where should we go for chicken tonight?

or, now what is she talking about?

A few weeks ago, we went to a fancy movie theater to watch This is Spinal Tap, remastered as a special 41st anniversary presentation to market the upcoming sequel. This was a big deal for me because I absolutely loathe going to the movies. I can experience people talking over dialogue, rifling through a crackly bag of snacks, and obstructing my view at home…in my own den…for free. But Tap is a movie that I’ve religiously quoted for nearly four decades and frankly, it merits the 4K, full Dolby experience. Plus, these were my people: everybody was over 50 and as grateful as I was for the uber-comfy, double-wide reclining lounge chairs. Seriously, I knew every time another guest sat down because of the “ahhhhhh.” Then, we all settled in and recited every single line of the movie verbatim.

Nostalgia aside, it made me realize that I tend to sneak in pop culture references when I’m in chat mode. I think we all sort of do this – it’s part of being human and appreciating context in a media-driven society. Sometimes I’ll cram quotes (and misquotes) from 5 different sources into a 30-second yak. I did my best to provide the boys a proper education in terms of classic music, TV, and movies, but my ad hoc lines don’t always hit. A few people can appreciate the full load, but usually my guys can only give me a half-hearted smile because I lose them somewhere between but baby fish-mouth is sweeping the nation and how can you be so obtuse?

“It’s such a fine line between stupid…and clever.”

– David St. Hubbins, lead singer, Spinal Tap

If you’ve ever played the NYT word game Connections, welcome to my brain. And when I get overexcited, as one does, I’ll start to mix and match those connections. Think, Use the force, Harry. The next 5 minutes are then spent interpreting what I said, why I said it, and how it relates to the current situation. Nothing more fun than explaining intertextual comedy; it’s a real mood-killer. So that’s the set-up for the title of this post, which has little to do with Spinal Tap, other than it’s another one of those mixed metaphors I throw out far too easily. But that’s just nitpicking, isn’t it?

“Where should we go for chicken tonight?” is the daily question I ask any hungry stakeholder within earshot of my kitchen. It’s a mashup of idioms, born from the old college dining hall quip, What’s for chicken tonight? and familial indecision around restaurant choices. But my question is loaded with the promise of exotic flavors, moderately experimental cooking techniques, a nice Chianti, and a brief sermon on the cultural destination du jour. My (mostly) jovial company and curated, eclectic music are also part of the package, as if I’m hosting my own international dinner theater…starring me attempting some crazy or complicated recipe. Whether you call it supper or dinner, the evening meal is both my favorite and only structured meal of the day, so I make it count.

Despite my reference to “go,” we rarely leave the house for a meal – just not my thing anymore. I think I’ve had dinner at a restaurant maybe 4 times this year, and 2 of those were on the road. Ergo, the “where” in my question has nothing to do with dining out, but rather the regional traditions I’m exploring through food. Once upon a time, I alone chose the nightly menu and then deigned to invite my household of men to observe a solo performance. And I chose…wisely. Five years later, I now actively solicit their ideas and preferences, fully expecting a thoughtful and genuine answer. Where are we going tonight? The answer should sound something like “How about Asia or Italy or New Orleans?” It’s a good system. You might be surprised to learn that I take direction very, very well, but a wishy-washy response like “I don’t know, what do you want” is frowned upon.

The other half of the question involves chicken. There’s no mystery here: elevating boneless, skinless chicken to anchor the menu rotation was a purely defensive response to cholesterol. I’m not saying whose cholesterol we are watching, but when the hammer finally came down, I once again demonstrated that I’m not a monster (see my last post). High cholesterol is not always a result of dietary failure, but genetics notwithstanding, it’s probably a good idea to pay attention to your labs after 50 and watch what you eat. Remember my delectable air-fried wings from March? Now special occasion only. April’s amazing home-ground burgers? Maybe once a month. And forget the butter, cheese, and cream from February’s indulgences. All have been swapped out for more heart-friendly alternatives. Now the question isn’t ‘what are we going to do’; the question is ‘what aren’t we going to do?’

Red meat and high-fat dairy are in the crosshairs this round, and admittedly, they had it coming. For months, I’d been far too liberal with saturated fat and was cooking as if I had the metabolism and organ structure of a 25-year-old. Not just any 25-year-old – I’m talking about a distance runner with superior genetics and a BMI under 19. To make matters worse, beef, butter, cream, and cheese are soooooo good partially because of their luxurious fat content, but it goes beyond mouth feel. According to studies cited in Psychology Today, the “taste” of fat is genetically linked to a protein on our tongues and can cause human metabolism to go haywire. That’s just perfect.

I’m starting to suspect that my 50+ psyche now tackles challenges a bit differently than when I was a younger woman. I’ll loudly announce “I don’t care,” knowing full well it does not mean I will remain passive. I’m still voracious, but rarely aggressive. One could be tempted to conflate my attitude with avoidance or deflection, but I’m sticking with “tackle.” I can tackle without freaking out and assuming every disappointment or transgression is a deliberate affront. It’s not personal…it’s strictly business. “Tackling” sounds to me like success is a foregone conclusion once you do the work and solve the puzzle. It helps that I’ve decided that life’s absurdities, even in their most cruel or stupid forms, should be working for, not against me. It’s really just a change of perspective – a redirection – rather than some dramatic perimenopausal personality quirk. Don’t worry, I have plenty of those too.

