Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, May 5, 2008 at 6:15 PM
I’ve heard about chicken wrapped in parchment paper, and even of chicken wrapped in foil. But the cooking of what is essentially chicken in a bag, had always (in my humble experience) taken place in the oven. I’ve never heard of chicken that’s sautéed in the foil bag on a skillet. It certainly was a weird feeling when I placed that foil package on top of a hot iron skillet and waited to see what would happen. Would it explode or catch on fire?
I actually wanted to do this recipe because of the foil balloon that Simple to Spectacular authors Mark Bittman and Jean Georges Vongerichten promised would happen. Because of the escaping steam, they said that the aluminum foil would puff up like a “Jiffy Pop”. But nothing much happened to mine. Perhaps it was the fact that I didn’t have the proper size of aluminum foil. They ask for the extra large 18-inch version; I only had the 12-inch kind. I ended up jamming in way too much chicken and perhaps didn’t seal the foil well enough. Either way, the loss of the spectacle was redeemed by extraordinary taste. The tomato gets flattened and kind of crispy, and all that Parmesan melts into a beautiful sauce that coats the rosemary-infused chicken.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, April 26, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Each Saturday evening we bring you a Sunday Supper recipe. Why on Saturday? So you have time to shop and prepare for tomorrow.
I don't know how it happened, but my favorite dish from my go-to neighborhood Italian restaurant happens to be a simple concoction of penne tossed with some good olive oil and some sautéd garlic and broccoli—all topped by a grilled chicken breast. I always picture it as their sop to dieters or calorie-concious diners, and I always feel like it's akin to ordering steak at a seafood joint.
I order it because over the past year or so, I've started getting the acid reflux after eating heavily tomato-sauced foods, and this lightly treated pasta preparation appeals to me. The price, however, does not. (I'm embarrassed to even mention it here because it's ludicrous for what actually goes into it.)
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Posted by Lucy Baker, April 25, 2008 at 1:45 PM
Today's cook the book recipe, excerpted from The Oprah Magazine Cookbook, is for a sensational Creole Gumbo straight from the Big Easy. Chef Leah Chase, owner of the restaurant Dooky Chase and arguably the Queen of Creole Cuisine, pulls out all the stops. Her version includes fresh crabs, oysters, and shrimp; veal and chicken; and two kinds of sausage. The recipe makes a lot—it serves 8 to 10—so mix up some Sazeracs and prepare it with a group of friends. This is soul food at its absolute best.
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Posted by Lucy Baker, April 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Turkey is a bird for all seasons: an obvious choice for elaborate holiday roasts, it's equally delicious when grilled and paired with warm-weather produce. Today's Cook the Book recipe is for Yogurt & Citrus Turkey Breast with Grilled Tomato & Wax Bean Salad, excerpted from the Oprah Magazine Cookbook. Created by chef Michel Nischan, who invented a "cuisine of well being," the dish is full of fresh flavors-- orange juice, organic yogurt, grated ginger-- that keep the turkey moist and flavorful without adding extra calories.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, April 23, 2008 at 12:00 PM
The following recipe is from the April 23rd edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
Oprah Winfrey is known more for her skills as a television show host and not for her work in the kitchen, so it makes sense that her book The Oprah Magazine Cookbook is her compilation of recipes from famous chefs. This recipe for African chicken in peanut sauce comes from Norma Jean Darden, cookbook author and proprietor of two restaurants and catering company in New York City. This dish calls for browning chicken in a skillet and finishing it off in a creamy coconut milk-based peanut sauce.
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Posted by Ed Levine, April 20, 2008 at 1:00 PM
This week's Cartoon Kitchen features Serious Eats' cartoonist in residence Larry Gonick's spin on cold chicken. —Ed Levine
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Posted by Robyn Lee, April 16, 2008 at 11:00 AM
The following recipe is from the April 16 edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was so determined to raise his own livestock and grow his own vegetables that he moved from London to rural Dorset, England to set up the River Cottage Farm. In The River Cottage Cookbook he shares this simple recipe for pot-roast chicken and vegetables, which he calls his favorite one-pot dish, a satisfying way to cook chicken, vegetables, and gravy all at once. It can use either young roasting birds or old stewing chickens by adjusting the cooking time and temperature.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, April 9, 2008 at 4:30 PM
I've been having a lot of fun flipping through The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. It's unpretentious, easy to use, and full of tasty dishes that seem to be entirely too simple, if a little hard to believe. And this one is no different. The sauce is the perfect counterpoint to the broiled chicken—it takes on an almost mustard-like tang, but has a much brighter flavor thanks to the lemon. It's so perfect, in fact, that it's easy to forget that the recipe has raw potatoes in it.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, April 1, 2008 at 4:30 PM
I wasn’t sick, but I did have a lot of leftover chicken. For some unknown reason, I was struck by the need to make the most chickeny chicken soup possible. I had loads of onions and carrots and enough thick stock to make a real meal happen—but I was put off by the long process. The fiancée and I had some wedding plans to attend to and not much time to spend. A crazy chicken soup would have been too much so I downgraded my plans to this highly spiced soup I found on Epicurious.
