You Deserve Better Than Chicken Breast During These Tough Times
I haven’t been to the grocery store for about 10 days, but the last time I was there, I couldn’t help but notice the apparent lack of boneless, skinless chicken breast. In fact, all the neat, boneless cuts of meat ran out pretty quickly, and while I understand the need for simplification now, this is not the time for boring meat.
We can do better. We deserve the best and we have time to invest in training . I love all the pretty boules I see on Instagram, and if you have the bandwidth for homemade bread, you probably have the bandwidth to learn how to cook more complex and interesting cuts of meat. (If you are not a vegetarian, then why did you click on this?)
While I couldn’t find a lot of chicken, the seafood counter had plenty of lamb (several cuts), oxtail , whole pork shoulders, pork belly, and lots of whole fish, and the freezer aisle was a treasure trove of exciting stuff. I noticed several whole ducks, a couple of geese and many kilo packs of earthen moose, wild boars and goats.
If you have an immersion circulation pump, there has never been a better time to cook large cuts of meat for a long time. Carnitas , beef tongue, and whole goose are wonderful cooked sous vide and can feed you and your loved ones for days. If you really need a project, you can support a local farm and cook a whole pig head . If you are looking for a small project, you can prepare your own cold cuts .
But even if you don’t have a sous-vide circulating pump, now is a good time to change your meat routine. This could mean trying a new pork chop marinade , artificially aging steaks with fish sauce, or making a pork belly brulee . If you really want chicken, at least have some fun. Make Instant Pot Wings , Large Liver Mousse , or Thigh Duck Duck Fat . And if you just need to cook these boneless and skinless breasts for some reason, at least have the decency to grind them first .