Amazing Apricot Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes and Green Beans, from Gael

Amazing Apricot Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes and Green Beans, from Gael

8-8-19, from Hello Fresh meal-kit delivery service. Yum, really good. The sauce is so delicious you could eat it with a spoon!

Hello Fresh says:
"Chicken breasts are a reliable go-to for dinner—easy to cook and pleasing to just about every palate. But let’s face it: they can be a little boring sometimes. Which is why we’ve enlisted the help of a lively sauce made with apricot jam: it coats each bite of meat in stone-fruit sweetness and even tastes great drizzled onto the potatoes and roasted green beans on the side."

12 oz Fingerling Potatoes
6 oz Green Beans
Shallot
2 Chicken Breasts (12 oz)
1 branch Thyme
2 T Apricot Jam
5 T Balsamic Vinegar
1-2 T Chicken Stock Concentrate

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. (Want to know the secret to extra toasty roasted potatoes? Leave your baking sheet in the oven while it preheats. When those spuds hit that hot surface, they’ll begin to sizzle and crisp.) Wash and dry all produce. Halve potatoes lengthwise. Toss on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast on top rack for 10 minutes (we’ll add more to the sheet then).

Once potatoes have roasted for 10 minutes, remove sheet from oven; toss and push potatoes to one side. Toss green beans on opposite side of sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Return to oven and roast until veggies are tender and crisped, 12-15 minutes.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels; season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side. Turn off heat; transfer to a cutting board to rest.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium heat. Add shallot and thyme. Cook, stirring, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add jam and the vinegar. Simmer until syrupy, 1 minute. Stir in 2 TBSP water (more if sauce too thick) and stock concentrate. Cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes (2-3 minutes for 4). Remove from heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter until melted.

Remove thyme from pan with sauce and discard. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Slice chicken
crosswise. Divide chicken, green beans, and potatoes between plates. Drizzle sauce over chicken and serve.

Rapid Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Kale in a Sage Brown Butter Sauce, from Gael (Hello Fresh)

Rapid Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Kale in a Sage Brown Butter Sauce, from Gael (Hello Fresh)

9 ounce Butternut Squash Pasta
8 ounce Kale
0.25 ounce Sage
1 Shallot
2 cloves Garlic
0.25 cup Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoon Butter
1 ounce Pine Nuts

1

Wash and dry all produce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Halve, peel, and thinly slice shallot into strands (from root end to stem end). Mince or grate garlic. Pick leaves from sage and discard stems. Roughly chop leaves.

2

Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add half the kale from the package (we sent extra) and shallot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until kale is wilted and tender, 4-6 minutes, tossing. Add garlic and another drizzle of olive oil and toss until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from pan and set aside.

3

Once water boils, add agnolotti to pot. Reduce heat slightly and bring water to a low boil. Cook agnolotti until tender and warmed through, 5-7 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

4

Add 2 TBSP butter to same pan used for kale over medium heat. Add sage and stir until butter is melted, starting to brown, and smells nutty, about 2 minutes.

5

Stir in agnolotti, kale mixture, and ¼ cup pasta water. Increase heat to high and let bubble until liquid is reduced by half, 2-3 minutes. (TIP: Add a splash of pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Gently stir in half the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6

Divide agnolotti mixture between plates. Sprinkle with pine nuts and remaining Parmesan.

Sesame Chicken Noodles with Crunchy Cabbage and a Chili Oil Drizzle, from Gael (Hello Fresh)

Sesame Chicken Noodles with Crunchy Cabbage and a Chili Oil Drizzle, from Gael (Hello Fresh)

Rob and I really enjoyed this Hello Fresh recipe from February 2017. I didn't like that they recommended to poach the chicken, I think grilling it might be better. Or if you have a deli chicken, shred that.

