Ratchetesque

Dinner for 2: Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Roasted Asparagus and Three-cheese Ravioli in a Shiitake Cream Sauce

This will be the last recipe I post on this tumblr. I’m moving all of my food-related stuff to a new blog very soon so keep an eye out.

**Timing tip: coat the chicken first, and stick in the fridge while you do everything else. then start on your sauce mixture as this takes the longest to cook out of all three elements. once the sauce starts to get thick, cook your chicken and asparagus — these will cook for about the same amount of time. this way everything is ready to be eaten and nothing is cold.

Three Cheese Ravioli:

1 9oz pack fresh three-cheese ravioli (usually in the dairy dept.)

*alternatively, you could use frozen, but you’d have to boil it first, so if you are short on time, try the fresh stuff, it cooks super quickly

Parmesan Crusted Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts, flattened to about 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (you can use italian breadcrumbs instead)
• 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• 1 egg, beaten w/ a little milk or water
• Seasoning - kosher salt, lemon pepper, granulated garlic or garlic powder, dried parsley, dried oregano, lemon-pepper

Season the chicken on both sides. Allow the seasoning to penetrate the meat for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the Panko and cheese together. Add dried parsley, dried oregano, granulated garlic (or garlic powder), black pepper. You don’t need to add salt to this because the cheese holds a considerable amount of saltiness already, but if you do add salt, please don’t get all hypertension with it.

Arrange 3 shallow dishes/bowls next to each other, with flour in the first dish, the beaten egg in the second dish, and the panko/cheese mixture in the last dish. 

(This can get messy so you can use a fork for the next steps)

Coat one piece of the seasoned chicken in the flour on both sides and shake off the excess.

Dip the flour coated chicken into the eggwash, on both sides, and let the big globs drip off for a second or two.

Toss the eggy/floury chicken into the panko/cheese mixture. Press the panko/cheese mixture into the chicken well so that it’s evenly coated. 

Repeat with the next piece.

Place into the fridge for about 10 minutes. This allows the crumb coating to really adhere to the chicken so that it doesn’t fall off in the hot oil.

When ready to pan fry, drizzle a very thin layer of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter into a skillet over medium high heat. Once the butter starts to foam and bubble up, this means it’s hot enough to fry.

Gently place your chicken into the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3-5min per side.

Drain on paper towels and lightly season with a little salt while it’s still very hot.

Serve immediately.

Roasted Asparagus:

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• Extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff, if possible)
• 2 to 3 tbsp butter
• Salt, pepper, granulated garlic (or garlic powder)

Preheat oven to 450

Chop off the last 3 inches of your asparagus.

In a foil-lined baking sheet, arrange your asparagus in a flat layer. Drizzle with olive oil and top with tiny pieces of the butter.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the asparagus and place into the hot oven for about 7-10 minutes. The result will give tender yet firm asparagus. You can cook yours longer if you like a softer asparagus. 

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

**You can also drizzle a little lemon juice or zest over the asparagus for added flavor.

Shiitake Mushroom Cream Sauce

• 1 heaping cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream (a little over half a quart)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
• Dried herbs: parsley, oregano, basil
• Salt, pepper, etc.

In a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle in olive oil. Once olive oil is heated, add butter. When butter is bubbly/foamy, add chopped shallot and let sweat for about 3 minutes.

Add sliced shiitake mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Allow this to cook until mushrooms are softened, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic and let cook for an additional 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic, if it starts to toast too quickly, reduce the heat.

Add heavy cream, cover and bring to a rapid boil.

Reduce heat to medium/medium low for a slow simmer for about 5 minutes. Keep it covered.

Add fresh ravioli and stir until evenly coated. Cover and continue a soft simmer until sauce coats the back of a spoon or is starting to coat the sides of the skillet. The fresh ravioli will cook very quickly and doesn’t need to be boiled first. The starch from the pasta will also help thicken the sauce up. Taste and season accordingly. Once the sauce is perfectly thickened yet still very creamy, sprinkle in cheese, stir and remove from heat. Let sit for about 2-5 minutes to get happy.

Arrange all items on your plate and eat that shit ;)