Grumpy Sullie and Spiced Chicken Recipe

I fully recognize that as a dog momma that I think pictures of Sullie are cuter than any of you do and that at times I may seem slightly over the top with my love for her but come on…

How can you not adore this face? You usually see happy Sullie. This is grumpy Sullie. I made her get out of bed at 5:20 a.m. to go to the gym and train a client with me at 6 a.m. She acted like a pathetic, tired pup all morning long. This is the expression of, “I don’t do early mornings mom, gah.”

Breakfast was peanut butter with a side of banana oatmeal. No really, I think there was probably more or  equal amount of peanut butter in the jar. And that is perfect.

I worked straight through until 1:30. So much to do to get ready to leave! I came home to eat lunch and start packing. Lunch was a sandwich with apricot preserves, turkey, avocado, spinach and brie with tomato soup.

I had an awesome evening. I taught BodyPump. I say this all the time but I love teaching this class. I love teaching in general but BodyPump is just so much fun. The best part is that I get to co-teach with another instructor. It adds so much energy to the class. After BodyPump I had a training session with a client back at Metro that was great. It’s really cool to be able to take someone from feeling blah to smiling. 🙂

Dinner tonight was spiced chicken breasts with roasted asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes.

This Spiced Chicken is a fast and different variation to try for a different spin on chicken. You make a quick homemade spice rub, brown it in a skillet and then finish it in the oven. I first learned about this recipe during my 68 Days of Gourmet project on my food blog. It’s one of Gourmet Editor-In-Chief Ruth Reichl’s favorite weeknight recipes. The spice blend is simple to put together and the flavors are amazing together. It’s best with bone-in, skin on chicken but works as a quick rub for boneless, skinless breasts as well.

Spiced Chicken
(Recipe adapted from Gourmet, April 2000)

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for the pan
2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless or bone in…you can also use leg/thigh quarters)
1/2 cup water, white wine or chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and pat dry chicken.

Stir together spices, salt and 1 tablespoon of oil. Rub all over chicken. Heat another tablespoons of oil in an ovenproof heavy skillet (preferably not non-stick) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 6 minutes (3 minutes per side). Transfer skillet to middle rack of oven and roast, until just cooked through, 12-15 minutes for boneless, skinless breasts or 20-25 for bone in. Note, if you are using a nonstick skillet, you need to transfer the chicken to a different baking dish that is oven-safe. Internal temp should be 160 for breasts and closer to 170 for legs/thighs.

Remove chicken from skillet and place on a plate. Place the skillet back on a burner over medium-high heat. Pour water, wine or broth into skillet and deglaze, scraping up brown bits. Let reduce for 2-3 minutes and then pour over chicken. You can skip this step if you don’t want to hassle with it but that pan sauce is super flavorful!

I like to slice chicken breasts for a pretty presentation and ease of eating. The mashed sweet potatoes are a nice side for this dish because they complement the warm spicy flavors of the rub. The asparagus happened because it was on sale for $1.99/lb at the grocery.

Time to shut down and relax after a long day. Lots to accomplish tomorrow!