365 More Ways to Cook Chicken (365 ways) (42 page)

1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken in batches and cook, turning, until browned, about 7 minutes per batch. Remove chicken to a platter.

2.
Add onion to drippings in pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and Scotch bonnet peppers and cook 1 minute. Add rice, thyme, allspice, and hot pepper. Stir to coat rice with oil. Stir in broth, coconut milk, and beans. Return chicken to pan along with any juices that have accumulated on platter.

3.
Cover with foil and bake until liquid is absorbed, rice is tender, and chicken has no trace of pink near bone, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in scallions and serve.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 47 to 56 minutes Serves: 6

Spicy-sweet flavors abound throughout the Caribbean. This is an adaptation of a dish I enjoyed during a vacation to Puerto Rico.

• 4 pounds chicken parts
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
  

• ½
  teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  

• 1 large onion, chopped
  

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
  

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  

• 1
  ½
  cups converted white rice
  

• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  

• 2
  ½
  cups chicken broth
  

• ½ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
  

• 1 (2-ounce) can chopped green chiles
  

• 1 (14
  ½
  -ounce) can stewed tomatoes
  

1.
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and cayenne. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken in 2 or 3 batches, turning, until browned, about 7 minutes per batch. Remove chicken from pan as it browns.

2.
Add onion and garlic to drippings in pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ginger, rice, and half of cilantro. Stir to coat rice with oil. Add broth, coconut milk, and chiles. Return chicken to pan.

3.
Cover and simmer over low heat 20 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Cover and cook until rice is tender and chicken has no trace of pink near bone, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in remaining cilantro and serve.

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 31½ minutes Serves: 4

• ½ pound slim asparagus, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
  

• ¼ pound snow peas, trimmed and cut diagonally in half
  

• 4
  ½
  cups chicken broth, preferably reduced-sodium
  

• 1
  ½
  cups dry white wine
  

• ¼ teaspoon crushed saffron threads
  

• ¾ pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
  

• ¾ teaspoon salt
  

• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  

• 1
  ½
  cups Arborio rice
  

• 1 cup frozen green peas
  

• 2/3 cup thinly sliced scallions
  

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  

1.
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook asparagus 2 minutes. Add snow peas and boil 30 seconds. Drain into a colander and rinse vegetables under cold water. Drain well.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring broth, wine, and saffron to a simmer. Meanwhile, season chicken with
½
teaspoon each salt and pepper. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

3.
Add 5
½
cups of saffron broth to the rice. Cook, stirring often, until rice is nearly tender, about 20 minutes.

4.
Stir in green peas, scallions, asparagus, and snow peas along with remaining
½
cup liquid. Simmer 2 minutes. Stir in cheese. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 31 to 32 minutes Serves: 4

Roasted garlic is so mellow that you can eat it spread on bread like butter. It is also fabulous in this risotto, an adaptation of a stellar recipe from Brooke Dojny.

• 1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled, separated into cloves
  

• ¼ cup olive oil
  

• 4
  ½
  cups chicken broth, preferably reduced-sodium
  

• 1
  ½
  cups dry white wine
  

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 1
  ½
  cups Arborio rice
  

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  

• 3 cups seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes (about 1 pound)
  

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
  

1.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place garlic cloves on a small sheet of foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and loosely wrap cloves in foil. Roast until garlic is soft, about 20 minutes.

2.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring broth and wine to a simmer. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan. Add chicken and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in 5
½
cups of simmering broth to pan. Simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring often, until rice is nearly tender, about 20 minutes.

3.
Squeeze roasted garlic from skins and mash with a fork. Stir garlic into risotto along with cheese, tomatoes, basil, and remaining
½
cup liquid. Cook 5 minutes over low heat. Serve at once.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook:
32
minutes Serves: 4

Prepared pesto is one of my favorite convenience foods.

• 4
  ½
  cups chicken broth, preferably reduced-sodium
  

• 1
  ½
  cups dry white wine
  

• ¾ pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  

• 1 small zucchini, cubed
  

• 1 small yellow crookneck squash, cubed
  

• 1
  ½
  cups Arborio rice
  

• ½
  cup prepared or homemade pesto
  

• ¼ cup diced pimiento
  

1.
In a medium saucepan, bring broth and wine to a simmer. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and cook chicken over medium heat, stirring until golden, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and crookneck squash and the rice. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes.

2.
Add
5½
cups of simmering broth and wine to rice. Simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until rice is nearly tender, about 20 minutes. Add pesto, pimiento, and remaining
½
cup liquid. Cook 5 minutes, stirring, over low heat.

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 29 to 32 minutes Serves: 6

This is an elegant dish for buffet entertaining. Just add a big tossed salad and a basket of French rolls.

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
  

• ½
  teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• ¼ cup olive oil
  

• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  

• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed through a press
  

• 1
  ½
  cups converted long-grain white rice
  

• ¼ to
  ½
  teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
  

• 1
  ½
  cups chicken broth
  

• 1 cup bottled clam juice
  

• ½
  cup dry white wine
  

• 1
  ½
  tablespoons lemon juice
  

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  

• 6 ounces snow peas, trimmed and halved if large (about 2 cups)
  

• ½
  pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
  

1.
Season chicken with pepper. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken to a plate.

2. Add bell pepper and garlic to drippings in pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in hot pepper, chicken broth, clam juice, wine, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 18 minutes.

3.
Gently stir lemon zest into rice. Arrange snow peas and shrimp on top, pushing them lightly into rice. Place chicken over shrimp. Cover and simmer until rice is tender, shrimp are pink and curled, and chicken is white throughout, 5 to 8 minutes.

Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 37 minutes Serves: 4 to 6

Hoppin’ John, a mix of highly seasoned rice and black-eyed peas, is a Southern culinary good luck charm. Adding chicken adds to the good fortune of those who enjoy the dish.

• ½
  pound thick-sliced bacon, diced
  

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
  

• 2 large onions, chopped
  

• 2 celery ribs, chopped
  

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
  

• 4 cups cooked black-eyed peas, thawed frozen or drained canned
  

• 1 cup converted white rice
  

• 2 cups chicken broth
  

• 1 bay leaf
  

• ½ teaspoon salt
  

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  

1.
In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of drippings. Cook chicken in drippings over medium-high heat, turning, until golden brown all over, about 7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.

2.
Add onions, celery, and garlic to drippings in pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add black-eyed peas, rice, broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low.

3.
Return chicken back to pan along with any juices that have accumulated on plate. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

4.
Remove and discard bay leaf. Gently stir in vinegar and bacon and serve.

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 32 to 37 minutes Serves: 4

• 8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 pounds)
  

• ½
  teaspoon salt
  

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
  

• 1 medium onion, chopped
  

• 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
  

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
  

• 1 cup dry white wine
  

• 1 (16-ounce) can white beans, drained
  

• 1 (14
  ½
  -ounce) can stewed tomatoes
  

• ½ teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
  

1.
Season chicken with half of salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of rosemary. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 7 minutes. Remove to a plate.