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Posted by Lucy Baker, April 1, 2008 at 2:15 PM
I have never understood why many people are afraid of cooking fish. What's so hard about searing a little salmon? It's chicken, specifically roasting a whole one, that I find much more intimidating. Sure I've done it, but the occasion always fills me with anxiety. Should I butterfly it or stuff the cavity with onions? Set the oven at 425°F or 475°F? And just how do I know when it's done? I don't want to serve a desiccated bird, but on the other hand, few things are scarier than cutting into a bite of breast that is still cold and pink inside. (Just thinking about it makes me want to run for the anti-bacterial hand wash.)
But since reviewing these magazine recipes was, in part, an experiment designed to make me a better cook, I decided that it was high time I practiced my poultry skills. This week I prepared the ginger-roasted chicken from the April issue of Food & Wine.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, March 28, 2008 at 4:15 PM
Just add salad!
I've arrived at duck confit salad because of an embarrassment of riches. I've had at least four legs over the past couple months (and have loved every one), but it was time to see what else this preserved item could do. Who knew? Maybe I was wasting my wonderfully cooked legs and wasn't exploring the many other options out there. I remembered seeing duck confit on a salad and started searching. When I came across this simple recipe for duck confit and pear salad, I decided to see what it could do for me and my duck fat covered friend.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, March 26, 2008 at 5:00 PM
At various times throughout this meal, I assumed failure. I hardly ever make curry, especially an African-based one I found in The Ethnic Paris Cookbook
. But it looked so easy that I had to give it shot, even if my instincts were rebelling. For one, besides some cloves, it only uses turmeric for spice. To act as some kind of insurance, I tossed out my aging old plastic bottle of the yellow spice and bought a brand new bottle from my local outlet of Penzeys Spice. Still, I had doubts.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 26, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Spring's here, it's warming up a bit where I am (at least for now), and that's got me thinking of picnicky foods. Like chicken salad. So for today's recipe from Nigella Express, I'm looking at the Mexican Chicken Salad she's got going on. Like (almost) everything in this book, it's quick and easy—and it's light, as it's not the traditional mayo-based chicken salad. It appears after the jump.
Win 'Nigella Express'
As is always the case with our Cook the Books, we're giving away a number of them this week. Enter to win Nigella Express »
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Posted by Robin Bellinger, March 26, 2008 at 1:30 PM
One of the first Madhur Jaffrey meat recipes I ever tried was a goat stew. Although she recommends that Americans replace the goat with lamb, I’m open to new meats, and someone at the Greenmarket was actually selling goat for stew, so I thought, why not?
Well, my adventuresomeness was not rewarded. I don’t know if it was the recipe (which included at least 8 tablespoons of oil) or the goat (which gave off a lot of fat), but the stew tasted mostly of grease and gristle.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 24, 2008 at 6:15 PM
The first of this week's recipes from Nigella Express is for a bacon-infused roast chicken. Roast chicken is always pretty easy to make, and this one is no different, except that the little bit of extra work it requires—frying up some bacon—pays off in a big way. The bacon and brandy glaze help bronze the bird and add beautiful flavor without becoming a distraction.
Win 'Nigella Express'
As is always the case with our Cook the Books, we're giving away a number of them this week. Enter to win Nigella Express »
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, March 21, 2008 at 4:15 PM
I can't even remember the last time I just bought chicken breasts at the store. In college I would buy the skinless, boneless version in enormous frozen bags, but I've changed since then. I usually go for a whole chicken now, which I either immediately roast or cut up and use how I see fit. But the fiancée and I were going away for a long weekend and just needed a quick meal that wouldn't leave any leftovers. Sparked by both curiosity and practicality, I set off for some chicken breasts.
