I got this recipe fromRunning Off The Reeses, who got it fromSmitten Kitchen, who adapted it fromNigella Lawson. It’s quickly become my favorite chicken recipe of the moment, as the result is chicken that’s juicy, tangy, sweet, savory, and crispy. I’ve made it at least about six times since discovering the recipe just a couple months ago.
Ingredients:
2 cups buttermilk 5 cloves garlic (diced, chopped, or smashed, whatever) 1 tbsp kosher salt 1 tbsp sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika freshly ground black pepper 6 chicken thighs, or about 3 chicken breasts, or about 3 chicken thighs and 4-5 drumsticks, etc., preferably with bones and skin
Directions:
Nigella’s version only has you marinate the chicken for a few hours, but Smitten Kitchen’s says to marinate for 24-48 hours. I think 24 hours is perfect.
Mix all ingredients together in a container or ziploc bag. Refrigerate overnight.
Remove from refrigerator a few hours before cooking, if possible. Preheat oven to 425.
Arrange chicken in a baking dish. I like my roasting pan for this. Sprinkle extra paprika on top.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. If the skin isn’t browned and crispy at the end, turn on the broiler for a 3-5 minutes.
My friend Joyce’s family has chickens, and she’s been hooking me up with some eggs. Dudes. These eggs are so much better than any other eggs I’ve ever had. The yolks are super dark orange. They taste incredible. They are multi-colored, and come in different shapes and sizes.
One of them even had a feather stuck to it.
Cheese.
Joyce and I went to Donner Pass last weekend. You know, the place where you may only make it out alive if you chow down on an unsuspecting fellow pioneer. To prevent this scenario we spent $178 on just three bags of groceries, and that didn’t even include the wine we had already brought. Our spoils included three cheeses, two kinds of crackers, cherry preserves and orange blossom honey.
If you have never seen the show, it has one of the greatest title sequences ever. The message conveyed is, “This man is a stone cold killer, but also appreciates a nice dark roast in the morning.”
Though I love to watch his breakfast routine, I must say Dexter’s culinary skills give me a little anxiety.
I presume this is some kind of ham with a breakfast orientation. Why is he cutting the package open this way? I have problems with this, as he is not only cutting through the plastic, but also scoring the meat. This is unnecessary and may compromise the integrity and juiciness of this innocent ham. Additionally, if he plans to save some of this meat for later, he’s now got a totally sliced-up plastic baggie that will do nothing to keep out the nastiness that lurks in fridges. There are few flavors worse than “refrigerator.” Already this is almost more terrifying than the Ice Truck Killer.
Next, we see about a tablespoon of obviously cold butter hit a metal pan with a loud hiss. The pan is clearly way too hot for the butter, and this stresses me out. That butter would burn immediately and smell absolutely disgusting in about twenty seconds. Unacceptable.
The meat goes in next. Okay, assuming you aren’t dropping your meat into blackened butter, I can get behind that. But then he picks up the meat by sticking his knife INTO it. Oh, Dexter. That is not how it’s done. Déclassé! Then again, he does consume it with a rather primitive zeal, so knock yourself out, I guess.
Next, he cracks an egg over a sharp surface. This also distresses me, as I’m here to tell you that you do NOT need to do that. You’re actually more likely to end up with shell in the final product that way, or, like Dexter, with major egg white spillage. Just crack your eggs against a counter instead. That’s one of thethings I learned in fake culinary school.
Oh, and also? Get a manicure, bro. Or maybe just make friends with a nail file and some lotion.
Now the egg is in the pan, and that pan, again, is way too hot. Already I can see that part of the white is overcooked while other parts are raw. I have a feeling that when Dexter goes to eat this, the inside of the yolk is still going to be cold, and cold yolk is kind of gross. I speak from experience.
Okay, now that looks okay. Phew. Not a perfect egg, but it’s cooked decently enough. Now I can sleep at night.
Dexter adds hot sauce. While not my style, I can get behind this. Tabasco? Cholula? I wonder what kind of hot sauce the Floridians embrace.
Now we’re grinding some beans. That, I must say, is hardcore. I’ve been considering taking the coffee grinder plunge too, so passionate am I about my morning brew.
And now . . .
the press! I love this part. I will think of Dexter in the morning when I, too, am French pressing.
Now, Dexter has chosen an inappropriate kitchen utensil for the task of slicing an orange. Serrated knives, I’m told, are good for two things: bread and tomatoes. Then again, the man is a serial killer. Perhaps a regular old chef’s knife just doesn’t bring the drama. To each his own, and all that.
And of course . . . it’s a blood orange. Menacing.
But I have to ask. Did Dexter just squeeze and drink the juice of one blood orange? I’m fairly sure that would produce approximately 1/4 cup of juice. Additionally, I don’t think blood orange juice would be very tasty. Right? Not that I even know.
Furthermore, I always thought the reason for the orange was because the show takes place in Florida. However, my research tells me that the color of blood oranges is produced by anthocyanins, which are present in blood oranges when they are grown in a place that becomes cool at night. Florida blood oranges, apparently, are lighter in color, since it doesn’t become cool enough overnight for the deep red colors to develop. So all that is to say that the blood orange Dexter is consuming is probably not actually from Florida.
Like a responsible serial killer, Dexter flosses right after breakfast.
And then gives us the creepiest look ever.
And finally, at the end, my favorite part. You know the one.
When is Dexter back, anyway? I must know what happens with his sister.
