Welcome to Volume 30 of Supper Club from The Nucleus Group!

This week, here’s what’s on tap: a playlist by Lara Krug, articles about women’s sports and the beauty industry, queer food, and building playgrounds for all ages, and a recipe for roasted chicken with fish-sauce butter.

THIS WEEK’S CURATOR: Lara Krug is the Chief Marketing Officer of the championship-winning Kansas City Chiefs and a recent guest on our Smart Rookie podcast! Here’s what she has to say about the playlist she put together for us:

“I am a creature of habit - these are some of the songs that are on a lot of my playlists. They make you feel something, on good or bad days.”

Here’s what we’re pondering this week:

1. Women’s Sports Are the Beauty Industry's Lucrative New Partnership Opportunity, Kirbie Johnson

2. Swing Sets Aren't Just For Kids Anymore, Alexandra Lange

3. What Is ‘Queer Food’? A Conference Explores (and Tastes) Some Answers, Erik Piepenburg

FOOD: Roasted Chicken with Fish-Sauce Butter

STORY: In this recipe, hand-torn pieces of bread roast alongside chicken thighs, both achieving a golden brown deliciousness. While that’s cooking, you’ll whip up a fish-sauce butter to drizzle on top. It goes great with the chicken, but trust us — once you’ve tried it, you’ll want to spoon it over everything. (Recipe by Eric Kim)

RECIPE:

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)

• kosher salt and black pepper

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ¾ pound bread, crusts removed, bread torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups; we used sourdough)

• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, kept whole

• cilantro leaves with tender stems, to serve

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season lightly with salt and pepper. (Don’t overdo the salt; the fish-sauce butter is plenty salty.) Place the chicken skin-side up on a sheet pan and drizzle the oil over the chicken skin, coating it evenly. Roast until the chicken is light gold and the fat has rendered, about 25 minutes.

2. Take the sheet pan out of the oven. Scatter the pieces of bread around the chicken and gently toss to coat in the chicken fat. Place the pan back in the oven. Continue roasting until the chicken is golden, crispy, and sizzling, about 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, make the fish sauce butter. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, fish sauce, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is bubbling vigorously and the mixture has reduced by about half, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the butter, stirring constantly, until all of the butter has melted and incorporated into the fish sauce mixture.

4. To serve, place chicken thighs and bread on a plate. Spoon some of the fish sauce butter over the chicken; scatter cilantro all over. Serve the additional fish sauce butter on the side for dipping, if desired.

Enjoy!

As naturally curious creatures, the Nucleus team always loves a good Lunch & Learn. This week, our operations whiz Kate Van Genderen, who spent a few years working at a craft brewery, treated us to an hourlong primer on brewery culture. So to cap off this edition of Supper Club, we’re sharing some of our favorite breweries with you. Cheers!

Blackfoot River Brewing Company (Helena, MT)
Perfectly positioned to be the first stop after a hike on Mount Helena or Mount Ascension, Blackfoot is a beloved local hub that offers delicious beers and great company. This brewery has been a Helena staple for 25 years and counting. We recommend their famous Single Malt IPA or the delicious ESB. —Kate

Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. (Greenport, NY)
Located in an old firehouse (next to a defunct jail) way out on the east end of Long Island is our local brewery. This is where they started with a few big tanks parked where firetrucks used to be and a sweet little tasting room upstairs. We can walk from our house in less than 10 minutes. Now they’ve opened a larger place with a huge open yard filled with lots of hubbub: kids running around, dogs of every description, and of course, people hanging out enjoying good craft brew. —Elizabeth

Fermentery Form (Fishtown, PA)
While Fishtown is lucky to have many great breweries and brewpubs, look for a florescent green light shining down a small side street to lead you to Fermentery Form. If you're lucky enough to come on a day when they're open (Saturday is a pretty safe bet), enter this unassuming hole-in-the-wall to sample the great beers on tap while sitting next to a wall of barrels or grab a bottle to go! —Whitney

Wondering what’s for dessert?

Email us to suggest something sweet for next week’s Supper Club: hello@thenucleusgroup.com