Quick Dinner: Brown Butter Sage Chicken, Cous Cous, and Turnip Greens

I work with the student programming board right now; if you've ever worked in programming you'll know that it's a lot of fun and involves a lot of time outside of the traditional workday.  This means time is precious and sometimes you need to get dinner on the table quickly.  If you're looking for something really quick after getting home from a late meeting or event this meal is for you.  I was able to get all of this on the table a mere twenty minutes after I took everything out of the refrigerator.  

Cous cous and dark leafy greens are two of my favorite ingredients for quick cooking.  Cous cous is added to boiling chicken broth (or water, or beef broth, or veggie broth - you do you) and is taken off the heat and covered for five minutes.  It's also the perfect bed for the juicy chicken and brown butter.  I like to use this whole wheat cous cous from Trader Joe's:

Dark leafy greens quickly wilt when sautéed with olive oil and garlic.  I used turnip greens here, but spinach, kale, arugala, or even baby bok choy would also work.  Simply coat a pan with olive oil and let the crushed garlic begin to cook on medium heat.  Before the garlic begins to turn golden add the chopped greens, salt, and pepper, and allow the greens to wilt, stirring occasionally.

With your sides complete you can move on to the main dish, brown butter and sage chicken.  This chicken has a big flavor coming from a deceptively simple list of ingredients: chicken, butter, and sage.  Melt two tablespoons of butter over medium-high in a non-stick skillet and allow it to become brown, and fragrant.  Meanwhile cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes - cutting the chicken into small and uniformly sized pieces will ensure it cooks quickly and evenly.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper before adding to the pan in one, even layer.  Add the chiffonade of sage on top of the chicken and let it cook undisturbed for 3.5-4 minutes.  Letting the chicken cook without stirring it is really important to create a beautifully crispy exterior and to let all of the wonderful brown butter flavor the meat.

After 3.5-4 minutes give the chicken and sage a stir so it can finish cooking. Spoon the chicken and remaining brown butter sauce over your cous cous and serve with your greens.  I hope you enjoy this quick recipe on a night when you need something good to eat fast!

Brown Butter Sage Chicken

(Adapted from Kevin & Amanda)

Ingredients 

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 5-10 sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons of butter

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, and allow to turn brown and fragrant
2. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and season with salt and pepper
3. Stack sage leaves on top of each other and roll like a cigar. Cut the cigar into strips to create a chiffonade 
4. Add chicken to browned butter in a single layer and put the sage leaves on top of the chicken
5. Allow chicken to cook for 3.5-4 minutes undisturbed.
6. After 3.5-4 minutes stir chicken and sage and allow chicken to finish cooking, about 2 minutes.