An Interesting Dinner with Tina Fey

Tina Fey is awesome.

She was the first female head writer at SNL, she is the author of the book Bossypants, the screenwriter of Mean Girls, and the creator of shows like the brilliant 30 Rock, considerably less brilliant The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt, and an upcoming comedy “which takes place at a women’s college that has just opened its doors to men for the first time.”  On top of that, she is most wanted as the new host of the Daily Show.

Ms. Fey started performing shows with the legendary Chicago improv comedy group The Second City in 1997 and later joined NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live as a writer, eventually becoming head writer and performing on the show until she left in 2006.  To date, Ms. Fey has received two Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards and eight Emmy Awards.  She has two daughter, Alice and Athena, and lives in New York City.

Tina Fey has singled out the kalamata chicken at Chicago’s Athenian Room as her favorite dish in interviews.  While I have no access to the the Athenian Room’s recipe, I could certainly track down a recipe for kalamata chicken and adjust it with what I know of the the Athenian Room dish.  So here, with no further ado, Ms. Tina Fey’s favorite food:

Kalamata Chicken

Ingredients

2 chickens (or 4 whole bone-in chicken breasts) halved lengthwise

2/3 cup olive oil

6 tbsp lemon juice

1 teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

Directions

1. Whisk 1/3 cup of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

2. Mix the 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram.
3. Rinse chicken halves in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

4. Place chicken in a large bowl or baking dish.

5. Coat the chicken with the olive oil mixture and set the rest aside.

6. Season with spice mixture.

7. Marinate min. 1 hour to max 24 hours (overnight for best taste)

If Cooking Inside:8. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and throw away excess marinade.
9. Place into a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes.

10.  Dunk in the lemon herb sauce (below) before plating.

If Grilling Outside:

8. Thirty minutes before you’re ready to cook, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the grill to a medium temperature, about 275 degrees F.  Brush the grill with vegetable oil.
9. Place the chicken halves on the grill, meat side down. Cover grill and cook for about 50 minutes.

10. Flip chicken over and let it brown until the chicken becomes golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. The wing and the drumstick should become very tender and will easily pull away at the joints.

11. Dunk in the lemon herb sauce (below) before plating.

Serve with oregano fries to soak up the juices.

Lemon Herb Sauce

1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Smash the garlic clove. Transfer to a blender with the oregano, thyme, pepper, lemon zest, and juice. Pulse until coarsely chopped and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Pour into a small bowl and adjust seasoning.

Tina Fey Comes to Food Network

Source: Athenian Room Kalamata Chicken

Source: Patrick and Gina Neely’s BBQ Chicken Recipe

Source: Tina Fey Bio