Game 26: Mary Lou Liebich - Baked Chicken Reuben
During a wintry January road trip in 1983, coach Pat Riley tried to do something nice for his players. After two games in New York City and East Rutherford, NJ, the Lakers had three full days off before playing the Atlanta Hawks. So Riley called his assistant, Mary Lou Liebich, to plan an island getaway in The Bahamas. Liebich agreed, half-jokingly telling the Times “the only way I'd compile the information is if I went along.'' But Liebich wasn’t able to find anything convenient, so Riley cancelled the trip. The team would have to spend multiple off-days in, ugh, 1983 Atlanta.
Of course, the opposite is true with the 2019 version of Atlanta. I think pro athletes with time off and money to spend would much rather be there than in The Bahamas.
When I was an assistant, the only thing that caused me cold sweats -- besides fears of accidentally sending my boss to lunch on the Westside when he was supposed to go to the Valley location -- was planning air travel. Something about the combination of price, distance, Byzantine rules, and other people’s non refundable money led me to hover over the “purchase” button for the allotted 10 minutes every time I had to buy tickets.
That wasn’t the case for Liebich, who assisted pretty much every important suit-wearing Laker from 1972-2004. Like a travel coordinator, those masters of logistics in charge of the air/ground travel for enormous film crews and their expensive, heavy gear, Liebich deftly arranged the cross-country travel for an entire team. And this was before the days of teams chartering their own private plane! Liebich had to get Magic and co. to their opponent’s city on regular airplanes with regular Joes, though they always flew first class, per Jerry Buss’ instructions.
I wasn’t able to find much else on Liebich, who was described as the “Lakers number 1 fan” in her 2010 obituary. But I did find a mention in a 1988 Los Angeles Times article about assistants to high profile Americans like Nancy Reagan and Daryl Gates. Apparently in the ‘80s, Liebich had to politely field calls from furious fans about the previous night’s loss. And she did it with poise and gentility: “You don’t want to discount what the caller is saying. The only thing you can do is say the coach has done what he felt was best for the team. You try to answer so when the person leaves the phone he or she is happy with our response.”
No wonder she lasted 32 years. If you find an assistant who’ll add “sports talk radio host” to her job duties, you don’t ever let her go.
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Baked Chicken Reuben
4 whole chicken breasts, halves and boned
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 16-ounce can sauerkraut, drained
4 slices (approximately 4x6 inches) natural Swiss cheese
1 ¼ cup bottled Thousand Island dressing
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Place chicken in greased baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place sauerkraut over chicken; top with Swiss cheese. Pour dressing evenly over cheese. Cover with foil and bake in 325 degree oven for about 1 ½ to 2 hours (until fork can be inserted in chicken with ease). Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.
Let’s break this dish down:
I halved the recipe and and put two giant chicken breasts in a casserole pan. I then covered it in sauerkraut. Next cane a slice of Swiss cheese over each breast. And to top it all off, I poured half a bottle of Thousand Island dressing over it.
This dish is basically something you’d see white people making in a Chappelle’s Show sketch. And that’s a feat considering this is basically a deconstructed Reuben sandwich, a classic Jewish deli staple, with the corned beef replaced with chicken. So it’s even more impressive how mid-century white America managed to goy up and ruin what is a classic sandwich.
I had low expectations and this disgusting meal couldn’t even come close to clearing that barrier. I took two bites -- two REAL bites with sauerkraut and cheese-dressing goop -- and tapped out. I was able to save most of the meat untouched by this 1950s Americana monstrosity, but we’ll have to see if it ruins the next chicken salad I make.
