Salt n' Pepa (Shoop)
I have an extremely jam-packed spice cabinet. I'm pretty sure I was the only college kid (outside of culinary school) who had cumin, coriander and herbes du provence sitting in her kitchen...and used them regularly.
I love heavily spiced food, not just in the traditional "spicy" sense but in the inherently flavorful sense. It's one of the reasons I love ethnic food so much. Nothing fried compares to the unbelievable depth of flavors in Ethiopian cooking or the brilliant, subtle back-burn of the many Asian curries.
That being said, sometimes it's the old standards that are my anchors when cooking: salt and pepper. When you're going for a light, clean flavor without too much pomp and circumstance these two basics are invaluable. Recipes like this that are light on the spices and heavy on the flavorful ingredients are also great for people who don't have as developed a spice rack as a nutjob like me who has to be literally dragged away from Sur Le Table.
This salt and pepper chicken is a fantastic summer dish -- it's light, refreshing and comes together quicker than you can say "star anise."
I personally like to make the goat cheese and parsley salad a little bit spicy because lord knows I am weak in the face of crushed red peppers but that choice is up to you. Also feel free to serve this over brown rice instead of orzo if you're calorie conscious but I prefer the orzo, dressed with a tiny splash of good olive oil.
Make sure you use Italian parsley, also known as flat-leaf parsley, for this dish. It's got a stronger flavor than curly-leaf parsley and that's exactly what you want. If you're not a goat cheese fan, try substituting feta or grilled haloumi. There's pretty much no way you can mess this dinner up...and it makes a great cold salad the day after.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut into fillets
1/2 c. goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 c. Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. crushed reds
1/4 c. EVOO plus 1 -2 tbs.
2 c. cooked orzo
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Generously season the chicken fillets with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1 tbs. of EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes a side (depending on thickness). Set aside.
2. While the chicken is cooking, combine the goat cheese, parsley, crushed reds and olive oil in a small bowl. Stir well to combine, until the olive oil has been completely incorporated.
3. Serve the chicken over the orzo with a dollop of the parsley and goat cheese salad on top.
