divine angst

With last week’s Peapod order, I got some on-sale chicken breasts. When they arrived, though, I was dismayed to find they were bone-in, skin-on–and HUGE. I’m not used to cooking anything like that, so I dithered over how to fix them.

Tonight, I gave it a whirl. I used a Cook’s Illustrated method for pan-roasting them and then made up a pan sauce, since I didn’t have any of the stuff to make any of Cook’s pan sauces. The result was so tasty, this one is going in the weekly (or near-weekly) repertoire.

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Honey-Lemon Pan Sauce

2 whole, bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (I actually made three)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1-2 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2-3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme and oregao
1 dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450°. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. (If you have time, you can brine them, but I didn’t bother with that step and the chicken didn’t seem to suffer for it.) Heat oil in a 12-inch oven-proof skillet or pan until almost smoking. Place chicken breasts in pan, skin-side down. Cook till golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook the other side till golden, about 3 minutes. Turn chicken over again, skin-side down, and place in oven. Cook until a thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the breast registers 160°, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to rest while you make the pan sauce.

Take the skillet and, using an oven mitt to protect your hand!, place over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and white wine vinegar, and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add honey and stir in well. Add spices. Cook about 5 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened. Whisk in butter to finish.

Serve chicken topped with sauce. YUM.

Mr. Angst and I went to the beach today.

I always think that I love the beach. And I do, especially when it’s a freshwater beach. But I really dislike sand. That is problematic for going to the beach. And the beach we went to, unlike the Gulf Coast beaches of my childhood, didn’t seem to have a shower station or other kind of facility for rinsing the sand off on one’s way home. That’s also a problem. Sand in shoes hurts. Sand in other places chafes. Sand in your apartment is a pain to clean up.

But I do love the beach–the parts that involve laying in the sun and going in the water. I wish the beaches here were also the kinds of places where you could sip a cold beer while laying in the sun and going in the water. But alas, no alcohol. [Honestly, this is not such a big deal, since I trust myself to behave like an adult while drinking at the beach but I don’t trust the 22-year-olds who were right behind us to not act like fools.] I digress, though.

The best part about spending a couple of hours at the beach is the pleasant languidness you feel when you get home. If you do it right, the sun will leech just enough energy from you that you feel sort of soft and floaty, similar to the way you feel after a good run.

Happy Sunday, all.

This week’s roundup brings you posts by law students on how they are spending their summer vacation. What do law students do during the summer? Let’s find out!

• Spin (Thrown for a Loop)
• Gamble (Rambling Without Cause)
• Drink (Cella Bellum)
• Read between the lines (There’s No Competition in Law School)
• Chase celebrities (Won L)
• Dream (Loco Delictis)
• Comment on pop culture (katlet)
• Make lists (Bananas go to law schoo, too!)
• Stay found (Will Work For Favorable Dicta)
• Get their teeth cleaned (The Unreasonable Man)
• Write letters (Legal Quandary)

And that’s it for this week’s roundup! Look for it next week at Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground; in two weeks, it’ll be back here.