365 More Ways to Cook Chicken (365 ways) (3 page)

Prep: 20 minutes Marinate: 4 hours Cook: 29 to 32 minutes Serves: 4

Fried chicken and gravy for ladling over biscuits is popular everywhere, but is particularly loved in Maryland. Serve with hot biscuits, whether you make them from scratch or bake them from a tube.

• 2½ cups milk
  

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  

• 1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  

• ¾ cup flour
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
  

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 1½ cups vegetable oil
  

• 1 cup whole milk or light cream
  

1.
In a shallow dish, combine milk and lemon juice. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours, turning 2 or 3 times.

2.
In a paper bag, shake together flour, salt, and pepper. Measure and reserve 2 tablespoons seasoned flour for gravy. Remove chicken from milk but do not dry. Toss a few pieces at a time in seasoned flour to coat completely. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the seasoned flour for gravy.

3.
Heat oil in a deep 12-inch frying pan or deep-fryer to 375°F. Place chicken in hot oil, skin side down. Cover pan and fry 15 minutes. Uncover and use tongs to carefully turn chicken skin side up. Fry, uncovered, until chicken is browned and juices run clear when pricked, 14 to 17 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels.

4.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the pan. Add reserved 1 tablespoon seasoned flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 1 cup whole milk and cook, stirring over medium heat, until smooth and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Serve chicken with gravy.

Prep: 20 minutes Marinate: 4 hours Cook: 29 to 32 minutes Serves: 4

• 1½ cups buttermilk
  

• ½ teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
  

• 1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  

• ⅔ cup flour
  

• ⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
  

• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 1½ cups vegetable oil, lard, or solid vegetable shortening
  

1.
In a shallow dish, combine buttermilk and Tabasco. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, turning 2 or 3 times.

2. Place flour, cornmeal, salt, and pepper in a paper bag. Remove chicken from buttermilk but do not dry. Toss a few pieces at a time in flour to coat completely.

3.
Heat oil in a deep 12-inch frying pan or deep-fryer to 375°F. Place chicken, skin side down, in hot oil. Cover pan and fry 15 minutes. Uncover and use tongs to carefully turn chicken skin side up. Fry, uncovered, until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear when pricked, 14 to 17 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 11 to 13 minutes Serves: 4

Though the original recipe from the Brown Hotel in Louisville contains no bourbon, it seems like an appropriate Kentucky addition.

• 8 slices of bacon
  

• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  

• 2 tablespoons flour
  

• ¾ cup milk
  

• ⅓ cup chicken broth
  

• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Cheddar cheese
  

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  

• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
  

• 2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)
  

• 4 slices of white or whole wheat bread, toasted
  

• ¾ pound sliced cooked chicken breast
  

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  

1.
In a large frying pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of drippings.

2.
Add shallots to bacon drippings and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes without allowing to color. Slowly whisk in milk and broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar cheese, Worcestershire, and cayenne until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Stir in bourbon.

3.
Preheat broiler. Place toast in 4 individual gratin dishes or a single large baking dish. Arrange chicken on top of toasts, then ladle on sauce. Top with bacon slices, crisscrossed. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil about 5 inches from the heat 1 to 2 minutes, until bubbly and sauce is flecked with brown.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 9 to 11 minutes Serves: 6

If you have some leftover chicken, this is a breeze to make, which is probably the reason it has remained so popular ever since its inception in the 1950s. Serve with rice or noodles or over whole wheat toast.

• 3 tablespoons butter
  

• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
  

• 4 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
  

• ½ small red bell pepper, finely diced, or ¼ cup chopped pimiento
  

• 3 tablespoons flour
  

• 1¼ cups chicken broth
  

• 1 cup half-and-half or milk
  

• 1 egg yolk, beaten
  

• ¼ cup dry sherry
  

• ¼ cup chopped parsley Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• 3 cups cooked and cubed chicken
  

1.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots, mushrooms, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. (If using pimiento, reserve to add later.) Stir in flour and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes, without allowing to color. Slowly whisk in broth and half-and-half. Cook, stirring, until sauce comes to a boil and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.

2.
In a small bowl, whisk about half of hot sauce into egg yolk, then return mixture to saucepan and stir in sherry. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 45 minutes Serves: 4 to 6

• 1 chicken (about 3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
  

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  

• 4 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
  

• 2 celery ribs, sliced about ¼ inch thick
  

• 1 bay leaf, broken in half
  

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  

• 4 cups chicken broth
  

• 1 cup flour
  

• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
  

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  

• 6 to 7 tablespoons milk
  

1.
Pull off and discard skin from chicken. Place chicken, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, thyme, and broth in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 25 minutes.

2.
For dumplings, in a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in parsley. Make a well in center and pour in oil and 6 tablespoons milk. Stir together to make a soft biscuit dough. If dough seems too dry, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon milk.

3. Uncover pot. Dip a tablespoon into broth, then scoop up and drop dough to make 8 to 12 mounds on top of simmering chicken. Cover pot and simmer until a toothpick inserted into dumplings comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

4.
Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve chicken and dumplings with broth in shallow soup bowls.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 16 to 24 minutes Serves: 4 to 6

Cut up the chicken wings yourself or buy them already prepared for frying into these classic nibblers. This American original is from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.

• 5 pounds chicken wings (about 30)
  

• 5 tablespoons butter
  

• 3 tablespoons Durkee’s Hot Red Pepper Sauce or 2 tablespoons Tabasco
  

• 1 teaspoon paprika
  

• Oil for deep-frying
  

• Iceberg lettuce leaves
  

• Carrot sticks
  

• Celery sticks
  

• 1 cup blue cheese salad dressing, bottled or homemade
  

1.
Use a cleaver or chef’s knife to chop off wing tips. (They can be popped in a bag and frozen to be used later to make chicken stock.) Cut wings in half at joint.

2.
In a small saucepan, melt butter with hot sauce. Stir in paprika. Remove from heat and set butter sauce aside.

3.
In a deep-fryer, bring 1½ to 2 inches of oil to 375°F. Fry wings in 2 or 3 batches until golden brown, crisp, and cooked through, about 8 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels, then put in a large bowl. Pour butter sauce over wings and toss to coat.

4.
To serve, heap hot wings on lettuce leaves. Garnish platter with celery and carrot sticks. Place a small bowl of blue cheese dressing on platter to use as a dip.

Prep: 45 minutes Cook: 1¾ to 2 hours Serves: 6

• 1 chicken (about 3½ pounds), cut into 8 pieces
  

• 1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch chunks
  

• 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
  

• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  

• 3 tablespoons butter
  

• 1 large onion, chopped
  

• 2 carrots, sliced
  

• ½ pound thickly sliced mushrooms (about 2½ cups), domestic or wild
  

• 1 cup frozen green peas Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• 3 tablespoons flour
  

• ½ cup half-and-half or light cream
  

• ½ cup chopped parsley Pastry for a single-crust 9-inch pie or 1 refrigerated pie crust round
  

• 1 egg yolk beaten with 2 teaspoons water