365 More Ways to Cook Chicken (365 ways) (11 page)

3.
Bake until crispy and rich golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep: 45 minutes Stand: 1 hour Cook: 35 minutes Makes: about 30

These are delicious conversation pieces and surprisingly easy to make with chicken “wingettes” that come with the tips already chopped off. In some parts of the country, you can buy “drumettes,” which have already been shaped as directed below.

• 2½ pounds chicken “wingettes” or drumettes (about 30)
  

• ¼ cup dry sherry
  

• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
  

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  

• 2 tablespoons honey
  

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
  

• 2 cups finely chopped cashews
  

1.
If using “wingettes,” use a small sharp knife to cut toward bone around narrow end of wing to loosen meat. Gently use knife to scrape meat down toward wider end, turning meat inside out over end to form a “lollipop.”

2.
In a shallow 2-quart dish, combine sherry, oil, soy sauce, honey, and ginger. Add chicken, stirring to coat well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll chicken in about three-quarters of chopped nuts, then place in a single layer with a little space between pieces on baking sheets.

4.
Bake until crispy and richly golden brown, about 35 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining chopped nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep: 20 minutes Chill: 3 hours Cook: 9 to 10 minutes Makes: about 2 cups

This is inspired by my friend food writer Brooke Dojnv’s wonderful recipe. Serve with plain crackers or small toasts.

• ¾ pound chicken livers
  

• 3 tablespoons dry sherry
  

• 1 tablespoon milk
  

• 6 tablespoons butter
  

• ⅓ cup chopped shallots
  

• 3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
  

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• ¼ teaspoon salt
  

• ⅛ teaspoon ground mace
  

• ¼ cup chopped black olives, preferably niçoise
  

• 2 tablespoons small capers, drained
  

1.
Trim livers and cut into quarters; place in a small bowl. Pour sherry and milk over livers. Refrigerate 1 hour. Drain and pat dry.

2.
In a large frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add livers and cook, stirring often, until just barely pink in center, 5 minutes. Add shallots to pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring, until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Scrape livers and shallots into a food processor.

3.
Add Cognac to frying pan and boil, stirring up browned bits from bottom of pan, 1 minute. Add liquid to livers in processor. Cut remaining 4 tablespoons butter into small pieces and add to livers along with pepper, salt, and mace. Process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice, about 1 minute. Add olives and capers to pâté and pulse just to incorporate, about 10 seconds.

4.
Spoon pâté into a small bowl or crock. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 or up to 24 hours. Let return to room temperature before serving.

Prep: 30 minutes Stand: 30 minutes Cook: 10 to 14 minutes Makes: about 30

My version of rumaki broils the bacon-wrapped livers individually and then spears them on toothpicks. If you prefer, they can be threaded onto the ends of soaked small bamboo skewers and charcoal grilled.

• ¼ cup dry sherry
  

• ¼ cup soy sauce
  

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  

• through a press
  

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  

• 1 teaspoon molasses
  

• ¾ pound chicken livers, rinsed and dried
  

• 1 (5½-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and halved
  

• 4 scallions, green parts only
  

• 12 to 15 slices of bacon (about 2/3 pound), halved
  

1.
In a small, shallow dish, combine sherry, soy sauce, oil, garlic, ginger, and molasses. Trim chicken livers and cut in half. Place in marinade, stirring to coat all over. Marinate 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 3 hours in refrigerator. Add water chestnuts during last 15 minutes of marinating time. Cut scallion greens into 2-inch lengths and slice each piece lengthwise in half.

2.
Preheat broiler. Wrap a piece of bacon around a piece of liver, a water chestnut, and a scallion slice to make about 30 appetizers. Secure with toothpicks. Arrange in a single layer on a broiler pan.

3.
Broil about 6 inches from heat 10 to 14 minutes, turning once, until bacon is crisp and livers are no longer pink.

Prep: 15 minutes Stand: 20 minutes Cook: 19 minutes Makes: about 24

Drumettes are chicken wings that have been fashioned into a drumstick. This used to be a time-consuming process, but they can now be purchased in the chicken section of many supermarket meat cases. Sometimes they are called “mini-drumsticks.” If you can’t find them, use “wingettes.” Romesco, a wonderful Spanish sauce, is also excellent spooned over broiled or grilled chicken as a main course.

• 3 tablespoons slivered almonds
  

• 1 thin slice of French bread (about ¼ inch thick)
  

• 1 garlic clove, crushed
  

• 1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers with liquid
  

• ¼ cup olive oil
  

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  

• ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne, to taste
  

• ¼ teaspoon salt
  

• 2 pounds chicken drumettes or “wingettes”
  

1.
In a small dry frying pan, toast almonds over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan. In same pan, toast bread until golden, about 30 seconds per side.

2.
Tear toasted bread into pieces and place in a food procesor along with almonds. With machine on, drop in garlic and process to finely chop. Drain peppers, reserving liquid. Add peppers to processor. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, cayenne, and salt. Add 3 tablespoons of mixture to processor. Puree to make a coarse paste, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Sauce should have consistency of a thick mayonnaise. If it is too thick, thin by mixing in some of reserved pepper liquid. Let Romesco sauce stand at least 15 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate up to 2 days before using.

3.
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a barbecue grill or preheat broiler. Rub drumettes with remaining oil and vinegar mixture. Let stand 20 minutes at room temperature.

4.
Grill or broil chicken, turning once or twice, until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes. Serve chicken with Romesco sauce for dipping.

The quintessential ladies’ lunch is chicken salad in a lettuce cup. But that is indeed only the beginning. Chicken salad ideas are so many and so varied that it was a real dilemma to choose for this chapter.

Most chicken salads are made with cooked white meat of chicken, making salads undoubtedly the best way to use up leftover chicken. But I often poach chicken expressly for salad, a job made really easy these days with the availability of skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

As part of a healthy diet incorporating more grains and vegetables, warm chicken salads have finally hit their stride. Whether grilled, stir-fried, or sautéed, thin-sliced cutlets cook up in almost no time to make the basis for all sorts of delicious pasta, rice, or vegetable salads. They are especially wonderful on a warm summer day, but equally tasty as a quick supper at any time.

Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 10 to 15 minutes Serves: 4

This master recipe for poaching chicken breasts can become a credible soup if you use broth rather than water and add about 3 cups of almost any cooked vegetables before serving.

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  

• About 4 cups chicken broth or water
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

1.
Place chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring just to a simmer over medium-low heat. Partially cover pan and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in center.

2.
Remove pan from heat and let chicken breasts cool in liquid if you have time, or pat dry and use immediately. To keep chicken moist and juicy, cover with cooking liquid and store in refrigerator. Use within a day or two.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: none Serves: 4

• 1 red bell pepper
  

• 1 green bell pepper
  

• 1 ripe mango
  

• 3 cups diced cooked chicken (about 12 ounces)
  

• ½ cup chopped red onion
  

• 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
  

• 1 tablespoon lime juice
  

• 1 teaspoon honey
  

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  

• ½ teaspoon curry powder
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
  

1.
Halve peppers and discard ribs and seeds. Slice crosswise into thin rings. Peel and thinly slice mango. Spread peppers out on 4 plates. Scatter mango slices and chicken over peppers. Sprinkle red onion on top.

2.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, honey, mustard, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk in oil. Drizzle over salads. Serve chilled, garnished with cilantro if you like.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 6 to 8 minutes Serves: 4

This popular restaurant item is easy to make at home.

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
  

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
  

• 4 slices of French bread, cut ½ inch thick
  

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 1 (2-ounce) can flat anchovies, drained and chopped
  

• 1 head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
  

• ¼ cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese