Our second Blue Apron meal is definitely the fanciest sounding of the bunch…Chicken Charlemagne. It just sounds posh. In any case, another meal to try out that we normally wouldn’t make on our own.
The meal came together pretty easily as Blue Apron meals normally do. As usual, cut up some veggies and let those cook while you protein cooks. In this case, we made a huge mess with all of the oil that splashed out of the pan we were cooking the chicken in. Outside of that mess, everything came together right on time.
We’re always a big fan of roasted vegetables, so we were at the very least on board with the ones we were making here. One of our last Blue Apron meals had turnips in it, so we were pretty excited to see them back (enough we made roasted turnips just tonight). The other side that they threw in with the meal was a parsnip-potato mash. I’ve never had parsnips before that I can think of so I didn’t know what to expect. The mix was pretty tasty. If this leads to a lower calorie way to eat mashed potatoes, count me in. You can’t tell too much of a different, and you throw some gravy on it and no one will know.
This is also the second time we’ve had the airline chicken breasts. They are just the right size and have the skin on top that crisp ups really nicely in the oil. With this meal we had the sauce to add on top of everything and it was delicious. As with most of my meals that are good, I ate it straight without saying a word. If you want to know if I’m enjoying a meal…look to see how little I talk.
We’re five Blue Apron meals in total and they’ve all be great. I definitely recommend the service. One more to go…next up is Banana Leaf-Steamed Cod with Spiced Rice, Yu Choy, and Coconut.
Dinner Beer: Long Trail 25th Anniversary Ale
Chicken Charlemagne with Roasted Root Vegetables and Parsnip-Potato Mash
Ingredients
- 2 Airline Chicken Breasts
- 2 Ounces Brussels Sprouts
- 2 Carrots
- 3½ Ounces Parsnips
- 8 Ounces Purple Top Turnip
- 1 Russet Potato
- 1 Large Bunch Sage
- 3 Tablespoons Chicken Demi-Glace
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Charlemagne Spice Blend (Ground Mustard, Black Mustard Seeds & Ground Bay Leaf)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Trim off and discard the root ends of the Brussels sprouts; halve the sprouts lengthwise. Peel and large dice the carrots, parsnips, turnip and potato. Pick the sage leaves off the stems; discard the stems.
- Place the Brussels sprouts, carrots and turnip on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss thoroughly to coat. Arrange the seasoned vegetables in a single, even layer. Roast 26 to 28 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned.
- While the vegetables roast, add the parsnip and potato to the pot of boiling water. Cook 18 to 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Add half the butter and season with salt and pepper. Using a fork, mash to your desired consistency. Set aside in a warm place.
- While the parsnips and potato cook, in a medium pan (nonstick if you have one), heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sage leaves. Cook, flipping occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the leaves are crispy and fragrant. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the crispy sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate and season immediately with salt and pepper. Carefully discard half the oil, leaving the remaining half in the pan.
- While the vegetables continue to roast, season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the pan of reserved sage-frying oil on medium until hot. Add the seasoned chicken, skin side down first. Cook, loosely covering the pan with aluminum foil, 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the skin is browned and the chicken is cooked through (the juices should run clear). Transfer to a plate, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan. Loosely cover the cooked chicken with aluminum foil and set aside in a warm place.
- Heat the pan of reserved fond on medium until hot. Add the chicken demi-glace, apple cider vinegar, spice blend and ¼ cup of water. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly reduced in volume. Add the remaining butter and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat. To plate your dish, divide the parsnip-potato mash and roasted vegetables between 2 plates. Top each with a piece ofchicken and some of the pan sauce. Garnish with the crispy sage leaves. Enjoy!
Rocking The Suburbs 