With the way I love meatballs, this food holiday is deserving of a celebration.

A Meatball Palooza if you will.

I have so many meatball recipes to share (and several I’ve yet to create) that we’ll need days to properly honor those perfectly packaged bundles of love.

I shall call this celebration March Meatball Madness and share a meatball recipe every day for the remainder of the month.

We shall begin with Chicken Marsala Meatballs.

Let me just put it to you straight.

If you love Classic Chicken Marsala you’re going to love those flavors rolled into tender savory meatballs.

I mean luuuuv them!!

In order to keep the meatballs soft and tender, I combine all the ingredients except the chicken first, then gently fold that mixture into the ground chicken.

Overworking the meatballs can make them tough.

Baking ground chicken meatballs is my preferred method. When the mixture is quite soft and these meatballs are large (2″ diameter) they do better in the oven. I baked them at 400 degree F. for 15 minutes to firm them up a bit before pan browning them in butter and sage.

Earlier today when I passed a Chicken Marsala Meatball over the fence to Ms. Pat {share the love}, she gave me a lovely complement on my mushrooms.

She said, “I don’t know how you do it but your mushrooms are always incredible.”

The truth is I work a little harder for just that reason.

If you take the time to pan brown your mushrooms in a single layer (remember Julia Child’s advice “never crowd the mushrooms”) they will caramelize and take on the most incredible texture.

No mushy mushrooms here.

You will brown the mushrooms on both sides then remove them from the pan. You’ll add them back near the end of preparation.

I apply this method to most every recipe that incorporates mushrooms.

For the Marsala Pan Sauce, I add butter, shallot, and garlic to the pan and sauté until the shallot is soft.

The Marsala wine is added, then allowed to cook down until reduced by at least half.

Marsala wine comes in a variety of finishes. They range from sweet to dry and are not created equally.

During a trip to Sicily we were able to visit the wonderful coastal town of Marsala and sample several varieties, ranging from very sweet to a wonderful dry marsala that’s perfect for making Chicken Marsala.

Below are a few pictures from our visit to Marsala.

Once the Marsala is incorporated, good rich chicken stock is added with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Once that comes to a simmer I dust it with a little arrowroot (for gluten free version) or flour to thicken it just a bit.

Then the mushrooms are returned to the pan along with a little cream and the browned meatballs.

Let the meatballs gently simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes or so before serving.

I chose to serve these meatballs over spaghetti but they would be fabulous over egg noodles or cauliflower rice.

Every tender bite is bursting with hints of marsala and buttery sage. I am so in love with these Chicken Marsala Meatballs. I can’t wait for you to try them and let me know what you think!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook!

All my best, Libby

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Chicken Marsala Meatballs

Every tender bite is bursting with hints of marsala and buttery sage.

Course Entree or Appetizer

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (or GF Panko)
• 1/3 cup pecorino romano cheese grated
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tablespoons cream
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley fine chopped
• 1 Tablespoon dry Marsala wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic & herb seasoning recipe on blog

For the Marsala Pan Sauce

• 4 Tablespoons butter divided
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 16 ounces fresh button mushrooms sliced
• 1 bunch of fresh sage 8-10 leaves
• 1 shallot fine diced, about 1/4 cup
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 cup marsala wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tablespoons flour or arrowroot (for gluten free)
• 2 Tablespoons cream
• salt & pepper to taste

For Serving

• 1 pound spaghetti prepared al dente
• fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl combine breadcrumbs, Romano cheese, egg, cream, parsley, marsala wine, salt, pepper, garlic & herb seasoning. Fold mixture into ground chicken until just combined. Form into 12 meatballs, about 2 inches in diameter, place onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

For the Marsala Pan Sauce

• While meatballs are baking, pan brown mushrooms in batches using large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 Tbl. butter & 1 Tbl. olive oil, adding additional butter/olive oil with each batch. Once deep golden brown, remove mushrooms from pan and reserve. In same skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tbl. butter with fresh sage leaves. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Remove sage leaves and reserve as edible garnish.
• Remove meatballs from oven and add to skillet with sage butter; cook until nicely browned on all sides. Remove from pan and reserve.
• Add shallot and garlic to pan and saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until shallot is tender. Return the mushrooms to pan, add marsala wine and simmer until reduced by at least half. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil then dust with flour/arrowroot whisking until slightly thickened. Stir in the cream, then return meatballs to sauce to heat through.

