Every week, Executive Food Editor Keith Dresser pairs each main dish with a side to give you a complete, satisfying dinner without the guesswork. Look for the game plan section to learn tips on how to streamline your kitchen work so dinner comes together quicker.
Weeknight Cooking
Dinner This Week: Apple-Maple Glazed Chicken
This week’s menus include Apple-Maple Glazed Chicken Breasts, Stir-Fried Thai-Style Beef, and Oven-Steamed Mussels with Hard Cider and Bacon for dinner in about an hour.
By Published Nov. 6, 2020.
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Dinner 1: Glazed Chicken Breasts and Acorn Squash
Game Plan: Prepare the chicken through step 3. While the chicken is in the oven (step 4), prep and microwave the squash. Broil the squash while the chicken is resting.
Apple-Maple Glazed Chicken Breasts feature perfectly rendered skin, moist meat, and a complex glaze. We lightly coat the chicken with flour to enhance browning and provide a good grip for the glaze. Corn syrup, which is half as sweet as sugar, gives the glaze just the right amount of stickiness while keeping the sweetness level in check. Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar starts in the microwave, which yields tender, silky smooth squash. We then brush the cooked squash with butter and brown sugar before broiling it to create a rich, caramelized exterior.
Printable Shopping Lists: Glazed Chicken Breasts and Acorn Squash
Equipment Review
The Best Inexpensive 12-Inch Stainless-Steel Skillets
Perfect searing, flavorful sauces, and stove-to-oven versatility make stainless-steel frying pans a hot item. But can you get a great one for less than $100?Read Our Review
Dinner 2: Stir-Fried Beef and Skillet-Charred Green Beans
Game Plan: You will need two nonstick skillets for this pairing. If you only have one, use a traditional skillet for the green beans. Prep and microwave the green beans (step 2), using any unattended cooking time to prep the stir-fry ingredients. Since the green beans don’t require much attention while they char, stir-fry the beef at the same time.
Stir-Fried Thai-Style Beef with Chiles and Shallots starts with inexpensive blade steak, which offers tenderness and beefy flavor. A marinade of fish sauce, white pepper, citrusy coriander, and a little light brown sugar enhances the flavor of the meat before it is stir-fried with sliced shallot and chiles. Mint, cilantro, and chopped peanuts finish the dish with freshness and crunch. Skillet-Charred Green Beans have a soft, appealingly dense, satisfying chew and concentrated flavor. To achieve those results, we first soften the beans by steaming them in the microwave. Then we char them in a skillet, without stirring, in a couple of tablespoons of hot oil. Once they are charred, we season them with a lemony salt-and-pepper mixture.
Printable Shopping Lists: Stir-Fried Beef and Skillet-Charred Green Beans
Equipment Review
Best Chef's Knives
One chef’s knife has been a champ in our kitchen for nearly two decades. Can any other blade come close to offering what it does—and at a bargain price?Read Our Review
Dinner 3: Oven-Steamed Mussels and Brussels Sprout Salad
Game Plan: Complete step 1 for the salad. While the cranberries sit, start steaming the mussels. While the mussels are in the oven, finishing preparing the salad.
To ensure even doneness, we cook Oven-Steamed Mussels with Hard Cider and Bacon in the gentle, enveloping heat of the oven in a large roasting pan so they aren’t too crowded. Our Brussels Sprout Salad with Warm Browned Butter Vinaigrette uses a warm dressing to gently tenderize the shredded sprouts while allowing them to retain their fresh, mustardy taste. Dried cranberries add pops of flavor and toasted hazelnuts contribute crunch.
Printable Shopping Lists: Oven-Steamed Mussels and Brussels Sprout Salad
View more weeknight dinner ideas below, or check out all of the Dinner This Week menus.
