Chicken

There was a time when Chicken was reserved for the Sunday dinner table. (Think early- to mid-twentieth century.)

Now it's an anytime meal. Here are six chicken recipes to help you through the day, including One-Pan Crispy Chicken and Chickpeas and Chicken Pot Pie Crescent Bake. Enjoy!

CHICKEN WITH LIME AND AVOCADO SALSA

This is from Better Homes and Gardens, and begins, "Cool, refreshing lime combines with avocados to make a saucy salsa and chicken main-dish recipe that's ready in less than 30 minutes."

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 4 minutes; Total Time: 24 minutes; Servings: 4

To view this online, go to https://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/chicken-with-lime-and-avocado-salsa/.

Ingredients

4 chicken cutlets (see Making Chicken Cutlets, below)

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 large avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1 medium red onion, cut in thin strips

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced

3 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves

Lime wedges

Directions

Preheat grill pan over high heat. Coat chicken with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add to grill pan; cook 2 to 3 minutes each side or until no pink remains.

Meanwhile, in large bowl combine avocados, tomato, onion, jalapeño, lime juice, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with chicken. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. Makes 4 servings.

Making Chicken Cutlets:

If chicken cutlets are unavailable, make your own using boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Steady the meat by placing your hand on top of the thickest part of the chicken breast. Cut in half horizontally, being sure to hold your fingers up and away from the blade. Once you have cut through a few inches of the breast, pull the sliced part back to open and cut down the middle, forming two pieces. If needed, gently flatten the cutlet with the heel of your hand until it is about a half-inch thick.

CHICKEN ALFREDO AND RICE CASSEROLE

This is from Better Homes and Gardens, and begins, "Looking for a yummy casserole recipe? This old-fashioned chicken and rice main dish is truly comfort food at its best."

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Bake Time: 50 minutes; Total Time: 1 hr 15 minutes; Servings: 4

To view this online, go to https://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/chicken-alfredo-and-rice-casserole/.

Ingredients

1 10 ounce container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce

1/2 cup milk

2-1/2 cup cooked white rice or wild rice

2 cup cubed cooked chicken

1 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red sweet peppers

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed

1 cup soft bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl combine pasta sauce and milk. Stir in rice, chicken, peas, sweet peppers, nuts, and basil. Transfer to 1-1/2-quart baking dish.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle atop. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes more or until heated through and crumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

CHICKEN POT PIE CRESCENT BAKE

This is from Pillsbury Kitchens, and begins, "Cozy up busy weeknights with a quick and easy homestyle chicken pot pie bake. This hearty bake is comfort food at its finest, and prep is a breeze. Make your chicken pot pie casserole with a super-simple made-from-scratch sauce, frozen veggies, chopped chicken and a flaky crust made from Pillsbury™ Original Crescent Rolls. You can have this easy chicken pot pie bake ready to serve in under an hour. Just scoop right from the baking dish, and enjoy."

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Makes 6 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 3/4 cups Progresso™ Chicken Broth (from 32-oz carton)

2/3 cup milk

1 bag (10 oz) frozen mixed vegetables

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Original Crescent Rolls (8 Count)

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12x8-inch or 11x7-inch (2-quart) rectangular glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In 2 1/2- to 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Gradually stir in broth and milk.

Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir about 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in vegetables and chicken. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is heated through; pour mixture into baking dish.

Unroll crescent dough; separate into triangles. Place on top of hot chicken mixture, overlapping slightly, to look like braided appearance.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown and dough is baked through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Tips from the Pillsbury Kitchens

tip 1

If desired, brush crescent dough with 1 tablespoon melted butter, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme. Or, try garnishing with fresh thyme or chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley before serving.

tip 2

Instead of using mixed vegetables in your chicken pot pie bake, switch it up with your favorite frozen vegetable, like corn, peas or carrots.

tip 3

Serve this easy chicken pot pie bake with a fresh garden salad for a complete dinner.

Tip 4

Bring more comforting meals to the dinner table with tasty meals like our Classic Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken Pot Pie Crescent Cups.

CHICKEN PARMESAN POCKETS

Years ago, Fr. Dominic Garramone (AKA the Bread Monk had a show on PBS. I'm sure I'm not the only person who got hooked on his show. Unfortunately, it went off the air years ago. But his cook books are still in circulation, and you can always go to his website (above).

This was one of the recipes on his show.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

Dough:

2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN’S Active Dry Yeast

1 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 large egg

3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Chicken Filling:

1 cup prepared spaghetti sauce

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2-1/4 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1-1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Egg Glaze:

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons water

Directions

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, sugar, salt, butter, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead 8 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours.

Punch dough down; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece to 6 x 6-inch squares. Combine spaghetti sauce and garlic powder; spread on squares. Top with chicken, pepper, Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese. Fold to form triangles; pinch sides to seal. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Slash tops of pockets. Brush with egg white combined with water. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until done. Serve warm.

MISO CHICKEN

This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Making a compound of unsalted butter and the salty, fungal deliciousness of Japanese miso paste is a surefire way of adding immense flavor to a simple weeknight meal. Here the mixture is spread over chicken thighs, which are then roasted to golden perfection. But you could easily use it on salmon or flounder, on corn or potatoes. The recipe calls for white miso, which is more mild than the aged version known as red miso. But you could certainly use red for a more intense result.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 45 minutes.

This was featured in Asian Pantry Essentials and can also be found online by clicking here.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white miso

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (do not use seasoned rice vinegar)

Black pepper, to taste

8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

Preparation

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine butter, miso, honey, rice vinegar and black pepper in a large bowl and mix with a spatula or spoon until it is well combined.

Add chicken to the bowl and massage the miso-butter mixture all over it. Place the chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan and slide it into the oven. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken pieces over once or twice, until the skin is golden brown and crisp, and the internal temperature of the meat is 160 to 165 degrees.

ONE-PAN CRISPY CHICKEN AND CHICKPEAS

This is from Yossy Arefi in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Yossy wrote, "This speedy, no-fuss meal comes together in one pan with a minimal ingredient list — and barely requires any chopping. The chicken skin crisps as it roasts and the chickpeas, garlic and spinach soak up any juices at the bottom of the pan. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end brightens up the whole dish. Make sure to stir the chickpeas and spinach together gently at the end to avoid breaking up the chickpeas too much. For added flavor, you could dust the chicken with smoked paprika, ground turmeric or your favorite spice blend before cooking. Serve this dish with yogurt and hot sauce on the side, and flatbread, if you like."

Time: 45 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023862-one-pan-crispy-chicken-and-chickpeas.

Ingredients

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1-3/4 pounds)

Kosher salt and pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more as needed

2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas, rinsed

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 (packed) cups or 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach

1 large lemon, halved

Yogurt and hot sauce (both optional), for serving

Preparation

Heat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the center.

Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Put the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin-side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until light golden brown. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the chickpeas and garlic to the skillet and stir to coat in the oil and juices. If the pan seems at all dry, drizzle in a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken on top of the chickpeas, skin side up, in an even layer and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is deeply golden and cooked through.

Remove the chicken to a clean plate, put the pan back on the stovetop over medium heat and add the spinach to the chickpeas in the pan, one handful at a time, stirring it until just wilted. Add the chicken back to the pan and squeeze a lemon half over the top; cut the remaining lemon half into 4 wedges. Serve the chicken, chickpeas and spinach with the lemon wedges on the side, and yogurt and hot sauce for serving, if you like.