by Tab Moura
We are a neurodivergent household. My husband and 2 of my daughters are autistic, we have— shall I say, significant differences in our food preferences. To be clear, I genuinely respect the differences between my husband and I, but this is an area we have had strong differences in. We were married for a few years before I finally cooked a meal that he liked the way I originally prepared it… this was that meal.
This meal was inspired by a recipe I got from a food delivery service, however due to our texture issues and food allergies, we had to change it enough that it doesn’t really bear any resemblance to the original meal.
In a skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of Irish butter, if you’re eating this as a vegetarian dish, you can use fried tofu, it tastes great. It’s possible to cook all of this simultaneously, in separate pans. I do that occasionally to save time, but the flavor is just better when you cook it all in the same pan.
Add 2 chicken breasts to the skillet (or the proper amount you would need for your household.) My recipe is enough for my husband and I to each get seconds.
Cook the chicken, occasionally flipping it, adding pink salt and garlic powder. I like to cook my chicken until the edges crisp, but don’t scorch the pan. Balance, friends!
While the chicken cooks, grab your veggies. Today we will need ½ lb of cherry tomatoes, ⅓ of a red onion, honey, and 2oz of red cooking wine. When cutting the tomatoes, you may prefer them halved or quartered, it’s really up to you. My husband likes the texture, but if you are iffy on textures, I would quarter them. You can chop the onions however you like, they will be sautéed, so just keep that in mind.
Once you remove the chicken from the pan, place it on a plate or cutting board, we’ll come back for it in a minute. Add another tablespoon of butter if your pan seems a little dry, just trust me on this. Toss in your tomatoes first, let them soften for a minute or two, then add the onion. Onions caramelize so quickly in this butter, so I try to make sure it cooks evenly #textures. Once the onions appear to become translucent, add the cooking wine, 2 teaspoons of honey, sprinkle of pink salt and garlic. Place the lid, turn the heat to low and just let it simmer. If your stove is like mine, sometimes things still burn when they are simmering, so check on it as much as you like, just make sure it gets about 10 minutes on low heat.
While the tomato masterpiece is simmering, it’s time to chop your chicken. You may prefer it shredded, you may prefer it to be whole. This meal is so versatile, if you have a preference at this stage, it will not affect the flavor, only the texture.
Once you’ve made up your mind about the chicken, add it back to the pan and let it simmer with the tomatoes for the remainder of the 10 minutes.
This dish pairs well with Mac n Cheese, try fried tofu instead of chicken, try it with rice also. If you do not eat tomatoes, red bell pepper works well as a substitute. I’ve made it a few ways over the years, just depending on what groceries I had on me at the time… I’ve even added cannabis to the cooking oil to shake things up. I hope this dish treats you well, but if you have any issues you can find me @tabmoura on Instagram.
Ingredients needed:
2 chicken breasts (4 servings)
½ pound cherry tomatoes (or a half bell pepper)
⅓ red onion (other onions are fine too)
2 teaspoons of honey
2 ounces of red cooking wine
2 tablespoons of Irish butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Pink salt
Garlic powder