My Local Meal: Baked Thyme Chicken with Other Side Dishes

Hey, everybody! I just finished eating a fantastic dinner made of entirely local foods. I made baked boneless chicken breasts with thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper tucked underneath the skin and served it with two side dishes: leek and mushroom sautee and pear and apple slices with melted gouda and honey. I bought all of my ingredients at Whole Foods Market in Bellevue, WA. Finding ingredients was easier than I expected, for there was a large selection of local foods, but it still wasn't a quick shopping trip. I roamed the produce section for a few minutes while I figured out what was available locally and what wasn't. Then, I checked in the meat department to make sure that they had locally raised chicken. After that, I formed a recipe in my head and bought the ingredients. I probably spent about 20 minutes in the produce department, and I only had to get 5 items. The picture below shows most of the ingredients I bought. Cameo apples, d'anjou pears, crimini mushrooms, leeks, thyme, and boneless chicken breasts went into my meal tonight.

My local ingredients

 Baked Thyme Chicken
Serves 4

This delicious chicken retains moisture and flavors from the seasonings tucked underneath its skin. Fresh herbs and freshly ground black pepper give the chicken a savory flavor that anyone could enjoy. Plus, this dish is made from many ingredients that can be locally grown in a lot of places, particularly Washington State.

Ingredients
1 whole boneless chicken breast, halved (skins on) 
2 tbsp olive oil
10 large sprigs fresh thyme 
Salt and pepper, to taste


Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place the breast halves in a Corning Ware baking dish (or something similar) and coat with the olive oil. Lift up the skins. Making sure they do not become detached from the chicken, season the meat with salt and pepper underneath the skin and on the skinless parts of the bird. Tuck 5 sprigs of thyme underneath the skin of each half. 

3. Put the lid on the baking dish. Bake the chicken for 23-25 minutes, making sure that it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve. 

Thyme chicken before it is baked

Leek and Mushroom Saute
Serves 4

This dish pairs nicely with Baked Thyme Chicken, and has a simple and comforting taste to it. A sprinkle of fresh thyme enhances the natural flavors of the mushrooms. When washing a leek, you will want to slice it first and then soak it in a bowl of cold water. This loosens up the leeks and releases the dirt. Drain away the water and the dirt and give it a rinse in a colander. This assures that you won't get much dirt in your food.

Ingredients
2 medium-sized leeks, sliced and washed
1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
The leaves of 3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste


Preparation
1. Slice the leeks and soak them in a bowl of cold water. Move them around to release the dirt particles. Drain away the water and dirt, and transfer the leeks to a colander. Rinse the leeks to assure that there in a minimal amount of dirt. 

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and saute until the leeks just begin to soften. Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, and thyme and saute for 4-5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Serve.

Sauteing leeks and mushrooms

Honey Drizzled Apples and Pears with Melted Gouda
Serves 4

If you've ever had pears with melted cheese and honey, then you'll certainly love this side dish. It's the perfect snack, appetizer, or sidekick to baked chicken. Cheese and fruit may seem strange, but it doesn't taste that way! 

Ingredients
1 cameo apple, quartered and sliced
1 d'anjou pear, quartered and sliced
2 oz gouda cheese, thinly sliced
Honey

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to a low broil.

2. When slicing the fruit, make sure you place the slices of each quarter on separate portions of the cutting board. Match up an apple quarter with a pear quarter. Place each pair of quarters on a baking sheet and lay out the slices in your desired order. 

3. Break apart the gouda slices into smaller bits. Lay the gouda on top of the arrangement of fruit. Broil for about a minute, making sure you are watching the fruit through the oven using the oven light. Make sure you do not broil the fruit past the point where the cheese has melted. 

4. Serve each pair of quarters with a drizzle of honey on top.

The final product! 

 Go to the Whole Foods Market website to discover which products they carry locally in your area. Take a look at their guides to vegetables and fruits if you want to learn about a specific vegetable or fruit. Please comment on all of recent posts about the food systems stating your opinion in this worldwide debate. If you are interested, please make some food using ingredients from your favorite food system (this includes a mixture of both systems if that is what you support) and email me your recipe and photos! Stay healthy!