Okay, perhaps I am taking things a touch far. After all, the fires are finally moving towards containment (38% contained as of this morning!) and it's more like 90 degrees in lieu of 100, but still. 'Round about this time of year I start getting cranky about the fact that it gets so hot in my office that I usually have to shower and change my clothes at least once during the afternoon, sometimes more. And the fact that the air quality is still so bad that I haven't been able to swim for over a week--despite actually having time in my schedule--does not do much to assuage the grumpiness.
What does assuage the grumpiness, however, is my cousin Diane's Apricot Chicken Divine (like that segue? I thought so). Diane is one of the many second-twelfth-thirteenth cousins 45 times removed that really is more like an aunt but I guess isn't that my family loves to have. That is to say, Diane and Art are my dad's cousins (well, Art is my dad's cousin, Diane is his wife). They have kids (Joanna & Jason) that are around my age and functioned like cousins (which is good, because that is what they are). When I was very young, like 11, Joanna and I went through a phase where we hung out a bit, and did some sleepovers and stuff at her house. Over 20 years later, I am still left with the indelible impression that their house is very cool and that if I had to pick a Massachusetts suburb to live in it would be Concord.
For their part, Diane and Art are pretty cool customers. In an effort to buck the stereotype, both are actually rather tall and like to do things like go on bicycle tours for their vacations. I know, it's crazy, but I checked their papers and I swear they really are Jewish. Diane has always rocked this rather fantastic Jackie-o type look, and Art enjoys torturing me with witty questions like, 'So, should I leave next summer open in case there are any grand-nieces and nephews to visit?!' and then giggling maniacally while he gleefully proclaims his innocence. 'What? I just need to plan my calendar ha ha ha!'
In return, my mother enjoys cornering him at family events and informing him why we are all going to die because Obama sodomizes cats or whatever else she just heard on Fox news, which she suddenly watches. For now I think it's Art's karmic comeuppance, so it's fine, but pretty soon I think my mother is going to have to lose TV privileges.
Anyhow, back to Apricot Chicken Divine, which is Diane's fave recipe for giving for this sort of thing. I know this because she not only gave it to me, but she also gave it to my cousin Sara for her wedding recipe book (which I just completed! Huzzah!), along with a note saying it won some dining hall recipe competition at Colby when my cousin Joanna was there.
As college-student-approved, Diane-selected recipe, I had decent hopes, and they were not let down. Apricot Chicken Divine was both easy and pretty foolproof. I know this because I didn't screw it up. That is, save for the fact that it calls for 8 skinless chicken breasts and thinking I was buying the economy pack, I instead got 4 enormous ones. But I just decided that since each of those was basically equivalent to 2 normal chicken breasts, the proportions were okay anyhow. The chicken was oddly juicy (how did this happen?), and I'm not even a big chicken fan. The sauce--a mixture of apricot preserves, Dijon mustard and yogurt--revealed each of its flavors distinctly, lightly, and nicely.
Yargh! We are monster chicken. These our monster breasts. Yargh!Oddly, Josh only proclaimed it only 'okay,' on the grounds that it was 'too salty,' which is insane because there is very little salt in it. And it's not salty. I'm overriding him and declaring it 'good' and 'a recipe I will make again and recommend you do, too'--another hard-earned thumbs up from me. I think Josh might just be having recipe book fatigue, because he has been declaring most things only 'okay' these days. I think he needs a change of pace. Maybe he'll feel better once the fires are out.
Diane's Colby-Dorm-Award-Winning Apricot Chicken Divine
(originally from Eater's Choice Cookbook)
1 tb olive oil
8 skinned chicken breast halves (or 4 gargantuan ones by accident)
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 tsp salt (kosher!)
1/3-1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 tb Dijon mustard
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt (Hahaha, oh Diane, you are hilarious. Full-fat yogurt.)
2 tb slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 375 F. Ignore the fact that this recipe could easily be halved because as it is the portions (for everything but the chicken) look so modest that it pains you to do so. Make the serving for 8, which guarantees enough leftovers that you will have chicken coming out your ears. And other orifices.
Cover bottom of a shallow baking pan with olive oil. Think, 'Really? Only 1 tb for this whole pan?' Maybe cheat and throw on some more.
Meanwhile, shake chicken in a plastic bag filled with flour and salt until chicken is coated. Worry that your enormous chicken breasts are going to soak up all the flour & salt coating and you will run out, which does not happen. Worry that salmonella is going to get all over your kitchen and give everyone food poisoning death, which also does not happen.
Place chicken in a single layer in the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes.
Combine apricot preserves, mustard and yogurt. Spread apricot mixture on chicken and bake for 30 minutes more or until done. Just before serving, brown almonds lightly in toaster oven, which Josh hates for no good reason--the oven not the almonds--and constantly asks if you can have a regular toaster. Sprinkle almonds over chicken and serve over rice. Eat while forcing Josh to watch yet another Mad Men episode. Enjoy!
This is truly, one of my favorite recipes. It’s from a book called “Choose to Lose” It is delicious.
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