After working 6 graveyard shifts in a row, cooking was the last thing on my mind when I got home from the hospital yesterday morning. Henry’s still in New York City, so I couldn’t count on him to make dinner. And because I’m not exactly a great meal planner, I had no leftovers to repurpose.
So did I give in to the evil Mini-Me perched on my shoulder, egging me on to throw in the towel and JUST ORDER SOME TAKEOUT ALREADY?
If you follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, you already know that I managed not to cave.
It helped that my in-laws were here to watch the kids while I was at work. By the time my car screeched into the driveway, they’d already gotten the Double-Os fed, dressed, and packed for school. After accompanying the spawn to their classroom doors, I checked the defrost bowl in my fridge for thawed meat, and found two packs of chicken thighs. Now, all I needed was a simple way to cook ‘em.
A quick Google search later, I landed on this quick, one-pan solution. To make doubly sure that I wouldn’t abandon the chicken thighs for takeout, I opened up the packages of semi-frozen thighs and generously seasoned with kosher salt before storing them in the fridge. (Besides, I knew they’d taste much better with early salting.
When I rolled out of bed in the evening, my goal was to have dinner on the table in 45 minutes. Once I stepped in the kitchen, I preheated the oven to 475°F, heated a large cast iron skillet with a dollop of ghee on a burner set on high, and grabbed the salted chicken out of the fridge. I took out some braising greens and fingerling potatoes, too. While the chicken cooked in the hot, sputtering ghee…
…I peeled and cut the potatoes into thick coins…
…before steaming them in the pressure cooker.
Then, I washed and spun the kale.
After crisping the skin of the chicken…
…I threw the skillet into the oven, and transferred the steamed potatoes to a plate.
After pouring out the water from the pressure cooker, I started braising the kale. By this time, the chicken was done roasting, so I placed it on a wire rack to rest for 5 minutes.
Last but not least, I fried the steamed potatoes in the schmaltz, and finished seasoning the kale.
Ta dah!
