An Everyday Treat Fit For A Holiday

Turkey breast is on sale a lot lately–at least in my neck of the woods. Recently, I got a two-for-one sale that was a great deal because the price per pound was awesome.

I love turkey and eat it often so this was a boon for me. This time I wanted to try something a little bit different that just plain old roasting. Well, this is plain-old-roasted but with a little kick.

Julia Child did something like this on one of her old shows but with bone-in skin-on chicken breasts with the wings attached. I recently remembered that and decided to try it with this turkey breast.

This is so good and juicy. It has a wonderful flavor too so this is something that’s “every-day” but really good enough to be the star of your Easter or Thanksgiving meal.

Herb Butter

The secret to this turkey’s flavor is a simple herb or “compound” butter.

I used a combination of fresh thyme and sage in this butter along with a must-have of mine: garlic. If you’re not that into garlic, then it can be totally eliminated.

As for the herbs I used, I prefer more thyme than sage–which I find a bit medicinal if there’s too much of it. However, these are the most traditional herbs to use with poultry so they work very well. Another good one to use is rosemary. It imparts a fine flavor to chicken and turkey, even though I think most people associate it with lamb. You can use any fresh herbs you like and if you use different herbs each time you make it, it’s always a different dish!

Naturally, you must start with room-temperature butter so it will be easy to mix and to spread. I highly recommend using unsalted butter–in any cooking. That way, you control the amount of salt and left out entirely, this turkey breast is perfect for anyone eating a low-sodium diet.

Lift The Skin But Don’t Remove

The flavored butter goes between the skin and the breast flesh.

Just gently run your fingers between the skin and the flesh to separate it from the membrane. Then you rub the butter on the flesh and pull the skin back over to cover it up. I did save back a little butter to initially baste the turkey breast after about 40 minutes in the oven. After that, there should be enough rendered butter and fat in the roasting pan to baste throughout the cook time.

The Recipe

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Butter Herb Turkey Breast

Turkey breast basted with butter and herbs is wonderful for your Easter table.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: turkey breast

Servings: 8

Calories: 523kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 6 lbs bone-in turkey breast
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 2 tbs finely chopped fresh thyme OR fresh sage, OR fresh rosemary
• 1 clove finely minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a rack in a large roasting pan.
• In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, garlic, pepper, salt and the herb you chose to use.
• Gently separate the skin on the turkey breast from the meat, but do not remove the skin.
• Rub half of the butter mixture over the breast meat. Gently pull skin back into place. Rub the remaining butter mixture over the top of the skin.
• Roast for 2- 2 1/2 hours or until internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Baste periodically with pan drippings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 67g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 861mg | Potassium: 10mg | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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When you need dinner on the double, how about this 20-minute chicken in tarragon butter sauce?

Dinner On The Double

If there’s not enough hours in the day for you but you still want to give your family a nice dinner, this recipe is right up your alley. It’s a sad fact that most of us who are pressed for time grab take out or convenience food.

This recipe is quicker than take out or “TV” dinners and it’s real food!

This delicious and actual gourmet dinner can be whipped up in 20 minutes!

Chicken And Tarragon: A Marriage Made In Heaven

I just love the taste of chicken flavored with tarragon.

The funny thing is that it is not the first herb you think of when it comes to poultry. Generally, that’s either sage, thyme or even rosemary.  I never thought about using it either. But years ago a chef friend made me broiled chicken with a tarragon rub and it was love at first bite!

If you’ve never tasted tarragon, I suggest you rub a leaf between your fingers next time you are in the supermarket. That way you’ll be able to tell whether you’ll like the flavor. If you don’t like the scent, you can still make this chicken but substitute the more usual herbs in place of the tarragon. The caveat is to use fresh herbs no matter which variety you choose.

Curry Powder?

Yes, curry powder!

Curry powder is delicious on chicken. I’ve often used it in seasoned flour I’ve used to dredge chicken. It has a nice, warm and slightly floral flavor which pairs very nicely with the tarragon. There isn’t much curry powder in this recipe, but it’s just enough to impart a wonderful flavor and not be overpowering.

