FFWD: Cinnamon crunch chicken

So I Google searched Cinnamon crunch chicken to see if this recipe had already been posted elsewhere. It had. On my blog, 6 months ago. I love when I forget about my own posts.

I took the recipe off the blog, since we don't post the FFWD recipes to encourage people to buy the cookbook - Around My French Table - but it's the easiest thing ever. The most challenging task is collecting 2 of the 3(!) ingredients, creme fraiche and speculoos. The speculoos are found in US grocery stores as LU Cinnamon Sugar Spice Biscuits. You only need 2 cookies, so you can keep these on hand pretty easily. Then you need to find 1 cup of creme fraiche. I've found this at my local HEB but not at the Kroger down the street.

You crumble the cookies, mix them with the creme fraiche and some salt and pepper. You cook a couple of chicken breasts, cut into manageable strips. Then you add the creme fraiche mixture and cook another minute, season to taste, and serve.

And it's so good. We Leavens crave this stuff once a month or so. This time, I splurged on the good, organic chicken, which bumped it up just one more notch.

Herbed brioche. Recipe coming soon.

It's best served with bread, so you can soak up all that cinnamony, slightly tart goodness from the plate.

Oh, and we also prepared roasted broccoli that will knock your socks off. Thanks to my new best friend, Pinterest, I found a recipe that was as good as advertised. This is impressive, because it's advertised as the best broccoli of your life. And particularly impressive when you understand how much Mr Leaven loves broccoli. He has tried more than his fair share of broccoli dishes in his lifetime, and he raved about this one. Best broccoli of my life, says he. We only had one head of broccoli, so we roasted potatoes and carrots alongside. All delish. The secret, in addition to the subtle flavor that comes from roasting anything, is lemon. I do truly believe that lemon makes anything better.

As the blogger credited Ina Garten for the recipe, I had a feeling I might be able to find it on the Food Network site, and, yes, here it is. I was pretty loyal to the recipe (except the whole potatoes and carrots thing). I didn't have pine nuts but I thought a nutty crunch would be nice, so I used some unsalted pistachios, toasted for a few minutes in the oven where the veggies were roasting. The previously-mentioned blogger left out pine nuts and basil and was completely satisfied. I included basil because, well, I love basil, and we could clip it from the plant in the back yard. :)

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

from Ina Garten, Back to Basics

2 pounds broccoli (about 2 heads)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Good olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp julienned fresh basil leaves (about 6 leaves)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 4 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil.

Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

As always, if you want to see others' takes on this week's FFWD recipe (cinnamon crunch chicken), check out the FFWD page!