Date Night. Couples around the world treasure this night. Some like to stay in, others go out. If you can cook and going out is only satisfying with high-end dining, staying in is more often the choice (like it is in our house). In my opinion, a date night meal should be something that’s fun but also satisfying.
Among the millions of things that my fiancée has done to make me a better person, an important improvement she has contributed to is making me a better home cook. It helps my cooking that I think she is a super taster, too (she can taste EVERYTHING).
Before we started dating, my cooking was, how can I put it nicely… inconsistent. Or more often than not, as she and my brother affectionately liked to call it, “Glorp.” Not because it tasted bad, but because it was too busy, and tended towards casseroles. Over the past seven years, I’ve heeded her advice and tried to stay true to the mantra of “Keep It Simple Stupid”. Too often cooks, myself included, like to get too fancy and will over complicate a dish. By doing so, you don’t let the basic ingredients be the main stars of the show. You can put a zillion spices or sauces on the food, but then you might end up just eating a bunch of sauce. “And now the baby’s crying!” To quote Old School.
We’ve touched on the main ingredient of this dish in the past chicken thigh is one of my favorite protein sources for a meal. All Hail Chicken Thigh.
I also used broccolini in this dish. I really enjoy it, the flavor is mild and not as overpowering as broccoli. Moreover, it takes on other flavors exceptionally well.
The final component, the ravioli, came from La Pasta, it was an artichoke & spinach filled ravioli. Ravioli is a nice addition to a dish, if you want to have a pasta component without all the pasta. It gives you everything you want from a pasta dish without having to eat a ton of carbs.
Recipe
4 Chicken Thighs
4 Tbsp. of Salt
1/8 cup of Water
4 Stalks of Broccolini
1 Package of La Pasta Ravioli
2 Tbsp. of Butter
1/4 cup of Homemade Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. of Mayo
1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. of Lemon Juice
Marinate the chicken thighs in the salt and water for about 3 hours (not mandatory, it just helps).
Mix the mayo, olive oil, and lemon juice together for a simple sauce.
Heat 2 Tbsp. of butter in your skillet, once it’s bubbling add your chicken thighs. Allow each side to brown. Then add your chicken broth, allow the chicken to simmer for about 20 minutes on medium. Let the broth reduce down, check for the internal temp. on the chicken thighs, once they’re close to being done, begin to brush the sauce onto the chicken. Remove from the heat.
Add the other 2 Tbsp. of butter back to the skillet, and add your washed broccolini. Cook until it turns a bright green color, remove it before it begins to turn a yellowish green color. You don’t want to overcook it, plus the broccolini will continue to cook as it sits from the heat of the dish.
Cook your ravioli, as I’ve recommended in the past, salt your pasta water, bring it to a boil and add your ravioli. This brand cooks relatively fast so 5 minutes is all you will need.
Plate and Enjoy!
- 4 Chicken Thighs
- 4 Tbsp. of Salt
- 1/8 cup of Water
- 4 Stalks of Broccolini
- 1 Package of La Pasta Ravioli
- 2 Tbsp. of Butter
- 1/4 cup of Homemade Chicken Broth
- 1 Tbsp. of Mayo
- 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp. of Lemon Juice
- Marinate the chicken thighs in the salt and water for about 3 hours (not mandatory, it just helps).
- Mix the mayo, olive oil, and lemon juice together for a simple sauce.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. of butter in your skillet, once it’s bubbling add your chicken thighs. Allow each side to brown. Then add your chicken broth, allow the chicken to simmer for about 20 minutes on medium. Let the broth reduce down, check for the internal temp. on the chicken thighs, once they’re close to being done, begin to brush the sauce onto the chicken. Remove from the heat.
- Add the other 2 Tbsp. of butter back to the skillet, and add your washed broccolini. Cook until it turns a bright green color, remove it before it begins to turn a yellowish green color. You don’t want to overcook it, plus the broccolini will continue to cook as it sits from the heat of the dish.
- Cook your ravioli, as I’ve recommended in the past, salt your pasta water, bring it to a boil and add your ravioli. This brand cooks relatively fast so 5 minutes is all you will need.
- Plate and Enjoy!
