Salt Chicken

While walking home from the train station, hangry bitch face in full effect as I tried to dream up something wonderful to make for dinner, the savior voice of my conscious reminded me of salt chicken.

 

In my post-veg years this is one that has quickly become my go-to dinner, and although some might argue it's not truly a "recipe" since it's never been made the exact same way twice, it has a pretty scientific set of steps to follow:

Start with a foundation of chicken surrounded by garlic, whether it be powdered, minced, a roasted spread, or a little of all three.  Build up the plate with lots of complex greens like kale, full grown spinach, fresh arugula, or rainbow chard to give it some substance.  Then top it off with some flavorful additions that are salty, spicy, or sweet: like olives, artichokes, capers, red pepper flakes, carmelized onions, and red bell peppers.

 

The combination is versatile so it can be tossed with pasta or used to decorate a plate of polenta similar to this dish, but it brings enough flavor to the table to make it a delicious stand alone dish too.

 

Now that you know how to make this super crave worthy dish, the only thing left to question is the super blog worthy name!

 

Garlic Chicken and Kale Saute

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 3 chicken breasts, halved
• 1 T oil
• 1 t salt
• 2 t garlic
• 2 t onion
• 2 t mustard
• 1/2 t red pepper

For the saute:

• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• 3 lg cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 T olives, chopped
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper as needed
• Optional:
• 1/4 c crushed artichokes

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  When its shimmering, drop the onions into the pan and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, coat the chicken with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with salt, then with the spices.  Scatter on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping the pieces once half way through.
4. When the onions start to get carmely but not browned, add 2 tablespoons of water and cook for 10 more minutes.  Add the garlic and red pepper and saute for another 10 minutes.
5. Toss in the olives and artichokes until well mixed and warmed.
6. Plate a heaping spoonful of the saute, top with chicken, enjoy!