October approaches. The month of pumpkins, Mom's annual war against pumpkin spice, and the countdown to Caleb's third birthday. Also: the month I found out I'm pregnant again.
Yes. Again. Baby number two. The test was positive on Tuesday — two pink lines in the bathroom of our Twentynine Palms apartment, same brand of test I used three years ago in Jacksonville, same shaking hands, same 'oh my God.'
Different context. Three years ago I was twenty, newly married, with a deploying husband and no cooking skills and no career and no idea what I was doing. Now I'm twenty-three, with a book deal, a career as a food writer, a toddler who cracks eggs, and a recipe binder in its second volume.
I'm still terrified. Pregnancy doesn't get less terrifying the second time. It gets differently terrifying. The first time, you don't know what's coming. The second time, you do.
I told Ryan that night. He came home from base and I was sitting at the kitchen table with the test, same as last time.
'Again?' he said.
'Again.'
His face did the thing. The same thing. The joy-and-terror thing. 'When?'
'February. Late February.'
'February. At Twentynine Palms.'
'At Twentynine Palms.'
We looked at each other. The last baby was born at Lejeune during a deployment. This baby will be born at Twentynine Palms during — well, during Twentynine Palms, which is its own kind of deployment.
I called Mom. The test still in my hand.
'Mom. I'm pregnant.'
The silence. The DONNA silence. The one I've heard twice now for this specific reason.
'Rachel.' Her voice. 'Oh, Rachel. Another baby.'
'Another baby.'
'In that godforsaken desert?'
'In this godforsaken desert.'
She cried. I cried. Caleb walked in and said, 'Mama sad?' and I said, 'Mama happy, baby. Mama very happy.'
I made Mom's chicken and rice casserole. The comfort food. The 'something big happened' food. The Pyrex time machine.
Ryan ate two helpings. Caleb ate one. I ate one and thought about the baby — the size of a poppy seed, according to the app — and the kitchen, and the desert, and the book that publishes in six months, and the career that's growing, and the life that keeps expanding.
Another baby. Another Abernathy. Another person to cook for.
Dinner at 1800. Now for four.
(Eventually.)
Mom’s chicken and rice casserole is the dish I reach for when the world tilts on its axis — and it always starts with a good, forgiving chicken recipe at its core. The version I’ve made my own over the past three years at base housing uses an apricot-orange salsa glaze: sweet enough to feel like a celebration, savory enough to feel like a hug, and simple enough to pull together with shaking hands while a toddler circles your ankles. That Tuesday night, with a positive test on the kitchen table and Ryan eating two helpings, this was the chicken. It always will be.
Apricot-Orange Salsa Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1/2 cup chunky salsa
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray.
- Season the chicken. Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Arrange in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
- Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the apricot preserves, salsa, orange juice, orange zest, and soy sauce until smooth and well combined.
- Coat the chicken. Pour the apricot-orange salsa mixture evenly over the chicken breasts, turning once to coat both sides. Spoon any extra glaze over the top.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the glaze is bubbling and slightly caramelized at the edges.
- Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon pan juices over the top, garnish with parsley if desired, and serve over warm white rice.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 520mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 287 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