For Serving

• Cook spaghetti al dente and divide into four bowls. Top each bowl with 3 meatballs, a generous serving of pan sauce and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

The post Chicken Marsala Meatballs for National Meatball Day! appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Our Butternut Squash, Apple & Sage Stuffed Turkey Tenderloin smiles of Autumn Thyme.  Fresh ingredients that play so nicely together.  I made this dish for the sole purpose of portioning out lunches for the week.  However I’m certain it will become another favorite weeknight meal.

I’ve shared several Turkey Tenderloin recipes and each time I’ve used Jennie-O All-Natural Turkey Tenderloins.  They are always delicious, juicy, and naturally low in calories and fat.

Butternut Squash, Apple & Sage Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins are the perfect balance of savory and sweet.  Mostly savory, with a nice apple sweet tartness.  I made this dish on Sunday, shared it with my Healthy Choices buddy on Monday and Wednesday for lunch.  It was just as moist and flavorful then as it was straight from the oven.

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Parmesan & Herb Savory French Toast {with Balsamic Onion Jam} is just one more reason I’m addicted to breakfast foods.  Fresh herb flavors with a bit of nutty parmesan went so well with the slightly sweet onion jam.  Let fresh herbs elevate the flavors in your dishes while you take full credit for the results.

Savory French Toast is such a nice variation on a classic breakfast favorite.  Simply replace hints of cinnamon & sugar with herbs & aromatics.

Whisk finely chopped herbs into eggs and cream.  Add favorite seasonings. I’m a huge fan of Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning.  It brings a wonderful savory burst of flavor without adding unwanted sodium.  Allow your bread slices to soak up as much liquid as possible before pan frying.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for a wonderful crispy edge.

I paired our Parmesan & Herb Savory French Toast with Balsamic Onion Jam.  Sweet red onions, slowly reduced with a sprinkle of brown sugar and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  I used my favorite blueberry balsamic but any flavor would be wonderful.

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Parmesan & Herb Savory French Toast {with Balsamic Onion Jam}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the balsamic onion jam…

• 1 small red onion diced
• 1 tsp. butter
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbl. brown sugar
• 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar

For the French toast…

• butter for pan frying
• 4 slices bread
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup cream
• 2 Tbl. fresh herbs finely chopped (we used lemony thyme, sage, parsley and chives)
• 1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

For the balsamic onion jam…

• Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add brown sugar and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook an additional 2 minutes.

For the French toast…

• Whisk together eggs, cream, herbs and seasoning. Dredge bread slices in egg mixture turning several times until each slice is soaked.
• Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add soaked bread slices, sprinkle tops of each slice with about 1 Tbl. of parmesan cheese. Pan fry until golden brown. Turn slices, sprinkle each with additional parmesan cheese. Pan try until golden brown.
• Serve topped with a spoonful of balsamic onion jam, sprinkle of parmesan, and fresh snipped chives.

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Mushroom, Sausage & Sage Quinoa Stuffing.

I could make a meal out of stuffing.  In fact I’m sure I have on more than one occasion.  This particular recipe was exceptional.  It had some key ingredients like lots of celery, carrots, and onion.  But it also had some special flavor boosting components.

To begin I browned off some ground sausage, followed by sliced mushrooms and set them aside.  Next came a good amount of butter and a few sprigs of fresh sage and thyme.  I allowed the herbs to infuse the butter before adding lots of diced carrots, onion, and celery.  Once they were tender I added in some minced garlic and sautéed for another minute.

Because we make roast chicken dinners nearly every week we always have tubs of frozen chicken stock in the freezer.  I thawed about 4 cups of broth and added it to our veggie mixture to come to a boil.  At that point turned off the heat, removed the sprigs of sage and thyme, and added in my cubed crusty bread.  Voila stuffing.

It was good, really good.  Yet there was no reason not to include a couple cups of cooked quinoa that was taking up space in the fridge.  It became great, really great.  Voila great stuffing.

Mushroom, Sausage & Sage Quinoa Stuffing.  There’s a chicken waiting for you.

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Mushroom, Sausage & Sage Quinoa Stuffing

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. ground pork sausage
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 4 Tbl. butter
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh sage
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 3 celery ribs diced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 multi-grain baguette large cubed & toasted (about 5 cups)
• 2 cups cooked quinoa prepared according to package instructions
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Slice baguette into 1-inch cubes. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Test for crunch and bake an addition 5-10 minutes if necessary.
• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, brown sausage and remove to drain. Add mushrooms and allow to caramelize over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Reserve with sausage.
• Add butter and herb sprigs to pan over low heat; sauté for 5 minutes. Add onion, carrots, and celery to pan and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and remove herb sprigs. Gently fold in toasted bread cubes and cooked quinoa. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• Pour stuffing into a 2 quart buttered casserole or use to stuff a whole roasting chicken.
• If serving as a casserole, bake stuffing at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If stuffing a chicken, see recipe link in post.

