A Healthy Plate

Balsamic Chicken - Spinach Salad - Rice - Roasted Pepper Aioli

Here we have a boneless breast of chicken that has been lightly floured with salt and pepper and sauteed in some olive oil until golden brown. The chicken was then removed from the pan to allow fresh diced garlic, onion and carrot, to quickly brown. Then Balsamic Vinegar was added to deglaze the pan and return the chicken to the mixture along with some chicken stock to simmer for about 20 minutes. The chicken was removed so the liquid could be strained and reduced for a thick sweet sauce.

For the Pepper Aioli, I started by roasting some yellow peppers in the broiler. After they were nicely roasted to where the skin peels off easily, I added them to a food processor along with eggs, mustard, and garlic and let it puree the mixture. I then slowly added in olive oil until I got the consistency I wanted. Seasoned with salt, pepper and a little lemon juice it was set in the fridge until ready to plate.

The spinach salad was simply tossed in lemon juice, a little rice vinegar and salt and pepper. The sharpness of the Aioli and sweetness of the Balsamic worked nicely to compliment one another! Once all the components were eaten together, they had a nice balance.

Chicken Scarpariello

Pan Roasted Chicken on the bone with Sweet Italian Sausage, Vinegar Cherry Peppers, Potatoes, Onion and Garlic.


One of my favorite classic Southern Italian dishes! Jerry's in East Rutherford, New Jersey, has the most legendary Chicken Scarpariello. I first sampled it when I was about 12 years old and have been in love with it ever since. They are one of few restaurants that prepare the chicken on the bone, which is the most traditional way to prepare this dish. If you're ever in the area, I recommend stopping in for a taste; You won't regret it!

Lemon Roasted Chicken

Lemon Roasted Chicken with a Smokey Orange Sauce and lightly sauteed Asparagus


This 5lb bird was stuffed with fresh lemon, thyme and garlic before being pan seared in peanut oil and Roasted in the oven at 350 degrees for about 1hr 45m. The final 20 minutes I added a 1/2 stick of butter to the natural juices and basted the bird to crisp up the skin.

The Smokey Orange Sauce was started by making about 1 1/2 cups of stock from the giblets. I then sauteed fresh garlic and 1 small onion in 4 tbsp of butter until lightly golden brown. I then stirred in about 2-3 tbsp of flour and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Then I added the stock I made along with 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup red wine, 4-5 tbsp orange marmalade, 1/2 tsp liquid smoke and salt and pepper. I cooked this down for about 45 minutes to let it thicken, strained and served. Simple and delicious!