter, if using) and
add salt and pepper. Add the
cabbage and, using tongs, turn
it over, and allow it to sear
and char in a few spots. Lower
the heat, and continue cooking
slowly for about 30 minutes,
turning over every so often to
ensure even cooking.

When the cabbage is
completely wilted, reduced and
very soft, remove it from the
heat and add the vinegar. Stir
well and serve. l
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DECEMBER 16, 2021
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