What's Cooking? Vol. 17

Bi-weekly recipe links, techniques, and more

We’re here! We’re back! Happy Friday, everyone. 

I really enjoyed slowing things down over the summer. I did a LOT of brainstorming for Can’t Help But Cook, and I am excited to slowly but surely share my evolving vision for this space. But, for now, I’m just excited to be back. We have a lot to get to today, so let’s hop to it.

Technique of the Moment: Mayo-Marinated Chicken Thighs

In addition to wanting time to plan and dream up new things for Can’t Help But Cook, I also just need time over the summer to slow down. I’m a big fan of going full speed ahead. I operate best under these circumstances. But, I’ve learned over the years that I need to carve out downtime, otherwise I crash and burn. Hard. This Substack is far from the source of my daily stress. If you were looking for said source I might direct your attention to two 19-month-old twin girls…who shall remain nameless. 

Long story short, even though I was actively trying to keep our family life chill over the summer, I really and truly can’t help but cook. My brain does not compute a world in which slowing down means takeout and frozen food. I just can’t. This means, of course, that I made a ridiculous number of

Ali Slagle

recipes. Lucky you. I'm about to give you all the deets. Just in time for the school year too — I’m sure the rest of you are in need of the very best that low-effort, high-reward meals have to offer. 

Mayo-marinated chicken quickly became a staple of our diets this summer. It requires the tiniest bit of prep, but the flavor payoff is huge. Moreover, it’s versatile. So, select your favorite easy side dishes to make and forget about the rest.

The Science of Fat

Mayo is a type of fat and, as such, it carries flavor. When we add aromatics, condiments, or other flavoring agents to fat, the fat intensifies and circulates the flavor.¹ This is the reason infused olive oils are so delicious. They enhance the garlic, rosemary, or parmesan in them. The same goes with mayo. Additionally, because mayo has a semi-solid texture — due to the fact that it’s an emulsion of oil and water — the flavored mayo clings to the chicken. Compared to a marinade that has a looser, more liquid-like consistency, which is prone to congregating at the bottom of a bowl/ziplock bag, when you mix chicken thighs in a flavored mayo and place it in the fridge, the mayo stays put on the chicken. Moreover, as this article, “The Secret Ingredient That Improves Meat Every Time,” mentions, mayo also improves browning when cooked.

In both of Ali’s recipes below, you mix two ingredients with mayo before adding the chicken. Ideally, you want to let this sit in the fridge for a few hours (or up to 8 hours).

I mentioned Ali Slagle’s Ginger-Lime Chicken in the August summer edition of What’s Cooking? But, I’m here to share it again. I know it’s not a looker, but just trust me on this one.

Ali Slagle’s Ginger-Lime Chicken

Ali’s Dijonnaise Grilled Chicken was also outstanding, and if I had to choose between the two, I’d likely pick this one. I used thighs, rather than breasts, and paired it with some roasted sweet potatoes and a simple-as-can-be kale and white bean salad. And, that was dinner.

Ali Slagle’s Dijionnaise Chicken

Finally, following Ali’s lead one night, I made my own simple version.

• Combine 1/3 cup mayo with 3 grated garlic gloves. S&P to taste.

• Pat dry 1.5 lbs chicken thighs. Add S&P — using 1.5 tsp salt.

• Add chicken to mayo and coat the chicken well.

• If you can, let the chicken sit, covered, in the fridge for a few hours. Up to 8 hours.

• 1 hour and 45 minutes before you want to eat, take chicken out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temp for 1 hour and 30 minutes (the last 15 minutes are for cooking and plating)

• Cook over medium-high until done, approximately 5 minutes per side

I paired this with a really really delicious tortellini recipe from Yasmin Fahr’s new cookbook Cook Simply, Live Fully. A huge crowd-pleaser with very little stress on my end.

Garlic Mayo-Marinated Chicken Thighs & Yasmin Fahr’s Skillet Tortellini with Blistered Tomatoes

A Few Notes

• Make sure you pat the chicken thighs dry first. Ali’s directions say this, but I do want to reiterate. Then, salt and pepper the thighs before adding them to the mayo mixture. And, yes, the mayo mixture has salt and pepper too. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

• If you can, take the thighs out of the refrigerator 1-1.5 hours before you start cooking. Ali also gives this direction. I don’t talk about this as much as I should, but this simple step can have a substantial effect on the tenderness of your meat. The temperature your meat is at before you begin to cook affects how the chicken cooks. To quote the great Samin Nosrat:

  [T]he temperature — that is, the measure of heat, or of its absence—of an ingredient will affect how it cooks. Food at room temperature cooks differently than food straight from the fridge. The same food will cook evenly or unevenly, quickly or slowly, depending on its temperature at the start of cooking. This is particularly true for meat, eggs, and dairy, whose temperamental proteins and fats are deeply affected by temperature swings… Let all meats — except for the thinnest cuts— come to room temperature before you cook them… Get in the habit of pulling out meat you plan to cook for dinner right when you get home from work…[and] you’ll learn that time can do some of the work of good cooking even better than the oven can.²

Other Ali Slagle Meals Worth Noting

I’m sorry to be sharing so many recipes behind a paywall, but I will say that in addition to Ali’s cookbook I Dream of Dinner, the NYT Cooking app has been my best friend this summer. If you like Ali Slagle meals, there are one million more of hers on the app, plus all the other people too. In my opinion, it’s a steal at $5/month.

Earlier this week I made Ali’s Shrimp Scampi with Orzo and there wasn’t a single bite left over! A great recipe to make as we transition from summer to early fall. If you’re cooking for kids (or anyone else who doesn’t like spice), forego the red pepper flakes and add them to individual bowls at dinner time.

Finally, a huge shout out to my friend Elizabeth, who drew my attention to Ali’s Honey-Mustard Chicken Tenders. A big hit in the Remmes household! I thought I took a photo, but it would appear otherwise. Usually, my son reminds me, but I think we were all too excited to wait.

Ali Slagle’s Shrimp Scampi with Orzo

New Kids on the Block

Even with my nearly-single-minded focus on Ali Slagle recipes this summer, I came across three new recipe developers and their cookbooks. I’m only actively familiar with one cookbook, but I do want to share the others in the event your library carries them.

1. Yasmin Fahr, Cook Simply, Live Fully (2024). As you’ll soon learn, I have decided enough is enough, and I have ceased making any more recipes from Defined Dish’s Dinner Tonight. I’ll be releasing a cookbook review — of sorts — next week. It’s notably different from my other two, but I still think it’s very valuable in its own right. You’ll have to tune in and check it out.

   I say all this because I’ve started working on my next cookbook review, which is of Yasmin Fahr’s newest cookbook Cook Simply, Live Fully. I referenced her Skillet Tortellini with Blistered Tomatoes recipe above. As a lover of all things Mediterranean culture and food, I’ve been really in the mood for trays of vegetables roasted in so much extra virgin olive oil, seafood in all its variations, and enough sizzled feta to see me through to the end of time. Yasmin has a lot of recipes available on her website for free. In addition to the recipes in her cookbook, I’ve made her Baked Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs and Greek Chicken Thighs with White Beans.

Yasmin Fahr’s Baked Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs

2. Colu Henry, Colu Cooks, Easy Fancy Food (2022). So, I’ve actually only made one recipe by Colu, but I loved it so much that I immediately saved her cookbook to my wishlist. I really love a good bean recipe, especially for a quick, nutritious lunch. This Creamy White Beans With Herb Oil was absolutely delicious. Cannot recommend it enough!

Colu Henry’s Creamy White Beans with Herb Olive Oil

3. Susie Theodorou, Mediterranean (2022) and No-Cook Cookbook (releasing September 2024). I actually haven’t made a single recipe by Susie, but I am so intrigued by both cookbooks. Moreover, Susie has decades of experience in the food world and comes with Carla Lalli Music’s stamp of approval. The main reason I want to share with you all now is that her second cookbook, the No-Cook Cookbook, might be really appealing to some of you right now — or as soon as it releases later this month. The first section consists of ideas for how to use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Both of these cookbooks are on my wishlist as well. I will keep you posted as new updates arise.

One Non-Food-Related Thought

I co-lead a Well-Read Mom book club here in New York City. I’m writing this on Thursday morning. Our first book club meeting to start off the new reading year is tonight, and I’m really excited! We’re in our third year (the organization is on its thirteenth) and we’ve had so much interest in our local group we’ve actually had to cap it for now. Very exciting news in its own right and deserving of a huge shout out to all the women in our group!

New York City is a tricky place to live sometimes. It always feels like you’re one-friend-moving-away from profound loneliness — and to be honest, I don’t think that’s necessarily unique to a big metropolitan city like New York; New York is a very transient city but loneliness also seems to be everywhere. I think we all feel this to one degree or another. But, for whatever reason, be it the trials of life in New York, or the inherent temperaments of the women in our group, or some combination of the two, our group just has a really good thing going. I’m very grateful.

Anyway, usually I’m proselytizing to women all over Manhattan about the organization, but since we are full I’ll turn my energetic attention to the internet for now. I’ll spare you my soapbox spiel, but it’s a really great organization with an admirable mission that I am 1000% behind. It’s been hugely meaningful to my life and I want every woman to know about it. Also, you don’t have to be a biological mother to join, just fyi — I actually think there are even some college groups across the country. Check it out!

---

It’s great to be back with you all! There’s a lot of Rachel-energy coming your way — for better or for worse, we’ll see. For now, take some of the pressure off yourself. Find an Ali Slagle meal that excites you. Gather your friends and family around a table and enjoy a good dinner together.

See you in the kitchen!

Xo,

Rach

---

In Case You Missed It:

1. Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2013: pg. 64.

2. Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: pg. 151.