Skillet Chicken and Root Vegetable Hash

For some reason, root vegetables seem to get a bad rap. I can’t understand why, they have delicious flavor, add color to a plate and they’re healthier than potatoes, rice or pasta. And, if you’re watching your weight, and who isn’t, some of them have a quarter of the carbs than the big three. This has led me to start cooking with them, and sharing what I’ve found with you, the readers of my blog. I just posted root hash browns, they’re really good. But, I wanted to make more of a meal of it, add some protein, and why not. So here is skillet chicken and root vegetable hash. Read on to learn more.

So, what is hash?. Well, it’s a cooking style that has been around for a long time. The word itself is derived from the French word hasher, which means to chop. And that is so descriptive, because hash is essentially chopped vegetables and, chopped meat cooked with onions. It’s a poor mans’ meal, usually hash was a way to finish up the leftovers of a meal the previous day. Hash is a versatile dish that can be served for any meal, add a couple of eggs, and, it’s breakfast. At one point it was such a popular dish, that restaurants called hash houses sprung up from coast to coast.

Although my hash is not leftovers, the option is certainly there to use that chicken leftover from the other night, that’s sitting in the plastic container in the fridge. Speaking of which, whenever you put leftovers in a plastic container, put a piece of tape on it with the date, sometimes things get forgotten about and become a little funky. What I’m using is fresh chicken breast cut into one inch cubes, sprinkle some kosher salt and coarse ground pepper. Let that sit for a while, meanwhile, prep everything else.

Now for the root veggies, rutabaga, turnip, parsnip and carrots. Clean, peel and cut into one inch cubes, uniformity helps the cooking process. I’ll use the same method I use to make hash browns. Drop the vegetables into boiling water and, cook for ten minutes. That par cooks them, then, they just have to brown off in the skillet. When they’re done in the boiling water, just drop into a colander, ready to add to the skillet.

With the chicken waiting and the vegetables getting ready, now to move on to the last piece of the puzzle. Onion and garlic, chopped medium, not too fine. Preheat a skillet and add oil, when it’s hot add everything. That’s the great thing about this dish, one pan, and everything cooks together. The only pan I can use for a hash is a well seasoned cast iron skillet. I’m sure non stick works just fine, I just seem to have more luck with cast iron.

Preheating a skillet is very important. The great thing about cast iron is that it retains it’s heat, so there’s no temperature drop when you put anything in the pan, and that’s what gives it the meat sear, and browns the vegetables. It’s called the Maillard reaction, and, that’s gives us the flavors and colors that are essential to the dish. Even out everything in the pan, try to create one layer, let cook for a few minutes, then move everything around and let cook some more. When everything has the desired color, about 10 mins, it’ll all be cooked. Chicken needs to be 165 degrees.

That’s it, skillet chicken and root vegetable hash. It has color, flavor and is a hearty dinner for hungry mouths. Garnish with some grated cheese and chopped scallions. Cheese makes everything better and I like scallions. You have the choice to do as you like. An egg works well too. Like a breakfast for dinner thing. All you have to do now is serve and enjoy. Thanks for reading.