Chicken!

For years, chicken seemed to be one of those foods relegated to the Sunday dinner table. But in the past few decades, it has become an anytime meal. Just think of all the fast food chicken places out there. Heck, even burger places have picked up with an occasional chicken sandwich.

That said, here are six chicken recipes to help you through the week. Enjoy!

CHICKEN PAILLARDS WTIH CORN SALAD

This comes from Florence Fabricant, in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Florence wrote, “This recipe brings together leafy herbs, the whisper of sweetness in fresh corn and summer squash, a ripe tomato, and a splash of lemon, creating a salad with farm-stand allure. It is served it with chicken paillards, and the meal would go great with a bottle of dry German riesling.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “A Salad With Farm-Stand Allure”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 pounds, pounded thin

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 ears corn, kernels stripped

1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced

1 medium-size yellow summer squash, diced

Salt and ground black pepper

1 medium yellow tomato, diced

1/3 cup flour

2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves

Preparation

Mix mustard and 1/4 cup lemon juice in a shallow dish. Cut each chicken breast in half (lengthwise, so you have two thin filets) and place in the mustard mixture. Turn to coat both sides and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet, add onion and sauté on low a few minutes, until softened. Add corn, chile and squash and continue to cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, fold in tomato, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and set aside.

Remove chicken from marinade, dust with flour and season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining oil in a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan on medium-high heat and sear chicken, turning once, until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes a side. Arrange on a serving platter. Add cooking oil to salad, fold in cilantro and spoon over and around chicken.

CHICKEN WITH RICE, THE EASY WAY

This is from Mark Bittman, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, “You can make a big deal out of chicken with rice -- at its zenith, it becomes paella -- but it is a dish that takes well to short cuts. And even at its simplest, it's a crowd-pleaser.

“For fast weeknight meals, I strip chicken and rice to its essentials: oil, onion, chicken and rice. Stock makes the best cooking liquid, but water works almost as well, because as it simmers with the chicken they combine to produce a flavorful broth. To reduce greasiness, I remove the skin from the chicken before cooking it. (In a moist dish like this one, the skin is not especially appetizing anyway.)

“You can easily vary this dish by using any stock instead of water; by substituting another grain, like pearled barley, for the rice; by sautéing or roasting the chicken separately and combining it with the rice at the last minute; by adding sausage or shellfish, like shrimp, along with the chicken, or, most excitingly, by adding strips of red pepper, pitted olives, capers, chopped tomatoes or shelled peas to the initial onion mix.”

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 30 minutes.

This was featured in “The Minimalist; Simply Chicken And Rice” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, about 8 ounces, peeled and sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 chicken, cut up into serving pieces

1 1/2 cups white rice

Pinch saffron, optional

Freshly minced parsley or cilantro for garnish

Lemon or lime wedges

Preparation

Set 3 cups of water to boil. Place olive oil in a large skillet that can be covered, and turn heat to medium-high. Add onions and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and become translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove skin from chicken.

Add rice to onions; stir until each grain glistens; sprinkle with saffron, and stir. Nestle chicken in rice, add a little more salt and pepper and pour in the boiling water. Turn heat to medium-low, and cover.

Cook 20 minutes, until all water is absorbed and chicken is cooked through. (You can keep this warm over a very low flame for another 15 minutes; it will retain its heat for 15 minutes beyond that.) Garnish and serve with lemon or lime.

RESTUARANT-STYLE ASIAN-INSPIRED CHICKEN & BROCCOLI

This is from Kevin Curry on The Today Show's recipes e-newsletter. The recipe begins, "When planning what to make for dinner on a weeknight, the checklist typically includes 'cheap,' 'easy,' 'crowd-pleaser,' 'healthy,' 'one-pan,' 'chicken,' and 'delicious.' This recipe from Kevin Curry of Fit Men Cook checks all of those things off." Cook Time: 20 minutes; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Servings: 2.

To view this online, click here.

Note: The notes – such as “(or firm tofu or tempeh)” – in the ingredient section are from Kevin Curry.

Ingredients

10-ounce raw chicken breast (or firm tofu or tempeh)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or olive oil spray to reduce the amount of fat)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions (or more/less to taste)

1 cup cooked (short grain) brown rice (or instant brown rice to save time)

1 tablespoon Chinese 5-spice powder (I use Private Selection brand)

2 tablespoons low sodium tamari (or soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos)


Preparation

Chop up raw chicken breast into tiny pieces (about the size of nickels).

Set a nonstick skillet on low-medium heat and add olive oil and garlic. Careful not to let the garlic burn. Just let it cook for 1 minute then add chopped green onions. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula.

After 1 to 2 minutes, add cooked brown rice to the skillet, then add the Chinese 5-spice blend. Stir and sear the cooked rice for about 1 minute. Let the aroma fill the kitchen.

Add low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce) and after about a minute of searing the rice, increase the heat to medium-high and toss in the chopped chicken breast. Chop and stir. If you find the mixture is getting too dry, then decrease the heat and/or spray the skillet with olive oil.

