It’s early February and in most places, it is cold and probably raining or possibly snowing. So now it the time for some hearty, sole warming dinners. I have accumulated a few and provide some ideas for you. Let me know if you like these suggestions and would like me to gather some more ideas and post them.
Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Baby Carrots
Pork tenderloin goes perfectly with sweet baby carrots. The bags of machine-cut “baby” carrots contain too much moisture and won’t roast nicely. Instead, use true baby carrots or larger carrots cut into long, slender fingers about the size of young carrots.
Yield 6 servings
Ingredients
Carrots:
- 2 pounds baby carrots, peeled, trimmed, leaving 1/2 inch of green tops attached
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 small jalapeño (preferably red), seeded, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Pork:
- 2 1-to 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloins
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika**
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
For carrots:
- Arrange carrots on large rimmed baking sheet. Whisk 2 tablespoons water and all remaining ingredients in small bowl; pour over carrots and toss to coat. Cover tightly with heavy-duty foil.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead.
Let stand at room temperature. Toss to coat before continuing.
For pork:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast carrot mixture covered until just tender, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, arrange pork tenderloins on another rimmed baking sheet. Stir oregano, cumin, chile powder, smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt in small bowl; rub mixture all over tenderloins. Heat oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Return to rimmed baking sheet.
- Remove foil from carrots. Nestle pork among carrots on baking sheet, arranging carrots in single layer around pork. Roast uncovered until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145°F, stirring carrots occasionally if beginning to caramelize, about 18 minutes. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer pork to work surface. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange carrots on platter. Top with pork slices, drizzling any pan juices over.
One-Pot Chicken and Biscuits
This easy chicken and biscuits recipe is all about the topping, and I’d pit a biscuit-clad savory pie over a fussier one capped with pie crust or puff pastry any day. The loosely scattered drop biscuit layer adds an enticing, fluffy texture and crispy top that contrasts the creamy filling, and biscuit dough takes a fraction of the prep time of those other pastries. Plus, you only need one bowl and one cast-iron skillet to get this dish on the table.
To make it weeknight-friendly, you can even make the biscuit dough a few days before and store it in the fridge. Keep it simple and classic, or dress up your biscuit topping by adding ¼ cup grated aged cheddar, or 1 tsp. dried thyme, parsley, or rosemary.
- Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield 8 servings
Ingredients
Dough
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
- 6 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Filling and assembly
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 4)
- 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided, plus more
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small onion, cut into ½” pieces
- 1 medium carrot, scrubbed, cut into ½” pieces
- 1 medium (5–8 oz.) waxy potato (such as red), cut into ½” pieces
- 2 celery stalks, any leaves coarsely chopped and reserved, cut on a diagonal into ½” pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more
- 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
- ½ cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Preparation
- Dough
- Whisk 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. kosher salt in a large bowl to combine.
- Add 6 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and toss to coat.
- Work in butter with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream and stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms and no dry bits of flour remain.
- Chill 20 minutes.
- Do ahead:Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Cover tightly and keep chilled.
- Filling and assembly
- Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a 10″ cast-iron skillet over medium-high
- Season 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 4) on both sides with ½ tsp. kosher salt.
- Arrange chicken thighs in pan in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, 5–7 minutes.
- Turn over and cook until almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. (Chicken will finish cooking through in the oven.)
- Transfer to a cutting board; let cool slightly, then cut into 1″ pieces.
- Reduce heat to medium and melt 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter in pan (no need to clean).
- Add 1 small onion, cut into ½” pieces, 1 medium carrot, scrubbed, cut into ½” pieces, and ½ tsp. kosher salt and stir to coat.
- Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add 1 medium (5–8 oz.) waxy potato (such as red), cut into ½” pieces, 2 celery stalks, cut on a diagonal into ½” pieces, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 1 tsp. dried thyme, ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper, and remaining 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter.
- Cook, stirring, 1 minute, then add 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and stir to coat vegetables.
- Cook, stirring often, until flour coating is golden and nutty-smelling, about 3 minutes.
- Add ½ cup dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan.
- Bring to a boil and cook until wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and cook until mixture is thickened a bit, about 4 minutes.
- Uncover pan and stir chicken, coarsely chopped celery leaves (if using), ½ cup heavy cream, and ½ cup fresh or frozen peas into filling. Taste and season with more kosher salt if needed.
- Dollop golf-ball–size pieces of dough over filling.
- Brush with cream and season with pepper and flaky sea salt. Place skillet on a baking sheet to catch any drips and transfer to oven.
- Bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25–30 minutes.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
White Chicken Chili
Hearty and flavorful, white chicken chili is a crowd-pleaser. The mix of diced or shredded chicken, white beans, and corn seasoned with the mild heat of a jalapeño pepper and lots of spices has all the protein, starch, and vegetables you want in a one-pot meal—plus, it’s thickened with a bit of cream for extra body and flavor. This chili is also fairly quick compared to other types. Once the chicken is browned, the ingredients are simmered on the stovetop in a Dutch oven or heavy pot for just 20 minutes.
While this white chicken chili recipe strays pretty far from authentic Southwestern chili, it still benefits from any number of toppings. Load it up with sliced avocado, Jack cheese, fresh cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and a handful of crushed tortilla chips. A side of cornbread also goes well, as does a squeeze of lime juice.
As with most stews, white chicken chili tastes even better the day after it’s made. After it’s cooled, store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days (or freeze for 3 months). Reheat on medium until bubbling.
- Total Time 30 minutes
- Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ large white or yellow onion, diced
- ½ jalapeño, minced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- ½ cup frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans
(such as Great Northern beans or cannellini beans), drained and rinsed - 1¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth, store-bought or homemade
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated Monterey Jack cheese, diced avocado, and/or corn tortilla strips
Preparation
- In a medium soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside (add more olive oil if the pot starts to dry out), 4 to 5 minutes.
- Toss the minced garlic and spices into the pot and turn a few times to coat the chicken evenly.
- Add the corn, beans, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, about 20 minutes.
- Break up some of the beans with the back of a wooden spoon to help thicken the chili.
- Stir in the cream, garnish with the desired toppings, and serve.
