There's been a lot of interest in my recent recipe for a three ingredient meal. Here's another, also featuring chicken. These recipes are quick and simple, just right for a weeknight.
The Three Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 sweet red pepper (or half red and half yellow), sliced into 1/4 inch strips
2 large or 3 small baby bok choy, sliced lengthwise into 3/4 inch strips
The Other Ingredients That Aren't Supposed to Count
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced lengthwise
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup Marsala, Madiera, or dry white wine
salt and pepper
Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Flay the breasts open, then cut each into two pieces. Lay plastic wrap over the meat and pound each piece into cutlets about 1/3 to 1/4 inch thick. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbs of oil over medium high heat until it shimmers. Add 1/3 of the garlic, let it cook for 15 seconds, then throw in the pepper strips. Let the peppers brown for 1-2 minutes, then shake the pan to sauté. When the peppers are browned on both sides and just starting to soften, remove and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the skillet, let it heat up, then and add the chicken cutlets. Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then flip and cook the other side about a minute. Toss in the remaining garlic and let it cook a minute longer. Pour the wine over the chicken, let it reduce a bit, then cover with the cooked peppers and bok choy. Cover the pan and simmer 3-5 minutes, until the bok choy wilts and the pan juices turn syrupy.
Remove from the heat, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, and serve with crusty bread.
I think the garlic should always count as an ingredient, since you have to peel it, and usually slice or chop it, which generates cleanup activities for the knife and board. I love me some garlic, but it’s not like tossing a dozen baby carrots into a bowl. So I’d count it a four ingredient meal.
You could make a series of this and count up. “Coming up next, a 14-ingredient meal!! Tomorrow: we’re lookin’ at fifteeeeeen ingredients!! Stay tuned, right after this.”
Okay, so that would mean my “three ingredient meals” would almost always be “two ingredients plus garlic!”
To peel garlic quickly: separate a clove from the head. Place it on a cutting board, and with the heel of your hand or the flat of a chef’s knife, exert quick downward pressure. The flesh should separate readily from the peel this way. Trim the root end before slicing or chopping.