Tangerine & Cider Glazed Chicken

I experimented a bit in the kitchen tonight. I started with the intention of doing my usual pan-seared chicken with various vegetables. Then I thought I’d make some kind of chicken wrap, initially to be made with tortillas. Then I decided to use the butter lettuce in the fridge instead of tortillas, but alas the lettuce is past its prime.

After much deliberation over a period of hours, I settled on pan-seared chicken with various vegetables. I know, I know. I really went out on a limb.

The chicken was covered with smoked paprika, lots of cumin, kosher salt, and a bit of Chinese five spice powder. The veggies wound up being sweet caramelized onions and organic baby carrots. (Does the fact that they’re organic ameliorate some of the evil inherent in plucking them from the ground before they’ve really had a chance to live?) I also chopped up some fresh (also organic but this time adult) spinach. Mix in some leftover basmati rice, and we’re good.

When I picked up the chicken at the grocery store, I also picked up some Woodchuck cider. I used a bit of the cider to deglaze the chicken pan and then squeezed in the juice of an organic tangerine. Add a little chicken broth and corn starch, and voila! Tangerine & cider glaze for the chicken. Pretty groovy, if I do say so myself.

Then Kimberly, mom, grandma, and I were disturbed by the first half hour of Last Tango in Paris. It’s one of those movies I always thought I should see but apparently knew nothing about. I was expecting an old B&W movie. Way off base. We gave up on the movie and switched to The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Amanda Peet. The horrible accents by Rosanna Arquette and Kevin Pollack were quite painful to hear, but it was still a very funny movie.