F. Fowler - Fifty Shades of Chicken

chicken fingers with brown sugar and bourbon

SERVES 6

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, patted dry with paper towels

1 teaspoon pure chile powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon bourbon

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, for drizzling

1 Using a sharp knife, trim the breasts lengthwise into 1-inch-wide fingers.

2 In a medium bowl, combine the chile powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken fingers and mix well until thoroughly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or longer if you want to make the chicken wait for it.

3 Preheat the broiler. Oil a large baking pan or a broiler pan. In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, honey, and bourbon to a boil, stirring. Pour half the mixture over the waiting chicken, tossing it gently. Drizzle with oil.

4 Lay the fingers out on the pan without crowding, and broil, turning once, until the chicken is sticky all over and browned around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes.

5 Brush the chicken with more of the sticky glaze for serving, then drizzle with lemon juice.

“I must have you right now,” he says breathlessly, throwing me down and opening my thighs on the first surface he can find.

“On this?” I ask. “Isn’t this a baking sheet?”

“It’ll have to do.” He practically roasts me with his burning gaze as a low growl issues from his gut.

He looks down at me and slips his fingers between my thighs, spreading them wide. He begins a slow and sensual assault with his hands, scattering capers and lemon everywhere. Because I can’t close my legs, it’s intense, really intense. Oh fucking my…

roasted chicken thighs with mushrooms

SERVES 4 TO 6

1½ pounds boneless, skin-less chicken thighs, patted dry with paper towels

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

¼ cup chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 to 3 teaspoons capers

2 tablespoons white wine, chicken broth, or water

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Lemon wedges, for serving

1 Season the chicken with the salt. In a large bowl, combine the oregano, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper. Add the chicken and mushrooms to the bowl and toss to coat. Drizzle in the oil and stir well. If you can bear waiting, let marinate for up to 4 hours in the fridge, or for 15 minutes at room temperature while the oven preheats.

2 Preheat the oven to 500°F.

3 Spread the chicken thighs open in the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking pan. Scatter the mushrooms and capers around and over the chicken. Add the wine, broth, or water to the pan and roast until the chicken is golden around the edges, glistening with juices, and just cooked through, about 25 minutes.

4 Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges, for squeezing.

I lie exhausted on a bed of rice. He leans over me, tasting me and savoring the juices that are still dripping from me. Cab Calloway is shimmying away on the stereo. Blades runs a hand through his hair and flashes a grin at me.

“Satisfied, Miss Hen?”

I mumble my assent. Holy cow, where does he get his energy? This is the third time we’ve cooked today. Doesn’t he have some kind of job?

“Is stir-fry like this for everyone? I’m surprised anyone ever goes back.” I smile, remembering.

“I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s damn good with you.” He sucks on another piece of my warm flesh.

But I can tell he’s already thinking of how to top this. He’s layering flavors in his head, mixing textures. He can’t just stop and enjoy, he’s got to find a way to move it to the next level. He’s already made a delicious dish, can’t he be happy with that?

From the stereo, Cab is crooning, “Chicken ain’t nothing but a bird.” Right now I’m hardly even that. Blades can finesse all he likes, I think as I drowse. I need my beauty sleep.

stir-fried chicken with spinach and peanuts

SERVES 4

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry with paper towels

½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1½ tablespoons soy sauce

1½ teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon honey

1½ tablespoons peanut oil

1½ teaspoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil

1 bunch scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh gingerroot

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 cups baby spinach

½ cup unsalted roasted peanuts

Cooked rice, for serving

1 Cut the chicken thighs into easy-to-nibble-size pieces; season with the salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and honey.

2 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peanut and sesame oils and let heat for 30 seconds. Stir-fry the chicken hard, fast, and furiously until it’s golden and nearly done, 5 to 7 minutes. Scoop the chicken onto a plate and make it beg you to finish it off.

3 Add the scallion whites, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and stir-fry for 1 minute longer.

4 Stir the broth mixture into the skillet and gently heat to a raucous simmer. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and let the sauce bubble until it is thick and velvety, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the peanuts, the waiting chicken, and the scallion greens. Toss until the sauce reaches its desired thickness and the chicken is quite done, 1 to 2 minutes more. Enjoy over rice.

I begin to wonder whether I’m up to the standard of his singular tastes. Lately, finesse seems to require mayonnaise, fish sauce… and this morning there’s a bottle of ketchup waiting next to the Wolf. I know it will displease him, but I have to ask. Here goes nothing.

“Do we always have to use a condiment?”

He runs his hand through his hair, which still has that amazing just-cooked look from last night. He cocks his head from side to side and frowns.