12 ounce Chicken Breast
2 unit Scallions
6 ounce Linguine
2 unit (4 T?) Peanut Butter
2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
3 unit (4 T?) Soy Sauce
2 tablespoon Pepperolio (this was a hot pepper sauce, maybe Sriracha would also work?)
0.5 ounce Honey
4 ounce Red Cabbage
2 clove Garlic
salt and pepper
2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). Fill a large pan ⅔ full of water and add a large pinch of salt (for chicken). Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add chicken, cover, and remove from heat. Set aside until chicken is no longer pink in center, about 15 minutes.
2
Wash and dry all produce. Mince 1 clove garlic (we sent more). Thinly slice scallions. Add linguine to pot of boiling water and cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes.
3
Meanwhile, whisk together peanut butter, garlic, vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 3 TBSP soy sauce, 2 tsp pepperolio (more or less to taste—it’s spicy), honey, 2 TBSP oil, and 2 TBSP water in a small bowl.
4
Remove chicken from pan and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces with your hands or two forks.
5
Drain linguine. Gently pat with paper towel and remove as much moisture as you can (it’s OK if the noodles are still a little wet). Toss with remaining sesame oil.
6
Toss linguine, chicken, red cabbage, and sesame peanut sauce in a large bowl until evenly coated. Divide between serving bowls and sprinkle with scallions. Drizzle with as much of the remaining pepperolio as you like.

Dukkah Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Sweet Potatoes, from Gael (Hello Fresh)

Dukkah Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Sweet Potatoes, from Gael (Hello Fresh)

Dukkah (pronounced DOO-kah) is a great way to bring the crunch. The Egyptian blend of crushed nuts, spices, and seeds is fine enough to sprinkle on like a seasoning, but it has enough rugged texture to keep it satisfyingly crisp. Here, it’s used two ways: to add a coating to butterflied chicken breasts and to bring an extra dash of flavor to roasted sweet potatoes.

Gael and Rob had this from Hello Fresh in February 2017 and really enjoyed it. Unsure where to buy Dukkah seasoning though.

12 ounce Chicken Breast

12 ounce Sweet Potato

1 tablespoon Dukkah seasoning

1 Lime

6 ounces Sugar Snap Peas

4 tablespoons Sour Cream 

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1

Wash and dry all produce. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sweet potato into ½-inch cubes. Toss on a baking sheet with half the dukkah, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in oven until sweet potato is tender and dukkah is golden brown, 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through.

2

Zest and halve lime. Mix sour cream, a pinch of lime zest, and a squeeze of lime juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 tsp water to thin. TIP: Add a splash more water if crema still seems thick—it should have a drizzly, saucy consistency.

3

With your hand on top of one chicken breast, cut ¾ of the way through, parallel to the cutting board, stopping before you slice it completely. Open up chicken like a book, cover with plastic wrap, and pound with a mallet or heavy pan until ½ inch thick. Repeat with other breast. Season all over with salt, pepper, and remaining dukkah.

4

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink in center and dukkah is browned but not burnt, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside to rest.

5

Heat another drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium heat. Add snap peas and toss until tender and lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6

Divide sweet potatoes between plates, then top with chicken and snap peas. Drizzle with citrus crema and serve.

Steak with Creamed Kale, by Gael (Hello Fresh)

Steak with Creamed Kale, from Gael (Hello Fresh)
Rob and I had this from Hello Fresh in February 2017 and loved it! Fun way to make kale, and the peppercorn sauce was delicious.

12 ounce Sirloin Steak
4 ounce Kale
12 ounce Yukon Potatoes
1 Shallot
4 tablespoon Sour Cream
0.5 ounce Black Peppercorns
1 unit Beef Stock Concentrate (tablespoon?)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon butter

Wash and dry all produce. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into ¾-inch-thick wedges. Remove and discard stems and ribs from kale. Chop or tear leaves into 1-inch pieces. Halve, peel, and mince shallot. Use a mallet or heavy pan to pound and crush peppercorns in their bag until coarsely ground.

Toss potatoes with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper on a baking sheet or baking dish. Roast in oven until tender and lightly browned, 30-35 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Melt 1 TBSP butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add kale and a splash of water. Cook until leaves are completely wilted and very tender, 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, keeping kale in pan.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. (Note from Gael: If the steak is thick, pound or slice it or the middle will never cook) Season steak all over with salt and pepper. Add to pan and cook to desired doneness, 4-7 minutes per side (took way longer than 7 per side and middle was still raw) Remove from pan and set aside to rest, 5 minutes.

Heat another drizzle of oil in same pan. Add shallot and ¼ tsp crushed peppercorns (more or less to taste). Cook until shallots are soft, 2-3 minutes. Add stock concentrate and ½ cup water. Scrape up any browned bits from pan. Bring to a simmer and let bubble until reduced by half, 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat, then stir in half the sour cream.

Return pan with kale to medium heat. When just warmed, remove from heat and stir in remaining sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Slice steak against the grain. Divide between plates and serve next to potatoes and kale. Drizzle with sauce.