Flambé Tequila Chicken With Pine Nuts Recipes

LEMON PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Cool. Cut chicken crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well; transfer to large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Add chicken, snow peas, pine nuts and parsley; toss to incorporate all ingredients.
• Whisk lemon juice and mustard in medium bowl. Add remaining 3/4 cup oil in thin stream, whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss pasta with enough dressing to coat. (Can be made 3 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Toss before serving.)

CHICKEN FLAMBé

Steps:

• Sauté boned breasts in butter until just cooked through and tender, turning them to color both sides. White meat of chicken is very delicate and will cook quickly. Remove chicken to a deep, flameproof serving dish, or chafing dish. Add a little more butter to pan in which chicken was cooked and sauté shallots until just limp. Season with salt, pepper, ground cloves, and ginger. Stir in heavy cream mixed with egg yolks. Stir and cook very slowly over low heat until mixture coats the spoon. Do not overcook or the eggs will curdle. Taste for seasoning. Pour warmed cognac over chicken and ignite. While blazing, pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve with crisp shoestring potatoes and broiled mushrooms. With this, drink Chassagne Montrachet.

CHICKEN BRAISED WITH POTATOES AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken in one layer, heat the olive oil over high until shimmering. Season chicken pieces on the skin side with salt and pepper, then lay them in the pan, skin-side down. Adjust the heat so they sizzle but do not pop or scorch. Cook until skin is deeply browned and comes away easily from the pan, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Add onions, celery and garlic to the fat in the pot, season with salt and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with the wine and vinegar. Stir in 1/2 cup water, pine nuts, bay leaves, cloves and saffron (if using). Return the chicken pieces to the pan, and nestle them into the liquid, skin-side up.
• Cover tightly and let cook undisturbed over the lowest possible heat until cooked through, about 45 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, then add more water until the liquid barely covers the potatoes. If in doubt, use less; you can always add more. Cover again and cook another 20 minutes.
• When ready to serve, gently reheat. Taste the cooking liquid and season with salt, pepper and a drop more vinegar if needed. Stir in the kale and simmer, uncovered, until completely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter and parsley and serve, sprinkling each serving with more parsley.

SAUTEED CHICKEN WITH SPINACH, GARLIC, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Cook rice according to package directions. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and saute in batches, adding another tablespoon oil, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
• Add remaining tablespoon oil, garlic, and pepper flakes to pan. Cook spinach in batches, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
• To serve, top chicken with spinach and sprinkle with pine nuts and dollops of goat cheese. Squeeze with lemon and serve with rice.