Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Pressed Chicken with Yellow Squash & Tomatoes

Posted by Erin Wilburn / 5 comments » / chicken, csa

It’s easy to be overwhelmed with summer produce if you are doing a CSA or growing vegetables in your garden.  “Squash, again?”  “More tomatoes?!”  As I’ve mentioned in the past, roasting vegetables tends to be my go-to for a fair amount of my produce.  But sometimes I remind myself that one of the reasons I really enjoy doing a CSA is that it really makes me branch out and try new things.  In this instance, it’s not a matter of trying new vegetables, but of trying a new recipe.  Again, using the Epicurious app, my favorite recipe app for the iPhone, I found this recipe, originally printed in Gourmet magazine.  While I happened to overlook the “chicken breasts with skin and bone” the original recipe calls for, and used boneless skinless breasts; I don’t regret it for a minute.  I’m not a fan of the skin on chicken, and when prepared this way, there’s less fat as well.

This recipe definitely solved the “what to do with squash & tomato” dilemma of the week.  The Boy & I found it to be flavorful, and juicy, despite the lack of fat from the skin.  It was a simple & easy dish to prepare.  With just salt, pepper, garlic, and marjoram, it was perfectly & simply seasoned.  I know for sure we’ll be enjoying it again next summer, if not once more this summer!

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Pressed Chicken with Yellow Squash & Tomatoes

adapted from Gourmet, via Epicurious

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 teaspoons chopped marjoram, divided

Directions:

Pat chicken dry and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.

Add chicken. Cover with a round of parchment paper, then a heavy pot or skillet, followed by a 3- to 5-pound weight (such as two 32-ounce cans or a brick wrapped in foil). Cook 8 minutes, then remove weight, pot, and parchment.

Turn chicken over and re-cover with a clean round of parchment, pot, and weight, then cook until just cooked through, about 6-8 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm, covered.

Add squash, tomatoes, garlic, 2 teaspoons marjoram, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to juices in skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until squash is just tender and tomatoes have become saucy, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in any juices from plate and season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with remaining teaspoon marjoram.