Now a word about the paprika–you use sweet paprika in this recipe. That’s just the regular old paprika you find on the grocery spice shelf. Nothing fancy at all. It’s just noted as “sweet” to distinguish it from the hot or smoked variety.

The Recipe

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20-Minute Chicken In Tarragon Butter Sauce

If there aren't enough hours in the day for you but you still want to give your family a nice dinner, this 20-Minute Chicken In Tarragon Butter Sauce is right up your alley.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butter sauce, chicken recipe, quick chicken dinners, tarragon

Servings: 6

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 36 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts about six 6 ounce or twelve 3 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• Canola oil
• 3 tbs unsalted butter
• 1 tbs minced shallot or white onion
• 2 oz dry white wine 1/4 cup
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbs tarragon 1 tbs coarsely chopped tarragon plus 1 tablespoon whole tarragon leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• In a small bowl mix together paprika and curry powder, set aside.
• Place 2 breasts on large sheet of plastic wrap, cover with more plastic and pound with a mallet until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining breasts. Sprinkle spice mixture on chicken breast, rubbing to coat (Chicken may be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.)
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Season chicken on both sides with salt. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add enough canola oil to film the bottom of pan. Working in batches, without crowding, place breasts smooth side down and let cook until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook for another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven.
• Wipe out skillet and return to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and shallot/onion, and sauté for 30 seconds, swirling pan to coat shallot/onion with butter. Pour in wine, raise heat to medium-high, and cook until wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add stock, bring to boil, and cook until reduced and slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in chopped tarragon, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and any juices that have accumulated on baking sheet. Swirl to melt butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken on a warmed platter, pour sauce over it, and garnish with whole tarragon leaves.

Nutrition

Serving: 6oz | Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 704mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 418IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

*Adapted from NYT

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If you’re looking for a great peanut butter cookie, here it is.

Chunky Peanut Butter? You Bet

I love peanut butter, but I wasn’t crazy about most peanut butter cookie recipes.

In some of the recipes, I even substituted chunky peanut butter because I prefer it to the smooth variety. However, I still never flipped over the cookies. Until now.

Butter Is The Key

Many of the recipes I used in the past contained vegetable shortening.

Shortening has no taste so won’t impart any in a cookie. That’s a good choice when you have other ingredients that are highly flavored and want that flavor to stand out. Shortening also gives a cookie a different texture than butter mainly because it’s pure fat. Butter is about 80% fat with water and milk solids. Again, shortening is a good choice if you want a nice airy and crisp texture in a cookie.

But in this cookie, butter is the key to not only the texture but the taste. This is a rich and chewy cookie, however, bear in mind that if they cookies are left uncovered, they will crisp up. Therefore, if you want to preserve some chewiness, put them in a tightly covered container after they’ve completely cooled.

Plain Or With Chocolate

Since I’m a nut for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I wanted to introduce some chocolate into these cookies. I split the dough in half and kept some plain though.

I generally use mini morsels because they disperse better in batters and doughs. However, I realized after the fact that I was a little too “cheap” with them so there wasn’t much chocolatey flavor. In the recipe I have given amounts that I think would be more reasonable and not stingy. If you want more or less, let your eye be your guide. The amount of chips won’t affect the basic cookie nor the formula. You can add other flavor chips too. If you really love peanut butter, then peanut butter chips would be in order here. If you really want to go radical, then combine peanut butter and chocolate chips!

The Recipe

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Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies

If you’re looking for a great peanut butter cookie, here it is.

Prep Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: cookies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Servings: 10

Calories: 738kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

OPTIONAL

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips see NOTES

Instructions

• With an electric mixer, cream butter peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; stir into butter mixture.
• Stir in the chips, if using. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 ℉. Line several cookie sheets (I needed 4 large) with parchment.
• Roll dough into balls about 1-inch diameter and place on the prepared sheets about 2-inches apart. Flatten with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern (dip the fork in flour periodically as it will stick to the cookies).
• Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies begin to get golden around the edges. Leave on the sheets for 1 minute then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

If using mini chips, use 1/2 the amount of regular (general guide)

These cookies spread so make sure you place the balls far enough apart.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 738kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 471mg | Potassium: 323mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 675IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 3mg

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Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Steak with Herb Butter

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