365 More Ways to Cook Chicken (365 ways) (4 page)

1.
Place chicken (including neck and back) into a pot. Add celery, ½ teaspoon each of thyme and marjoram, and water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is very tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and when cool enough to handle, pull off meat in chunks. Discard bones and skin. Boil broth until reduced to about 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Strain, pressing hard on solids with back of a spoon. Measure and reserve 1¾ cups broth.

2.
In a large frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add onions and carrots and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes longer. Remove vegetables to a bowl with a slotted spoon and add peas. Season with salt and pepper.

3.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the frying pan and heat to melt. Stir in flour and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in cream and reserved broth. Cook, stirring, until thick and bubbly but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir into vegetables along with parsley. Spoon filling into a 2-quart baking dish, such as a 9-inch square or a 7x11- inch rectangle. (Filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Return to room temperature to continue.)

4.
Preheat oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry round if necessary until it is slightly larger than top of the baking dish. Lay pastry over filling in dish, folding edges under and crimping to fit rim of the dish. Cut 4 slits in pastry, then brush pastry with the egg yolk glaze.

5.
Bake 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes longer. Serve hot.

Prep: 45 minutes Cook: 71 to 72 minutes Serves: 6 to 8

This is great for a party since it is a one-dish meal that can be prepared ahead and simply popped into the oven. Andouille sausage is a spicy, garlicky sausage often used in Creole and Cajun cooking.

• ¾ pound garlicky smoked sausage, preferably andouille, sliced about ¼ inch thick
  

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  

• ¾ pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1½-inch chunks
  

• ¾ pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1½-inch chunks
  

• ½ teaspoon cayenne
  

• 2 celery ribs, chopped
  

• 2 medium onions, chopped
  

• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
  

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
  

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  

• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  

• 1½ cups converted white rice
  

• 2 cups chicken broth
  

• 2 (14½- to 15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained, juices reserved
  

• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• ¼ to ½ teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
  

• ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
  

1.
In a large frying pan or Dutch oven, cook sausage in ½ tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat, turning, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a bowl.

2.
Add remaining 1½ tablespoons oil to pan. Sprinkle chicken thigh and breast pieces with cayenne and and fry in 2 batches, turning once or twice, until golden outside and white throughout, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to bowl with sausage.

3.
Add celery, onions, and bell peppers to drippings in pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and marjoram and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat grains with oil. Spoon vegetables and rice into shallow 3-quart baking dish. Cover with foil. (Recipe can be prepared a day ahead to this point. Refrigerate chicken-sausage mixture and rice and vegetable mixture separately. Return to room temperature before cooking.)

4.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir broth and 1 cup of water into rice mixture. Cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Arrange chicken and sausage and drained tomatoes over rice. If rice seems dry, add up to ½ cup reserved tomato juice or water to the dish. Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes longer.

5.
Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco, stirring gently to mix. Sprinkle scallions on top. Serve directly from baking dish.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 40 minutes Serves: 4 to 6

This Creole chicken liver and gizzard classic is also a fine use for leftover rice.

• 2 cups chicken broth
  

• 1 cup converted white rice
  

• 3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
  

• ⅓ pound chicken livers
  

• ⅓ pound chicken gizzards
  

• 1 green bell pepper
  

• 1 medium onion, chopped
  

• 1 large celery rib, chopped
  

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
  

• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• ½ cup thinly sliced scallion greens
  

1.
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

2.
While rice is cooking, coarsely chop chicken livers and gizzards by pulsing in a food processor. Heat 1½ tablespoons of butter or oil in a large frying pan. Add chopped livers and gizzards and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic to frying pan along with remaining 1½ tablespoons butter or oil. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes.

3.
Gently stir together rice and chicken liver mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, sprinkled with the scallion greens.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 36 minutes Serves: 6

There are lots of variations and ways to spell this Charleston, South Carolina, classic. Serve it over hot cooked rice, with a side of coleslaw and corn bread if you like.

• ¼ pound thick-sliced bacon, chopped
  

• 1 medium onion, chopped
  

• 1 celery rib, chopped
  

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  

• 1 carrot, chopped
  

• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  

• 1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
  

• 2 tablespoons flour
  

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  

• ¼ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
  

• 1 (14
  ½
  -ounce) can stewed tomatoes
  

• 4 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch chunks
  

1.
In a large frying pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

2. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, carrot, mushrooms, and garlic to drippings in pan. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, thyme, salt, oregano, and crushed pepper and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and juices. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes.

3.
Add chicken and reserved bacon. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: none Serves: 4

This simplest and most pristine of chicken salads was made famous in the tearooms of yesterday. It is just as good today. To make into chicken salad for sandwiches, simply cut the chicken into smaller pieces.

• 1 cup mayonnaise
  

• 2 tablespoons milk
  

• 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
  

• ½ cup chopped celery
  

• ⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions
  

• 1 head of Boston lettuce Paprika
  

• Tomato wedges and quartered hard-cooked eggs, for garnish
  

1.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, milk, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken, celery, and scallions. (Can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated.)

2.
At serving time, separate lettuce into leafy cups. Spoon salad into lettuce cups. Dust lightly with paprika. Garnish with tomato wedges and quarters of hard-cooked eggs.

Chicken plays a role in every major cuisine in the world, even in those largely based on grains and vegetables. From the revered coq au vin of France to the tandoori chicken of India and from the paellas of Spain to the kung-pao chicken of China, famous chicken dishes abound.

Here is a collection of some of the best-known classics. You will also find international chicken recipes in other chapters, as well as streamlined interpretations and other variations based on the wealth of international dishes in the chicken cookery repertoire.

That chicken is so popular throughout the world is testimony to its versatility, relatively low cost, and easy preparation.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 45 minutes Serves: 4

• 4 chicken breast halves on the bone, skinned
  

• 1½ teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
  

• 2 tablespoons butter
  

• 1 cup baby carrots
  

• 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
  

• 1 tablespoon flour
  

• ½ cup dry white wine
  

• ½ cup chicken broth
  

• 1 cup frozen baby peas
  

• ½ cup heavy cream
  

• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
  

1.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and half of thyme. In a large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, turning, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan.