Five-Ingredient Main Dish Recipes
"Cooking’s not rocket science. If an old codger like me can do it, anyone can."--Granddad in By Cook or by Crook
The books in my Five-Ingredient Mystery series have an appendix with recipes for some of the dishes mentioned in the story. This page contains a sample of main and side dish recipes.
Visit my page on the HobbyReads blog for additional recipes.
Read my reviews of cookbooks focused on recipes with few ingredients.
- Chicken Lyonnaise from S'more Murders
- Orange-Glazed Cornish Hens from The Tell-Tale Tarte
- A Lot O'Strata, an updated recipe from By Cook or by Crook
Visit my page on the HobbyReads blog for additional recipes.
Read my reviews of cookbooks focused on recipes with few ingredients.
CHICKEN LYONNAISE
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I’m sharing is a five-ingredient version of a dish that was part of the last dinner served on the Titanic: Sauté of Chicken Lyonnaise. The vinegar and onion sauce in this recipe is popular in Lyons, the gastronomical capital of France, which is renowned for its poultry.
3 tablespoons olive oil (or half oil and half butter) 1 ½ pounds chicken tenders 3 large shallots, chopped small, or a medium onion, finely diced ½ cup red wine vinegar ½ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces if desired before cooking them |
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Heat the oil (or oil and butter) at medium high in a skillet large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.
Sauté the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes until lightly brown. Turn the pieces over and sauté them on the other side for 3-4 minutes, until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken and loosely cover it with foil.
Add the shallots or onions to the pan and sauté them until lightly browned. Stir the vinegar into the skillet little by little and boil the liquid down until it’s no longer watery. Stir in the crème fraîche or cream. Cook until the mixture is blended and has turned light brown, about 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and heat the pieces in the sauce, rotating them to make sure all sides are in the sauce. Serve with vegetables as a main course.
Serves 4.
Sauté the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes until lightly brown. Turn the pieces over and sauté them on the other side for 3-4 minutes, until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken and loosely cover it with foil.
Add the shallots or onions to the pan and sauté them until lightly browned. Stir the vinegar into the skillet little by little and boil the liquid down until it’s no longer watery. Stir in the crème fraîche or cream. Cook until the mixture is blended and has turned light brown, about 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and heat the pieces in the sauce, rotating them to make sure all sides are in the sauce. Serve with vegetables as a main course.
Serves 4.
ORANGE-GLAZED CORNISH HENS
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For this recipe, use marmalade made with sugar. It can be the low-sugar type, but not marmalade made with corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. If you have larger hens, increase the baking time.
4 tablespoon orange marmalade 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 Cornish hens approximately 1.5 pounds each Vegetable cooking spray [Orange slices, optional] Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. |
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Combine the marmalade, the vinegar, and the thyme in a microwavable cup. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute at half power. Stir to mix the ingredients. Microwave for 30 seconds at half-power. Repeat the 30- second microwaving until the mixture is soft enough to brush on the hens. Set the mixture aside and keep it warm.
Discard any giblets from the hens.
Rinse the hens under cold water and pat them dry. Remove the skin and split the hens in half lengthwise.
Coat a rack with vegetable cooking spray and put it in a shallow roasting pan.
Place the hens on the rack, with the meaty side up.
Brush the hens with half the glaze mixture.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Brush the hens with the remaining marmalade mix, and bake an additional 20-25 minutes.
Serve with an optional garnish of orange slices.
Serves 4
Discard any giblets from the hens.
Rinse the hens under cold water and pat them dry. Remove the skin and split the hens in half lengthwise.
Coat a rack with vegetable cooking spray and put it in a shallow roasting pan.
Place the hens on the rack, with the meaty side up.
Brush the hens with half the glaze mixture.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Brush the hens with the remaining marmalade mix, and bake an additional 20-25 minutes.
Serve with an optional garnish of orange slices.
Serves 4
A LOT O’ STRATA RECIPE
Alert readers noted that the recipe for strata in By Cook or by Crook left out the instruction about when to pour the egg mixture over the other ingredients. That instruction appears in bold in the recipe below.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1 pound bulk sausage, turkey or pork, spicy or not depending on your taste
6 eggs
2 cups milk
Stale bread: French, white, or wheat
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
[Optional: ½ teaspoon salt]
Brown and drain small chunks of the sausage.
Beat the eggs with the milk (and salt if you use it).
Cube the stale bread and spread it in a single layer at the bottom of a 9X13 inch pan. Sprinkle the sausage and the cheese on the cubed bread. Pour the egg mixture over the other ingredients.
Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of an hour before baking.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Serves 8-10.
1 pound bulk sausage, turkey or pork, spicy or not depending on your taste
6 eggs
2 cups milk
Stale bread: French, white, or wheat
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
[Optional: ½ teaspoon salt]
Brown and drain small chunks of the sausage.
Beat the eggs with the milk (and salt if you use it).
Cube the stale bread and spread it in a single layer at the bottom of a 9X13 inch pan. Sprinkle the sausage and the cheese on the cubed bread. Pour the egg mixture over the other ingredients.
Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of an hour before baking.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Serves 8-10.
ISBN: 978-1594747571
I'm thrilled that one of my recipes is in the Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. The book, edited by mystery author and former Cosmopolitan editor, Kate White, contains wickedly good recipes. The ones I've tried have been delicious.
The recipe I contributed, Take Your Pick Vegetable Salad, feeds a crowd. Though it has more than five ingredients, it's a time saver because you assemble it the day before you serve it. With one less dish to prepare at the last minute for your party or holiday dinner, you have more time to spend with family and friends.
Other mystery writers who contributed wickedly good recipes include Richard Castle, Lee Child, Nelson DeMille, Sue Grafton, Charlaine Harris, Louise Penny, Scott Turow, and possibly your favorite mystery or thriller writer.
The recipe I contributed, Take Your Pick Vegetable Salad, feeds a crowd. Though it has more than five ingredients, it's a time saver because you assemble it the day before you serve it. With one less dish to prepare at the last minute for your party or holiday dinner, you have more time to spend with family and friends.
Other mystery writers who contributed wickedly good recipes include Richard Castle, Lee Child, Nelson DeMille, Sue Grafton, Charlaine Harris, Louise Penny, Scott Turow, and possibly your favorite mystery or thriller writer.