AP – Plain ol’ boneless, skinless chicken breasts are given new life in this sheet pan meal by Caroline Chambers. The chicken gets coated in a honey mustard sauce, then topped with buttery breadcrumbs that get crunchy and browned in the oven. Her kids love this dish – they call it giant chicken nuggets (feeding kids is all about the marketing, right?). The broccoli gets the frico treatment – crisped up with Parm. Then dunk everything in the extra honey mustard sauce – that’s what it’s there for.
PANKO HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN
Ingredients
– Half cup grainy Dijon mustard
– One-third cup plus one tablespoon honey or maple syrup
– Five tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– One-and-a-half teaspoons garlic powder
– Quarter teaspoon red pepper flakes Kosher salt
– Six to eight-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– Four tablespoons unsalted butter
– Three-quarter cup panko breadcrumbs
– Half cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
– One pound broccoli florets
Directions
Preheat the oven to 218 degrees Celsius (oC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the mustard, honey, three tablespoons of the olive oil, one teaspoon of the garlic powder, the red pepper flakes, and one teaspoon salt. Reserve three tablespoons of the sauce in a serving bowl.
Add another half teaspoon salt to the sauce in the large bowl, then add the chicken and turn to coat evenly. If you have time, let the chicken marinate at room temperature for up to 30 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator. But don’t worry if you need to cook it right away.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe medium bowl in 20-second bursts, stirring after each, or in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the panko, quarter cup of the parmesan, the remaining half teaspoon garlic powder, and a big pinch of salt (do this right in the skillet if you used one to melt the butter).
On the prepared baking sheet, toss the broccoli florets with the remaining two tablespoons olive oil and three-quarter teaspoon salt to coat evenly. Nestle the chicken breasts among the florets. Top with the panko mixture, pressing firmly to adhere.
Roast for 12 minutes, then gently toss the broccoli and sprinkle the remaining quarter cup parmesan on top. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 71°C, five to seven minutes more.
Serve the chicken and broccoli with the reserved honey mustard sauce alongside for dunking.
AP – Saucy, spicy shrimp is a simple meal that’s best enjoyed outside with lots of napkins. To make this weeknight-easy dish, we gently simmer them with a garlic-infused combination of butter and olive oil, for a flavour-packed meal that comes together in just over half an hour.
Though head-on shrimp typically are used, in this recipe from our cookbook Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year, we use the more easily sourced head-off shrimp and devein them before cooking. You can remove the shells or leave them on, as is our preference; they contain loads of umami-heavy shrimp flavour and do an excellent job of trapping the sauce.
And while the flavour in this dish may be bold, the cooking method is gentle. Even the largest shrimp are small and lean compared to other proteins, and aggressive cooking does them no favours. Chicken thighs, marbled steaks and even fatty salmon are far more forgiving, as fat protects meat from overcooking, keeping cuts tender and juicy. Shrimp have no such protection.
To infuse the dish with flavour without overcooking, the shrimp are gently poached in a spicy, garlicky combination of melted butter and olive oil, along with a little water. If using frozen shrimp, transfer them from the freezer to the fridge the day before you want to cook them and let them slowly thaw for the best texture. If you need to thaw them quickly, place the bag of frozen shrimp in room temperature water. Press the air out of the bag and use a heavy plate to weigh it down, so the shrimp stays under the surface.
You’ll know the shrimp are done when they have a gentle C-shaped curve, three minutes for shelled shrimp or about five minutes for shell-on shrimp. Overcooked shrimp resemble an ‘O’, and a tight spiral indicates that the shrimp’s proteins have tightened and squeezed out much of their moisture, rendering them dry and rubbery.
GARLICKY, SPICY SHRIMP
Ingredients
– 21/25 per pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (if desired)
– Two teaspoons lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve
– Kosher salt and ground black pepper
– Three tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– Three tablespoons salted butter, cut into three pieces
– Six medium garlic cloves, minced
– Two to three teaspoons red pepper flakes
– Quarter cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
– Half cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
– Half small red onion, thinly sliced
Directions
In a large bowl, stir together the shrimp, lime juice and half teaspoon salt; set aside. In another small bowl, one cup water.
In a 12-inch skillet over medium, heat the oil and butter until the butter foams.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant but not browned, one to two minutes.
Add the water, red pepper flakes, one teaspoon salt and quarter teaspoon black pepper.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to about two-third cup and turns red, six to nine minutes.
Reduce to medium, add the shrimp and cook, stirring and turning occasionally, until pink and opaque throughout, about three minutes for shelled shrimp or about five minutes for shell-on shrimp.
Off heat, stir in the cilantro, then taste and season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a shallow serving bowl and garnish with the cucumber and onion. Serve with lime wedges. – Christopher Kimball