The post Mushroom, Sausage & Sage Quinoa Stuffing appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Savory Veggie & Herb Egg White Taquitos.  And Sunday Brunch or Monday lunch, straight from ingredients already in our fridge and pantry.

Typically when I think of ‘Wraps’ I think of a sandwich alternative that consists of meats, cheeses or veggies that are rolled up into a convenient handheld package.  Taquitos are that kind of wonderful.

Working with ingredients you already have on hand makes them even tastier.  In our case we always have onion and it generally is the start of most of our savory dishes.  Fresh herbs when available are a great way to elevate the flavor, especially when working with veggies.  We happened to have a few cooked new potatoes, fresh mushrooms, and butternut squash in the fridge as well.

Once sautéed until tender, I poured in just enough egg whites to cover the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkled the mixture with crumbled goat cheese, sliced scallions, salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning.  Once the egg whites were set, I filled three flour tortillas with the mixture, rolled them tightly and secured them with a tooth pick.

I lightly coated the taquitos with olive oil spray then baked them at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool slightly before serving, then off you go….breakfast (or lunch) in hand.  Not to mention that each Savory Veggie & Herb Egg White Taquitos clocks in at under 300 calories.  That’s something we can take with us into the New Year!!

You might also enjoy our bacon, egg, cheese, and hash brown Breakfast Taquitos.

The post Savory Veggie & Herb Egg White Taquitos appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Lemony Thyme is certainly a favorite herb around here, but her sister Sage is a close second.  I love this recipe from Nigella Lawson for Sage and Onion Roasted Chicken & Sausage.  We’ve lightly adapted it to use boneless chicken breasts, turkey sausages, and we include potatoes to round out the dish.

The lemon and fresh sage combine to bring the wonderful marinade to life.  Allow the ingredients to marinade in the refrigerator overnight, or up to two days for maximum flavor.  Then bring the mixture to room temperature before roasting.  This one-pan meal is perfect for year round entertaining.  The aromas dancing through your kitchen as Sage Roasted Chicken & Sausage {with Potatoes & Onions} roast will have them gathered round the table.

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Sage Roasted Chicken & Sausage {with Potatoes & Onions}

Prep Time 12 hours hours

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 12 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Nigella Lawson

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into large chunks
• 1 large onion cut into eighths
• 2-3 medium potatoes large diced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbl. dried sage
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lemon cut into quarters
• 5 Jennie-O Italian Turkey sausages
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves chopped
• 5-6 fresh sage leave whole

Instructions

• Put first nine ingredients, through the lemon into a large zipper bag. Gently squeeze the lemons and work the mixture. Marinade in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature in its marinade.
• Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting pan with the marinade, including all the bits and pieces, and tuck the sausages around them. Sprinkle the fresh sage leaves over the chicken and sausages, then cook for 45 minutes. Turn the sausages over half way through to color them evenly

The post Sage Roasted Chicken & Sausage {with Potatoes & Onions} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The key to really good Potato Pancakes is starting with really good mashed potatoes.  THE BEST Mashed Potatoes.  Hand mashed boiled potatoes with roasted garlic, buttermilk, fresh herbs, butter, salt and pepper turn into bites of heaven.  So naturally these Herbed Potato Pancakes are quite heavenly themselves.

Form cold leftover mashed potatoes into pancake patties.  Dip both sides of each patty in seasoned panko breadcrumbs.  Gently cook in butter over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides.  Remove to a 300 degree oven while frying the eggs.

I served our Herbed Potato Pancakes over a bed of wilted spinach, topped with a fried egg and sprinkling of scallions.  Fabulous breakfast or brunch dish and the perfect way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.  Not that we have those all that often.

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Herbed Potato Pancakes {with Fried Eggs}

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• salt & pepper

For pancakes…

• 2 cups Herbed Mashed Potatoes
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 2 Tbl. butter for frying
• scallions thinly sliced for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Form cold mashed potatoes into 4 pancake patties. Combine bread crumbs, paprika, salt & pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip both sides of each pancake in seasoned bread crumbs, pressing gently so crumbs adhere.
• Melt 1 Tbl. butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Fry two patties at a time, until golden brown on both sides, add additional butter and fry remaining patties. Remove to oven proof pan and hold in 300 degree oven while frying eggs.
• In same skillet, add spinach leaves, with pinch of salt & pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Reserve. Fry eggs in same skillet.
• Serve on individual plates, with a bed of wilted spinach, a potato pancake, and a fried egg. Garnish with scallions

The post Herbed Potato Pancakes {with Fried Eggs} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pan Seared Sage Brown Butter Scallops {with Sweet Pea Puree}.  Not sure if I need to say more.

LOVE the Sea Scallops, they are such a huge treat.  Simply pan searing them with a sprinkle of salt & pepper is all they really need….but huh huh we gave them a little more.  If you’re going to sear them in butter anyway, why shouldn’t it be in that seductive favorite Sage Brown Butter.

I’ve always been fascinated with the beautiful art of food plating….drizzles of this and dabs of that.  Vibrant colors and edible flowers.  Transforming food into art is a skill that inspires me.  I’ve discovered that infusing oils for flavor and color is quite easy.

To make Paprika Oil put 1/4 cup of olive oil into a small glass jar and add 1 teaspoon of paprika.  Shake well to combine then let infuse for at least is 4-6 hours, longer if possible.  Allow the paprika to settle to the bottom before using the oil.

For the sweet pea puree, place 1/2 cup of thawed frozen peas into a small food chopper with 1 Tablespoon of Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper.  With processor running drizzle in enough olive oil to turn the mixture into a slightly chunky puree.  Reserve.

To make sage brown butter, simply melt butter in a skillet over med-low heat, toss in some fresh sage leaves.  Allow to cook, stirring occasionally until butter turns a nice golden brown.  Remove the sage leaves and most of the butter to a small dish.

Increase heat to medium-high.  Place dry scallops in pan and sear undisturbed 1-2 minutes per side.  Plate scallops on a spoonful of sweet pea puree, a drizzle of sage brown butter, topped with a crispy sage leaf, and a hint of paprika oil.  Wonderful flavors intermingle in every bite.  These Pan Seared Sage Brown Butter Scallops are amazing!

On this day we also enjoyed Sea Scallops with Spicy Mayo.

The post Pan Seared Sage Brown Butter Scallops {with Sweet Pea Puree} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’ve recently read some articles on a growing movement to bring Home Ec back to schools.  Healthy eating and knowledge of nutrition being the core reason, self-sufficiency and cost savings also getting a mention.  And while I wholeheartedly agree, I propose another consideration for teaching teens and young adults the ‘basic’ life skills taught in a Home Economics classroom.  Creativity.

Cooking, like sewing or painting or wood-working, is a way to express yourself artistically…and a wonderful stress-reliever.  So don’t get me wrong, I do believe ‘home’ is the best place to learn these skills, but it was in my 8th grade Home Ec class where I learned to make a Basic White Sauce.  A skill just as valuable in my life today as being able to manipulate an Excel spreadsheet.

Let it be in honor of creativity that we build this Sage Brown Butter & Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese.  It’s our LOVE of sage brown butter AND bacon that are the inspiration for this recipe. A basic white sauce, which is the start of a basic cheese sauce, begins with melted butter.  So we replaced plain butter with sage brown butter, reserving the crispy sage leaves for our incredible crumb topping.  We built our sauce from there adding a beautiful mound of cheese….lots of cheese (some of every kind in our fridge) and some cayenne and fresh black pepper for a little kick!

We chose Pipe Rigate {rih-gah-tay} pasta for two reasons, it has big wells to hold the cheesy sauce and it was the only one at Whole Foods that we had never heard of.  We cooked it al dente, according to the package instructions, and it was the perfect choice…giving us little pockets of cheesy goodness with every bite.

For the crispy crumb topping, brown some bacon, with sliced shallot, and minced jalapeno then remove to drain on paper towels.  Add panko bread crumbs back into the bacon pan and toast over low heat until they are golden brown.  Combine the crispy sage leaves from the brown butter and the bacon mixture with the toasted crumbs and reserve for the topping.

To assemble, mix the cooked pasta with a good amount of cheese sauce and pour into buttered small cast-iron skillets.  Sprinkle a good handful of crumbs over the top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  This dish is rich and glorious and for us it was dinner with leftovers.  I hope you’ll get creative in the kitchen and add your favorite flavors and ingredients to your comfort food dishes.

The one cooking skill Shelby mastered before she headed off to school was how to make a roux and turn it into a white sauce and then into a cheese sauce.  You should see her Mac ‘n Cheese!

