Algorithm Chicken

 

Photo: AllRecipes user Rebecca Lepore

Although one purpose of this blog is to push us to leaf through the pages of the several dozen cookbooks we own, frequent readers will notice that we are just as likely to seek our inspirations online. 

It seems that it is not only our human readers who have noticed our patterns -- the algorithms were quick to provide assistance yesterday. I went to All Recipes at midday on a Friday. The timing suggests a user seeking an easy meal; the fact that it was me suggests that I'm looking for yet another way to prepare an item that is a staple of our weekly dairy delivery. The fact that it was either one of us suggests that a listicle is in order. This led the ghosts in the machine quite inevitably to put these words front-and-center on the AllRecipes screen: 

12 Top Chicken Breast Dinners That Use 5 Ingredients or Less

I scrolled through the list until I found two that seemed likely candidates: recipes we would both like and without breading because I've been kind of overdoing that option lately. I sent both links to Pamela and her exact words were "Both look yummy!"

I chose Balsamic Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts, a recipe whose title is almost the entire recipe. I followed the recipe almost exactly as written, reducing the balsamic for about 15 minutes instead of 10. I did assemble the dish pretty much as directed, though it was not very pretty (hence the stolen photo above) and I did not believe the toothpicks would make it any more so.

Because I was using our oven as an air fryer at 400F for some potatoes to go with this, I decided not to bake the chicken in the oven, but rather to use an indispensable cast-iron skillet with a lid as a Dutch oven. Starting out a bit hot and then keeping the heat minimal worked well for this; it was cooked properly in 35 minutes.

I regretted not noticing the recipe's suggested inclusion of sautéed mushrooms -- it was written as an afterthought, and not included on the ingredients list.

We both agreed that this was as delicious as it was easy. I liked it as much as Pamela did, even though she is by far the bigger feta fan. We will definitely be making it again, perhaps with a flavored balsamic.

Lagniappe

I am certain that the runner up will be featured here very soon.