Chicken

There was a time when chicken was reserved for Sundays only. Now it's an anytime meal. Today's chicken recipes include Piña Colada Chicken Salad and Chicken Pot Pie Squares. Enjoy!

GRILLED SOY-BASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SPICY CASHEWS

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Here's a hack I performed on a recipe for an appetizer portion of skewered chunked chicken thighs that the great live-fire cooks and cookbook writers Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby wrote many years ago, and that I have slowly altered into a main-course grilled dinner. The skinless chicken browns nicely over a medium flame, and the sugary soy basting sauce lacquers it beautifully in the final few minutes of cooking. It's terrific with rice, or as a topping for a salad of sturdy greens. You may wish to double the recipe for Sriracha-roasted cashews. Those are addictive, and for them you will find many delicious uses.”

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 hour

This was featured in “Charcoal Or Gas? Depends On What You’re Grilling” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted cashews

2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

Hot sauce, to taste

2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark) or molasses

2 tablespoons peeled and minced ginger

4 scallions, sliced thin

5 or 6 springs cilantro, tough stems removed and roughly chopped (approximately 2 tablespoons)

Preparation

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine cashews and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl and stir until nuts are coated. Line a small baking pan with foil and spread the coated cashews out on it, then place in the oven and bake until nuts are dry, approximately 20 minutes. Carefully remove the nuts from the foil and let cool, then chop roughly and set aside in a small bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sesame oil, 1/2 cup soy sauce, the hoisin sauce and the black pepper, and hot sauce if using. Add chicken thighs and stir to coat. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

For the basting sauce, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, the brown sugar and the ginger in a small bowl, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, build a fire in a charcoal grill, leaving about 1/3 of the cooking space free of coals. When coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn one burner to high, leaving the others off, then lower cover and heat for 15 minutes.)

Using tongs, remove chicken thighs from marinade and cook, directly over the coals, turning every few minutes, until they are well-browned but not crusty, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Then, using a pastry brush, begin to baste them with the soy, ginger and sugar mixture, until they develop a lacquer, an additional 8 to 10 minutes, again turning every few minutes. (If chicken threatens to burn, place it over the part of the grill without coals.)

Transfer chicken to a warmed platter, sprinkle with the chopped cashews, the scallions and the cilantro, and serve.

CHICKEN POT PIE SQUARES

This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Using convenience products like puff pastry sheets, purchased gravy and a frozen vegetable combination makes these enjoyable pot pies easy enough for everyday cooking.”

Serves: 6 servings (1 filled square each); Time: 35 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 1 pound), cut into cubes

1 jar (12 ounces) Campbell's® Slow Roast Chicken Gravy

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

2 cups frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) or mixed vegetables

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet into 3 strips along the fold marks. Cut each strip in half crosswise, making 6 pastry rectangles in all. Place the pastry rectangles onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Split each pastry into 2 layers, making 12 layers in all.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.

Stir the gravy, thyme, onion powder and vegetables in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Spoon about 2/3 cup chicken mixture on each bottom pastry layer. Top with the top pastry layers.

PARMESAN CHICKEN

This recipe is from Ina Garten of the Food Network’s show, Barefoot Contessa.

Total: 30 min; Prep: 20 min; Cook: 10 min; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Intermediate

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 extra-large eggs

1 tablespoon water

1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

Unsalted butter

Good olive oil

Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry

1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

1/2 cup good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with Lemon Vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

MEXICAN LASAGNA

This comes from Rachael Ray, star of The Food Network show 30 Minute Meals.

Total: 30 min; Prep: 10 min; Cook: 20 min; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

To view this recipe online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained

1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes

1 cup frozen corn kernels

Salt

8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack

2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.

Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.

PEPPER-JACK CHICKEN WITH SUCCOTASH

This comes from the Food Network kitchen.

Total: 40 min; Prep: 15 min; Cook: 25 min; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 ounces pepper-jack cheese, shredded

2 cups baby arugula, roughly chopped

2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (12 ounces each)

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing

Kosher salt

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons Cajun spice blend

Vegetable oil, for the grill

1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed

1 medium yellow summer squash, diced

2 cups corn kernels

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Juice of 1 lime

Directions

Combine the cheese and arugula in a bowl. Cut a deep 2-inch-wide pocket in the thickest part of each chicken breast with a paring knife. Stuff with the arugula mixture. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and the Cajun spice blend.

Preheat a grill to high and brush the grates with vegetable oil. Grill the chicken until blackened and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 155 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the lima beans, squash and corn, season with salt and cook until the squash is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Slice the chicken and serve with the succotash.

PINA COLADA CHICKEN SALAD

This comes from Delish, and begins, “We're obsessed with the crunchy coconut chicken.”

Yields: 4; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders

1 c. all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. shredded coconut

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 head romaine

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 c. pineapple, chopped

1/2 c. coconut milk

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of 1 lime

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Dredge chicken in flour, egg and coconut and transfer to a baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Bake until cooked through and coconut is golden, 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange salad: In a large bowl combine romaine, red pepper, pineapple and chicken.

In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk, lime juice and zest, and red pepper flakes and season with salt.

Drizzle with dressing and serve.