2010.10.14 - Chicken Normandy with Crispy Kale

The recipe selection was driven by a couple of factors: I was returning from a week-long vacation the day before, so didn't have time or energy for fanciness (no dessert!), I had some frozen chicken breast in the freezer, and I had kale I needed to use up (surprisingly my kale stayed fresh for over a week in my fridge).  I paired it with random cheeses leftover in my fridge + a cinnamon topped cheese from Trader Joe's I couldn't resist buying + crackers.  Even better, apple cake and banana bread were brought as desserts!

Chicken Normandy

It isn't the most attractive or healthy dish (I used a whole stick of butter) in the world, but I liked the flavors.  I used bone-in split chicken breasts instead of legs because that's what I had and I prefer white meat anyway.  Calvados is a little pricey for me, so I bought a little airplane bottle size of brandy for the sauce :)  I also used herbes de provence instead of thyme because I prefer it.  I think next time I would put the carved chicken back into the sauce to incorporate it well instead of just spooning the gravy over it. 

Crispy Kale

I still can't tell if I like kale.  The crispy kale tasted ok (although I oversalted it, which some people liked just fine!) but kale just seems to get constantly stuck in my teeth, making it unpleasant to eat.