As for the chicken thing, I’m tackling our new dietary guidelines much in the same way: making it work for me. It started with last month’s wontons, which are traditionally made with pork, and has blossomed into a little chicken cottage industry in my kitchen. Two weeks ago, I made Marcella Hazen’s 5-hour Bolognese with ground chicken thighs and I swear you’d never know. The same goes for the coq au vin meatballs, the tzatziki chicken platter, and that ravioli filling. The new air fryer took some trial-and-error, but now creates crispy Korean or Chinese glazed chicken recipes that won’t kill us. I guess it’s all working, but only time will tell. Difficult to see; always in motion is the future.

Intellectually, I know a healthy diet is a matter of moderation, but moderation happens to be my least favorite virtue. Highly-processed foods are also no-nos, but this blog exists because I began to tackle those years ago. However, I’ve seen my handiwork with a sleeve of Oreos, so I really have to lean into austerity this time around. Baby, you ain’t kidding. Substituting chicken for beef is fine, and often better than fine, but occasionally I’m hit with a mid-meal pang of nostalgic longing – my taste memory is strong and at times, a bit emotional. I’ve always rolled my eyes at the dieter’s mantra, “nothing tastes as good as thin feels.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s more like nothing feels as good as fat tastes. But the saturated fat pangs will pass, or get shifted into the background with all the other forbidden fruit – pangs are part of life, just like aging and, quite often, high cholesterol. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

I’ve managed to adapt the majority of my red-meat repertoire to skinless poultry in some form, but to avoid tedium, I always have tofu or lean pork on deck as backups. My relationship with fish is complicated at best – that’s the next post – but salmon rarely fails me, so there’s always that. Having a cavalcade of flavor-packed international recipes also makes the proteins seem a little less important. Regardless, I can’t ever go back to plain grilled chicken and salad, the diet that helped me drop 20+ pounds four separate times in my life. I was svelte for sure, but boring as a brick and a bit miserable. At 57, I’ll try anything to outsmart the system, and it’s how I tackle the disappointment and/or outrage of being told “no.” Believe me, if a recipe exists for guilt-free, healthy chicken brownies, I’ll try it just to keep those bad boys in my repertoire. Never give up, never surrender.

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Deconstructed Enchiladas Suizas

There are dozens of variations for this dish: flour tortillas, red salsa, shrimp or fish could all work. The fat content of the white sauce is up to you, just realize that it ultimately blends with the salsa to soothe the sting of the chilis and mellow the tart tomatillos. Lastly, I chose not to roll them individually because the corn tortillas always break on me unless I warm them in oil, so that’s out until somebody’s statins kick in.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh tomatillos, husked & washed
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 Serrano pepper, whole
• 5 cloves of garlic
• ½ cup cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1 scant tsp cumin
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup sour cream (low-fat preferred)
• 1 cup Mexican Crema (or blended low-fat cottage cheese with a Tbs of milk to thin)
• 18 small corn tortillas
• 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
• 12 oz shredded Oaxaca cheese (part-skim mozzarella) Monterey Jack is fine)
• Avocado and cilantro for serving

Method

Preheat oven to 425° and place tomatillos, onion, pepper, and garlic on a lightly greased sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes until soft and slightly charred.

I used 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were seasoned and snuggled in a covered roasting pan. They cooked alongside the veggies for about 40 minutes and the internal temp was 165°. Save any juice for the final layer of enchiladas. But rotisserie chicken works fine!

Transfer the cooked veggies to a blender and add cilantro. If you are heat-averse, carefully remove seeds from the Serrano. Blend until smooth. You may have to jiggle and coax it, but it will blend.

Heat a tablespoon of neutral oil in medium heat in a large saucepan and then add the blended salsa verde. You want it to sizzle – this is the seasoning step so don’t skip it! Sprinkle in cumin, chicken seasoning, and a little salt. Cook this down 10-15 minutes on very low heat.

Meanwhile, mix the sour cream (I used fat free this time) and blended cottage cheese (or Crema) to make a white sauce. Set aside a few tablespoons for serving.

Because this is “deconstructed” the layering is entirely up to you. I started with a cup of salsa verde on the bottom of a greased 9” X 13” casserole dish.

I then dipped 6 corn tortillas in the slaw and covered the dish, overlapping. Next was half of the shredded chicken, then a drizzle of salsa, about ½ of the white sauce (dolloped and spread), and ⅓ of the shredded cheese.

The next layer is a repeat starting with 6 more dipped corn tortillas, then chicken, salsa, white sauce, and cheese. You think we need one more? You think we need one more. Alright we’ll get one more. The final layer is dipped tortillas, a bit more salsa, and any liquid from the roasted chicken, and the last ⅓ of the cheese.

You can roll them if you want, but the corn tortillas need to be heated or they will break. Decon is easier and the result is the same!

Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until brown and bubbly, about 15–20 minutes.

Rest for 10 minutes before serving with sliced avocado, a final drizzle of white sauce, and chopped cilantro.

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For those keeping track I quoted or referenced some of my all-time favorites: This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally, The Shawshank Redemption, Silence of the Lambs, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Goodfellas, Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, Forrest Gump, the Godfather, The Empire Strikes Back, Kill Bill vol. 2, The Princess Bride, Galaxy Quest, and Ocean’s Eleven.