Perfect Chicken

Ingredients

* 2 cups chicken broth

* ½ cup chopped onion

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 cup white wine

* ½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms, or more to taste

* 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

* 1 teaspoon dried sage

* 1 cup heavy cream

* 2 tablespoons butter

* ½ lemon, juiced

* 1 tablespoon capers, drained

* ½ cup cornstarch, or as needed

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

* Pour the chicken broth into a saucepan with the onion and garlic; bring to a boil and cook at a boil until the liquid reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Pour in the white wine, return to a boil, and reduce the liquid by half again, about 10 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, rosemary, and sage; simmer until the mushrooms are tender and have given up their juice, about 15 more minutes. Stir in cream, butter, lemon, and capers; reduce heat and simmer the sauce until thickened, about 10 minutes (45 minutes in all).

* Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

* Place the cornstarch into a shallow bowl and press the chicken thighs into the cornstarch on all sides until thoroughly coated. Shake off excess cornstarch. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; pan-fry the chicken thighs until they develop a golden brown crust, about 8 minutes per side. Place the chicken thighs into a 9x9-inch baking dish and pour the sauce over the chicken.

* Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbling and the chicken is no longer pink in the centre, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre of a chicken thigh should read at least 74 degrees Celsius.

Courtesy: allrecipes.com

Smash Burgers

Ingredients

* 4 hamburger buns

* 2 tablespoons butter, softened, or as needed

* 500 gram ground chuck beef (80% lean)

* 4 (6-inch) squares parchment paper

* salt to taste

* 4 slices American cheese

* burger toppings of choice

Directions

* Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate. Set a cast iron flat-top griddle or large cast iron skillet onto the grill and preheat until smoking.

* Spread butter on the inside of the buns and toast on the flat-top until lightly browned. Set aside.

* Form meat into 8 loosely-packed balls, 2 ounces each. Do not pack the meat tightly, as this will prevent it from smashing properly. Place each ball on the hot flat-top, cover with a piece of parchment (to prevent sticking to the spatula; re-use each parchment square on a second patty) and immediately smash down to a 1/4 inch thickness using 2 stiff, sturdy spatulas that are criss-crossed to get proper leverage as you press down. You may also use the bottom of a small skillet. Sprinkle the meat with salt.

* Grill for about 45 seconds, until the edges are dark brown and the centres are a light pink colour. Using a bench scraper or firm spatula, gently scrape up the patties, flip over and immediately cover 4 of them with cheese. Grill an additional 15 to 20 seconds; stack the plain patties over the cheese-covered patties so you have 4 stacks. Move each stack to a bun and serve with your favourite toppings.

Courtesy: allrecipes.com