All too often, cooks are underwhelmed by chicken. It’s bland. It’s expected. It’s less than inspiring. But you can avoid all that. Remember that the dark-meat parts (legs, thighs, wings) are rich in fat. You need to cook them longer to tenderize them. The white breast meat is naturally tender, so it cooks faster. Yet it’s so lean that you have to add fat and flavor. All chicken, though, can satisfy any craving—Chinese, Mexican, Thai. These easy meals take you there.
Roast the Ultimate Chicken
The Whole Recipe
Rain a crust of kosher salt onto an organic broiler or fryer chicken; then roast it in an oven-safe skillet at 450˚F until the cavity’s juices are clear, 60 to 90 minutes. Let it rest 15 minutes and dive in. Yeah, it’s really that simple.
You don’t have to get all fancy with roast chicken, but a few extra steps will pay off in flavor. Truss the bird or jam a halved lemon into the cavity to limit airflow and promote even cooking. Or deploy these sidekicks.
Garlic and Herbs
Halfway through roasting, add some thyme sprigs and a few lightly smashed garlic cloves to the skillet. Baste the chicken often with the fat. Or you could use fresh oregano and add lemon slices.
Jerk Paste
Before roasting, coat the bird with premade jerk paste. (We like Walkerswood brand.) It has onions, thyme, nutmeg, and searing-hot Scotch bonnet peppers. Serve with black beans and brown rice.
Chimichurri
Mix 1 cup chopped herbs (parsley, chives, mint, cilantro) with 1 minced garlic clove, 2 minced anchovies, 1 Tbsp chopped capers, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil until spoonable.
Honey Mustard
Mix two parts each of orange juice, honey, and Dijon mustard to 1 part soy sauce. Apply to the chicken about 5 minutes before it’s done, and/or serve the sauce as a topping, like the chimichurri.
Pick the Carcass Clean
Roast chicken makes incredible chicken salad. One secret is magic mayonnaise: Soak minced shallot in lemon or fresh lime juice for 10 minutes; then stir in diced celery and a dollop of mayo. Add chicken and:
- Chopped tarragon and sliced red grapes
- Jerk paste and fresh lime juice
- Curry powder and cayenne, to taste (serve with papadums)
- Curry as above, but with more stuff to make it heartier: chickpeas, chopped apricots, chopped olives, cilantro, and harissa
- Soy sauce, fish sauce, chile oil, toasted sesame oil, sliced scallions, and chopped peanuts
Behold Beautiful Breasts
Enter the Fry Zone
Start with canola and then, for richness, add a butter pat during the last few minutes.
Overcooking boneless, skinless breasts is easy. So pound the meat to a thickness of ¼" and start cooking. The breast is done when the flesh feels resistant, not squishy, to the touch. Try these prep ideas.
Schnitzel
Dredge a pounded breast in flour, then egg wash, then panko bread crumbs. Pan-fry and serve in a sandwich or with a heaping side of sauerkraut plus grainy mustard.
Chicken and Guac
Sauté or grill a pounded breast. Season it with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of homemade guacamole. Top with quartered roasted tomatillos, if desired.
Garlic Lemon Herb
Cook a pounded, seasoned breast in an oiled grill pan over medium-high heat till done, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Top with minced garlic, thyme, and lemon zest.
Tomato Basil
Sauté or grill a pounded breast and serve atop tomato slices that were salted and sprinkled with finely minced garlic 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil.
Become a Thigh Master
Shop for boneless, skinless thighs. You’ll cut down on cooking time without sacrificing succulence. Unless otherwise noted, each recipe on this page calls for four thighs, seasoned well with salt and pepper.
Teriyaki Kebabs
Cut 2 boneless thighs, trimmed of visible fat, into thirds. Marinate at least an hour in a mixture of 3 Tbsp less-sodium soy sauce, 3 Tbsp mirin, and 2 tsp sugar. Thread the pieces onto skewers, alternating with scallions cut into 2" pieces. Grill, basting with any remaining marinade, till cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Easy Burritos
Cut thighs into medium slices; toss with 2 Tbsp chili powder and 1 Tbsp cumin. In a hot, oiled pan on medium, sauté the slices until browned, about 4 minutes. Add 1 cup crushed or pureed tomatoes and some chopped oregano. Simmer on medium low until the chicken is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve in a 10" tortilla with lettuce, salted sliced avocado, cheddar, and hot sauce.
Coq au Vin
In a pan on medium, brown 4 strips of chopped bacon; reserve. Add the chicken to the pan and brown it. Remove and set aside. Add 2 cups quartered mushrooms and brown. Add a medium diced onion and sauté until tender. Stir in 3 Tbsp flour; add 1 cup each red wine and chicken broth, plus the reserved bacon. Stir, add the chicken, and simmer until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
Vietnamese Wraps
In an oiled grill pan on medium-high heat, sear thinly sliced chicken thighs until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Then make a sauce of ½ minced shallot, 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tsp sugar, and ¼ cup fish sauce. Serve in prepared rice-paper wrappers with thinly sliced carrot, cucumber, shredded lettuce, and basil. Top with sauce, roll it all up, and chow down.
Korean Bibimbap
In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup hot Korean chile paste (gochujang) with 2 Tbsp water, 2 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp vinegar. In a hot, oiled wok or skillet, cook thinly sliced chicken thighs. Add the sauce and cook until everything is tender, about 5 minutes. Serve over rice and top with your choice of these: a fried egg, sliced scallions, kimchi, avocado, cilantro, sriracha.
Savor the Glorious, Crispy Skin
The chicken’s skin is quite possibly the tastiest part of the entire bird. Once the fat is rendered out, the remaining connective tissue and protein crisps and turns golden brown. One bite will silence your skepticism.
Cook
First, save up the skin from several chickens—it freezes well, and making one big batch is easier. Place the skin on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and add salt and pepper. Cover with another sheet of parchment and then stack another baking sheet on top of that. Roast the skin at 350˚F till browned and crispy, 20 to 30 minutes.
Enjoy
Think of these chips two ways. First, they make a great protein snack. While the crisped skin is still warm, dust it with smoked paprika, chile powder, or Old Bay seasoning. Second, you can crumble the chips and add to green beans or salads. Oh, and keep any grease—you can use the fat to sauté potatoes (or cook more chicken).
Quit Feeling Guilty
Wait, won’t this stuff give you a big fat heart attack? The skin may be high in saturated fat, but this kind of fat isn’t the heart slayer that scientists once thought it was. Plus, the skin from half a chicken has about 287 calories and 11 grams of protein. By contrast, those 24 Doritos Cool Ranch chips have 300 calories and 4 grams of protein.
Photographs by Sam Kaplan
