White Wine Chicken and Potatoes

A couple of years ago, Cassie gave us this cookbook for Christmas. Before that time, I was basically clueless in the kitchen, although I aspired to be better. And this cookbook, along with my subsequent obsession with Real Simple recipes, helped to make that possible.

One of the things that's so great about Real Simple's approach is that, well, it's really simple. The ingredients are all things that the average grocery store stocks, and many of the recipes call for the same basic ingredients. Go buy this book, and while you're at it, some olive oil, parmesan cheese, kosher salt, yukon gold potatoes, onions, garlic, and dry white wine.

Matt and I drooled over the pictures of the food, put post-its on the pages of the recipes we wanted to try. The first recipe that we made from the cookbook was this one: Chicken Cutlets with Herb Sauce, or, as we like to call it, White Wine Chicken and Potatoes. It's fast, easy, and delicious. (I really want to make a "your mom" joke right here.)

(I would have taken pictures of the actual process of making the dish had I not been hitting the bottle a little too early that night.)

From Real Simple: Meals Made Easy (slightly modified because we double the sauce and bake the potatoes longer)

Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold or new (red) potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (peel first if desired)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 – 1 1/2 lbs. chicken cutlets
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine (chicken stock will work if you don’t have wine)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled
2 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, chives, parslet, or tarragon

Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to baking dish and season with salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes, depending on how soft you like your potatoes (the recipe actually says to bake them for 10-15 minutes, but that wasn't nearly enough. Unless, of course, you like your potatoes to have the texture of an unripe apple.)

2. Meanwhile, rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season both sides with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on each side and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a platter.

3. Add the wine to the skillet, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes, constantly scraping the bottom. Add 1 tbsp. of butter and stir or whisk until completely combined. Repeat with remaining butter. Remove skillet from heat. Add the herbs and the remaining salt and pepper and whisk to combine. (The butter emulsifies better if it is cold when you add it to the simmering wine.)

4. Add the potatoes to the platter with the chicken and spoon the sauce over the top.

Once you're finished, call over the dish pre-washer to do his job. He'll thank you for it.