Cook for about 6 to 10 minutes, until the outside of the chicken turns brown or has a light sear. Finally, add frozen or fresh broccoli florets to the skillet and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.

Garnish with green onions and season to taste with more tamari or soy.

EASY CHICKEN STROGANOFF

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “This one-skillet chicken dish features a creamy mushroom sauce and a whole lot of flavor. It's comfort food that's ready to serve in just 45 minutes.” Serves: 4 servings (about 1 3/4 cups each); Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast half, cut into strips

6 ounces sliced mushroom (about 2 cups)

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

4 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained

Chopped fresh Parsley

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's browned, stirring often. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Heat the remaining butter in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook until they're tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the soup and sour cream and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken mixture over the noodles. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

ROASTED CHICKEN DINNER WITH POTATOES

This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com’s Southern Food expert. Diana wrote, “This tasty chicken is a whole meal in one pot, making it ideal for a busy weekend or weekday meal. Use a halved or quartered whole chicken in this flavorful roasted chicken dinner recipe.” Prep Time: 25 minutes;Cook Time: 80 minutes; Total Time: 105 minutes; Yield: 4 Servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Chicken

1 chicken, about 4 pounds, halved or quartered

1 clove garlic, mashed and minced

1 tablespoon butter

freshly ground black pepper

Vegetables

1 1/2 to 2 pounds potatoes, cut in 1-inch chunks

4 to 6 carrots, cut in 2-inch pieces, halved or quartered crosswise if very thick

3 to 4 ribs celery, cut in 2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, mashed and minced

1 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat oven to 425°. Lightly oil a roasting pan.

Combine the 1 clove of mashed and minced garlic with the butter and a little fresh ground black pepper. Separate the skin of the chicken and rub some of the butter mixture under the skin of each of the chicken pieces. Arrange the chicken in the roasting pan.

Combine the potatoes, carrots, and celery in a bowl. Toss with the olive oil and 3 cloves of minced garlic.

Arrange the vegetables around the chicken and sprinkle the chicken and vegetables with salt and pepper. Pour chicken broth into the roasting pan.

Roast, basting occasionally, for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or to about 165° when a meat thermometer is inserted into the meaty part of the thigh.* Add more chicken broth, if needed.

*According to foodsafety.gov, chicken must be cooked to at least 165° on a food thermometer inserted in a thick part of the chicken, not touching bone or fat.

MODERN CHICKEN POTPIE

This comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “Here's a radical notion: chicken potpie does not have to be filled with goopy white sauce, carrots and peas. Traditional recipes are long on starch and richness, short on flavor. This updated version is savory with chicken stock, herbs, and wine (no white sauce needed), easier to make, and still familiar. Use thigh meat, for more taste and better texture than breast. And vegetables should be served separately, not forcemarched into the filling. Roasted carrots, peas with mint and buttered steamed asparagus are all nice to serve alongside chicken potpie.” Yield: 6 servings; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “Chicken Potpie for the Modern Cook” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed

6 ounces bacon or pancetta, preferably thick-cut, sliced into strips

1 medium onion, chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, such as button or cremini, thickly sliced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Salt and ground black pepper

1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups rich chicken stock

1/4 cup Marsala, Madeira or sherry

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, more for garnish

1 9-inch pie crust, chilled, or 1 sheet puff pastry

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Preparation

Heat oil and garlic together over low heat. When it sizzles, add bacon and onions and cook, stirring often, until fat is rendered and bacon is golden brown. Adjust the heat so the bacon slowly gives up its fat. Remove garlic clove and add mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are browned and slightly softened.

In a sealable plastic bag, combine flour, thyme, paprika, 2 large pinches salt and 1 large pinch pepper. Add chicken and shake well to coat.

In the skillet with the bacon and mushrooms, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add chicken pieces and any flour that remains in the bag. Cook, stirring, until chicken pieces are golden and the flour on the bottom of the pan is browned. Pour in stock, Marsala and vinegar. Scrape bottom of pan, and let simmer about 5 minutes, until thickened. Taste for salt, pepper and vinegar and adjust the seasonings. Turn off heat and stir in parsley.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Transfer chicken and sauce to 9-inch round pie dish or 8-inch square baking dish. Roll out pie crust to desired shape and size. Drape crust over filling, making a few slits or decorative holes on top. Tuck edges down around filling and brush crust with egg wash. If the dish is piled high with filling, place on a baking sheet to catch any overflow before transferring to oven.

Bake until crust is browned and filling is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

Let cool slightly, at least 10 minutes, before serving with a big spoon. If desired, garnish each serving with parsley.

Tips

To make individual potpies, divide the mixture among 6 large ramekins, mini pie pans or ovenproof bowls. Roll the pastry out into a rectangle and cut into 6 squares, each one large enough to cover the filling and drape over the rim of the dish. Lightly place a pastry square over each dish and evenly fold down the four corners on the outside edge. Press gently to seal. Snip or cut a few slits in the top. Place on a cookie sheet for baking.

Leftover cooked chicken (or turkey) can be used instead of raw. Add the flour mixture by itself in step 3. Cut leftover chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir into the pan at the end of step 3 to heat through.