We wanted to make a recipe from Christopher Kimball's The Kitchen Detective
because of a fantastic sounding pan sauce made of olives and capers. As I was reading the entry I realized the main focus of the recipe is actually how to properly cook a chicken breast without drying it out. The obvious tip is to leave the skin on and the bone in—that was easy. He also recommends a brine, which might be wonderful, but I just didn't have the time. It didn't seem to matter; the seared chicken came out beautifully moist, if a tad bland. Luckily, the rich sauce was more than up to the task.
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Posted by The Serious Eats Team, March 17, 2008 at 2:30 PM
This chicken soup can be served alone as a clear broth or with the addition of matzo balls, kreplach, lukshen, or soup nuts (mandlen). It's adapted from Jewish Home Cooking by Arthur Schwartz.
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Posted by Robin Bellinger, February 27, 2008 at 1:30 PM
As JerzeeTomato pointed out last week, chicken divan is a great way to use leftovers. Joy of Cooking is chock-full of wonderful ideas about what to do with the remains of last night’s dinner; I just wish that in my house dinner stuck around for day two more often. One of my dreams is to get my kitchen running such that I always have a cold roast in the refrigerator—chicken, beef, anything I can make into sandwiches or otherwise quickly transform into a delicious second-day dish. Though many people seem to arrive at this cozy and satisfying state of affairs without even trying, my horror of wasting food or watching it spoil makes it difficult for me to roast lavishly. So when I want to make classics of the leftover genre, such as shepherd’s pie, I do the whole thing from scratch (which, honestly, is never that much more difficult).
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Posted by Robin Bellinger, February 22, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Roasting chicken always, always reminds me of Jeffrey Steingarten. I think the moment my crush on him bloomed into undying love was when I read his essay “As the Spit Turns” in the August 1999 issue of Vogue (reprinted in It Must’ve Been Something I Ate), in which he discusses his efforts to rig up an effective spit-roasting system at home. Two passages near the beginning won me over: “Whenever I have nothing better to do, I roast a chicken. …I’ll roast a chicken in the afternoon even when I am not hungry and have plenty of food in the fridge and a reservation for dinner. It’s like a hobby.” And then, “The great Brillat-Savarin declared, ‘We can learn to be cooks, but we must be born knowing how to roast.’ I often lie awake nights worrying about whether I was born to roast.’” I like a man who has his priorities in order. It is in this spirit that I offer you Marcella Hazan’s beautifully simple bird stuffed with two lemons. I suspect that many of you already love this very recipe, and if you do not know it yet, that you, too, are always tinkering with roast chicken, perhaps even roasting a bird whenever you have nothing better to do.
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Posted by Robin Bellinger, February 20, 2008 at 11:00 AM
As I wrote long ago in another forum, Joy of Cooking has never much appealed to me. A prudish child, I was, I think, put off by the way its title echoed The Joy of Sex (a subject I would have preferred never to hear mentioned or even hinted at), and as an young adult learning how to cook I was faithful to How to Cook Everything (which had something to do with my naively limitless reverence for the New York Times). Eventually, however, the man I would marry came into my life, and I was ready for it—“it” being, of course, Joy of Cooking, which had been his family’s standard text and now was his. Many skillets of refried beans, pots of stew, and countless muffins later, I’ve learned to give Joy its due as a classic of the American kitchen.
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Posted by Blake Royer, February 19, 2008 at 4:45 PM
What most people want in a roast chicken is crispy skin and succulent meat. Is it too much to ask? They want the leg to be done cooking before the breast gets tough; they want the skin to be as dry and crackly as possible while everywhere else should be moist and tender. Roasting a chicken is the attempt to achieve all of these contradictory elements in one place, and to do so with a limited number of variables: heat, time, salt. I love the challenge, the concept, the simplicity of roasting a whole bird. But I recently made a dish that in some ways made the whole chicken-roasting problem moot.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, February 16, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Each Saturday evening we bring you a Sunday Supper recipe. Why Saturday? So you have time to shop and prepare for tomorrow, of course!
I'm actually on a mini vacation in Ithaca, New York, as I write this, and, ladies and gents, it is cold here. And that's got me thinking of hot, comfort food so I thought I'd share this chicken pot pie recipe that I like to make. It follows, after the jump.
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