The Chicklets are VERY excited to welcome our first guest, romantic suspense author J. S. Nichols. Her debut novel, Come Back to Me, will soon be available from Sapphire Blue Publishing. Learn more about her at jsnichols.net.
Hi Abigail & Lis’Anne! Thank you for inviting me to Chicks in the Kitchen. Although, I must confess, I’m more of a baker than a cook. While I’m known for my homemade Righteous Caramel Chocolate Brownies, I’ve only come up with one dinner recipe all on my own. And it only took a few ingredients.
Before I share the recipe, I want to tell you how I came up with it. Fourteen years ago, I lived in an apartment with my husband. Sparky and I had been married a few months. To be honest, we’d only known each other six months and three days before we married. In our whirlwind courtship we learned a lot about each other, including the fact my hubby is a FABULOUS cook.
Since I hated to cook, I thought I could keep him happy with my brownies. But one night, I think it was our three-month anniversary, I decided I wanted to impress him. So I spent the evening canvassing the refrigerator, cabinets and every cookbook in the house. After deciding not much in the cookbook sounded good, I decided to take a chance and throw something together.
As luck would have it, I started marinating the chicken when my husband announced he wanted to take me out for the night. A night out dancing or a night sweating over making my first meal…hmm, let me think. Yep, you guessed it! I went out. But the next night, he came home to my homemade dinner. As he ate, he asked repeatedly, “Are you sure you came up with this idea all on your own?”
Years later, it’s a running joke. But needless to say, I scored what I wanted. A very impressed husband. Sadly, I haven’t come up with such a wonder since. And it was the simplest recipe EVER! Still, it wins me points every time I make it.
So here it is, written as a dinner for two.
Raspberry Vinaigrette Chicken
Ingredients
Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or six tenders)
Smoked Gouda
Fat-free or low-fat, Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Pierce chicken with a fork then marinate in dressing in air-tight container for 24 hours. There are two ways to prepare it.
It’s best grilled but if you don’t have a grill, sear it in a pre-heated, non-stick pan for thirty-seconds to a minute on either side. Remove from heat.
Raspberry Vinaigrette Chicken
Add three tablespoons of dressing to the pan, place on cooled burner and simmer for 20 minutes flipping chicken half-way through cooking time. Using a meat thermometer, check that chicken arrived at correct temperature. (The longer the chicken marinates the pinker it will stay.)
Just before removing from heat, slice thin strips of Smoked Gouda and let partially melt.
It’s best served with steamed broccoli topped with caramelized onion and a baked potato although last night my husband wanted Au-Gratin. So that’s it! A recipe even a non-cook like me can be proud to show off.
Jess
http://jsnichols.net
So what about you? Have you ever cooked a meal to impress a loved one? How did it turn out?