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Mac ‘n Cheese {Sage Brown Butter & Bacon}

Let it be in honor of creativity that we build this Sage Brown Butter & Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese. It’s our LOVE of sage brown butter AND bacon that are the inspiration for this recipe.

Course Side Dish

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

Pasta…

• 4 cups dry pasta such as Pipe Rigate

For topping…

• 4-5 slices bacon
• 3 small shallot thin sliced
• 1 jalapeno minced
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

For cheese sauce…

• 4 Tbl. butter
• 8 sage leaves
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 lb. assorted cheese such as gruyere, cheddar, colby, Parmesan, queso fresco
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper optional
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pasta…

• Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and reserve.

For topping…

• In a non-stick skillet, saute bacon, shallot, and jalapeno until bacon is crispy brown. Remove mixture from pan and drain on paper towel.
• Add panko crumbs to pan and toast over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove from heat. Combine bacon mixture with crumbs and reserve.

For cheese sauce…

• In a heavy bottom sauce pan, melt butter over med-low heat, add in sage leaves; cook, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown. Remove from heat. Remove sage leaves only and add them to the topping mixture.
• Return brown butter to heat and add flour. With a wire whisk stir mixture constantly until bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in milk, stirring continuously until butter flour and milk are well combined. Allow sauce to come to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low and gradually add shredded cheese, stirring after each addition until cheese is melted and incorporated into sauce. Remove from heat.
• Stir in cayenne and black pepper. Adjust according to taste. The sauce should not need salt, but add if necessary.

To assemble…

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta with a generous amount of sauce. Should be well coated and very cheesy. Pour mixture into buttered casserole or cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with topping mixture.
• Bake for 30 minutes until top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly around edges.

The post Mac ‘n Cheese {Sage Brown Butter & Bacon} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

A couple years ago we began what’s now a weekly ritual of cooking a whole chicken.  Not only do we enjoy a mouth-watering chicken dinner each week, but we then turn bones into broth, and broth into amazing soups and stews.  It was B who first discovered Chicken in Milk by Jamie Oliver.  In an attempt to change it up each week (Ooo I like that…the “Chicken Change Up”) he began to read endless websites searching for new and interesting whole chicken recipes.  There are a ton of them to try….but none that got our attention quite like this Chicken in Milk recipe.

Begin with a 4-5 lb. whole chicken, seasoned well with sea salt & freshly cracked pepper.  In a snug-fitting heavy pot, brown the chicken on all sides in butter and olive oil, until it is golden all over.  Then add the incredible ingredients: lemon zest, cinnamon stick, fresh sage leaves, garlic cloves, and the star of the show….the milk.

The original recipe calls for baking the chicken uncovered, but that just goes against all our chicken in a pot instincts.  So we started this guy uncovered for 30 minutes and then put the lid on to finish for the final hour.  A covered pot encourages beautiful juices which in this case enhanced this fantastic rich sauce.  The lemon juice tends to split the milk, so if little milk curds bother you just strain before serving.  The first time we made this we strained it, haven’t bothered since….it’s simply delicious straight from the pot. 

Be sure to serve with a nice scoop of mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower)…with a well in the middle for a ladle of sauce….that you can dip your chicken in or your spoon.  Can you tell I’m reliving this amazing dinner as I write?!  It’s been three days since we had this chicken and as I type this post I promise you the aromas and flavors are still with me…Yum!

And as a bonus, I must share that last night….I was brilliant.  Sitting in our fridge was that snug-fitting heavy pot.  Inside it was a partially picked chicken resting in a pool of milk sauce.  This is where the brilliant part comes in.  Can you say….Chicken & Dumplings.  With very little effort I turned Chicken in Milk leftovers into the most scrumptious Chicken & Dumplings.  We will never have one without the other again.

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Chicken in Milk

To quote Jamie Oliver, Chicken in Milk is “a slightly odd, but really fantastic combination that must be tried.”

Course Entree

Author Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

• 1 4-5 lb. whole chicken
• Sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• zest of 2 lemons
• 10 garlic cloves
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves
• 4 cups whole milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a snug-fitting pot melt butter & olive oil over medium heat.
• Add chicken browning on all sides.
• Remove from heat.
• Remove chicken and pour off excess oil.
• Return chicken to pot with all remaining ingredients.
• Cook chicken uncovered for 30 minutes, basting with liquid once or twice.
• Then cover for an additional hour or until chicken is registered done on an instant read thermometer.

Notes

Turn the leftover chicken and milk broth into scrumptious Chicken & Dumplings.

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