Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [167]
Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
Remove the breasts from the marinade with all the spices adhering. Place bone side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Brush the vinegar evenly over the breasts without knocking off the spices. Continue baking until well browned, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast registers 165°F (our preference) or 170°F (the USDA recommendation), 8 to 10 more minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. If desired, skim and discard any visible fat from the pan juices and spoon the juices over the chicken when serving.
Variations: Either add with or substitute for the rosemary: 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves, 3 tablespoons finely chopped oregano leaves, or 2 tablespoons stemmed thyme.
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Rubbed and Roasted Breasts
Begin with a half-recipe of the Cajun Dry Rub, Jerk Dry Rub, or Pepper Dry Rub for the Roast Turkey Breast. Rub the bone-in breasts (skin on or off) with a little canola oil, then pat this spice mixture onto the breasts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165°F (our preference) or 170°F (the USDA recommendation). Brined chicken breasts would make even more succulent fare, but omit the salt from the rub mixture.
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Bone-In, Boneless, Skin-On, Skinless
In truth, bone-in and boneless breasts make all the difference in a recipe—do not substitute one for the other. But skin-on or skinless? It makes a much smaller difference, especially if the meat has been marinated or rubbed, mostly just a difference in terms of the higher fat content of skin-on breasts. Bone-in breasts are sometimes sold with a little flab of ribs hanging off one side; slice this off for aesthetics, if you wish.
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Couscous-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
The natural pocket in a chicken breast between the thicker section of meat and the so-called “tender” cries out for an aromatic stuffing—like the one here, with a Moroccan-inspired mixture of scallions, thyme, raisins, and couscous. Makes 6 servings
1½ cups chicken broth
1 cup couscous
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
½ cup raisins, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus additional for greasing the pan
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Six 10-to 12-ounce bone-in skin-on or skinless chicken breasts
6 tablespoons warm water
¼ cup Fig Jam, homemade or purchased; orange marmalade; or a purchased shallot-onion marmalade
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. Stir in the couscous, cover, and set aside off the heat for 5 minutes.
Mix the shallot, raisins, olive oil, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, cinnamon, coriander, and the pepper into the couscous. Cool for 10 minutes.
Cut the breasts in half the short way, cutting a bit on the diagonal through the thickest part of the meat so that both halves end up about the same size. Run your thumb along the cut meat—you’ll discover a natural pocket where the fibers separate into the firmer breast meat and the so-called “tender.” Insert a sharp paring knife into this natural rift and slice open a small pocket without cutting all the way through the breast in any direction. Gently pry the pocket open with your fingers, then pack it with ¼ cup of the couscous stuffing.
Position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet. Place the breasts slit side down on it (with the visible stuffing in the pocket against the bottom of the pan).
Whisk the warm water, jam or marmalade, ginger,