365 More Ways to Cook Chicken (365 ways) (15 page)

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 2 minutes Serves: 4 to 6

You can eat the salad in the traditional Moroccan manner by using the lettuce as a scoop and wrapping it around the couscous to eat out of hand, or you can simply spoon it over a bed of romaine and use a knife and fork. Couscous is an almost instant-cooking pasta, which can be found in the rice section of the market.

• 1 cup packaged couscous
  

• 2 cups diced cooked chicken (about ½ pound)
  

• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  

• ⅔ cup thinly sliced scallions
  

• ½ cup diced carrots
  

• ⅓ cup sliced black olives
  

• ¾ cup fresh mint sprigs
  

• 2 garlic cloves
  

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  

• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese (6 ounces)
  

• 1 head of romaine lettuce
  

1.
Bring 1¾ cups salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous, remove pan from heat, and let stand, covered, until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and fluff couscous with a fork. Add chicken, bell pepper, scallions, carrots, and olives. Toss to combine.

2.
In a food processor, finely chop mint with garlic. With machine on, add mustard, salt, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil; process to blend well. Pour dressing over couscous and toss to mix. Add cheese and toss again.

3.
Line a large platter with romaine leaves. Spoon salad into center. Serve at room temperature.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 30 to 33 minutes Serves: 4 to 6

This is good as a warm salad with freshly cooked chicken and rice, but it is also terrific as a cold summer salad with leftover chicken and rice.

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  

• 2 cups chicken broth
  

• 1 cup converted white rice
  

• ½ cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
  

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  

• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
  

• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  

• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
  

• ⅓ cup chopped red onion
  

• 1 large fresh or canned jalapeno pepper, chopped
  

• 1 head of red leaf lettuce
  

• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  

1.
In a covered saucepan, poach chicken in broth over medium-low heat until white throughout, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and bring broth to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat to low, and cover pan. Simmer until all of liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 18 minutes. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into thin strips.

2.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, and jalapeno pepper. In a large bowl, combine about two-thirds of vinaigrette with warm rice. Toss to mix.

3.
To serve, spoon rice onto a bed of lettuce leaves. Arrange chicken strips on top. Spoon remaining vinaigrette over salad. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 6 minutes Serves: 4

If you can’t find rice noodles, use angel hair pasta or capellini.

• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  

• 2 tablespoons chicken broth or water
  

• 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
  

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
  

• 1 large garlic clove, minced
  

• ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  

• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• 8 ounces maifun rice sticks
  

• 8 ounces chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
  

• ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  

• 4 ounces snow peas, trimmed and cut diagonally in half
  

• ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
  

• ½ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
  

• ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
  

1.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, broth, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and 1/3 cup of peanut oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set dressing aside.

2.
Break rice sticks into 3-inch lengths and cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until softened, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water; drain well.

3.
In a wok or a large frying pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add chicken and stir-fry 1 minute. Add bell pepper and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add snow peas and scallions and stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in peanuts, rice noodles, and dressing. Toss well, then toss again with cilantro. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 12 to 13 minutes Serves: 6

Salade niçoise is traditionally made with tuna, but cooked chicken breast works just as well.

• ¾ pound ziti or other short tubular pasta
  

• ½ pound green beans, cut diagonally in half
  

• ½ cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
  

• 3 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
  

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  

• 1 garlic clove, minced
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
  

• 3 cups diced cooked chicken
  

• 1 small red onion, chopped
  

• ½ cup sliced black olives
  

• ¼ cup chopped parsley
  

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
  

• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  

• 1 (2-ounce) can anchovies rolled in capers
  

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 8 minutes. Add green beans and boil until beans are crisp-tender and pasta is tender but still firm, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Drain into a colander and rinse under cold running water; drain well.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, hot pepper, and salt. Add pasta and green beans, chicken, red onion, olives, parsley, and basil. Toss to mix well.

3. Spoon salad into a shallow serving bowl. Garnish with tomatoes and anchovies.

For years and years, sandwiches were equated with peanut butter and jelly in a lunch box. There were chicken sandwiches, of course, but they garnered little respect. They were usually nothing more than leftover chicken on white bread with mayonnaise and maybe some lettuce.

Welcome to the new world of sandwiches. The knowledge that eating more grains in tandem with the ability to buy far better breads has elevated sandwiches in general and chicken sandwiches in particular. These days we have grilled sandwiches, salad sandwiches, skillet sandwiches, overstuffed sandwiches, and even new ways to garnish the simple chicken sandwich on white bread.

The cardinal rule for chicken sandwiches is simple: Use good chicken—not dried-out remnants. This can either be chicken cooked expressly for the sandwich or well-cared-for leftovers.

Since many sandwiches begin with cooked chicken, this is as good a place as any to talk about how to store leftover chicken. Chicken with the skin on should be stored that way, even if you plan to discard the skin later, since the skin acts as a protector to help retain moisture. Skinless, boneless cooked chicken is very prone to drying out, especially if sliced or chopped. So wrap cooked chicken well in plastic or foil, and refrigerate as soon as it is cool to retain moisture. Refrigerate poached chicken in the poaching liquid, perhaps the best way to retain flavor and moisture. Use cooked chicken within a few days.

Prep: 10 minutes Chill: 15 minutes Cook: none Serves: 6

The best chicken salad sandwich starts with perfectly poached chicken breasts, ultra-fresh garnishes, and very good bread. It’s as simple as that.

• ¾ cup mayonnaise
  

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  

• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  

• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or ½ teaspoon dried
  

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 ½ cups finely diced cooked chicken breast (about ¾ pound)
  

• ½ cup finely chopped celery
  

• 12 slices of thinly sliced whole wheat bread
  

• 1 bunch of watercress, trimmed
  

1. In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, tarragon, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken and celery. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours.

2. Assemble 6 sandwiches, filling each pair of bread slices with a generous ⅓ cup chicken salad and some watercress sprigs.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 5 minutes Serves: 4

• ¾ cup mayonnaise
  

• 3 tablespoons minced chives
  

• ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
  

• 8 slices of turkey bacon
  

• 2 tomatoes, very thinly sliced
  

• 12 very thin slices of whole wheat bread, lightly toasted
  

• ½ pound thinly sliced cooked chicken breast
  

• 1 bunch of watercress, tough stems removed
  

• 8
  pitted olives