Best. Chicken. Recipes. Ever. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch |
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Best. Chicken. Recipes. Ever. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch Posted: 12 May 2021 11:45 AM PDT  Karaage (Japanese fried chicken), one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com  Maple-Bourbon Chicken Wings, one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com  Rao's Famous Lemon Chicken, one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021.  Crispy-Skin Chicken with Pan Sauce, one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com  Roast Chicken with Herbed Butter and Croutons, one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com Some people look at chicken and see something boring. Bland. Blah. I look at chicken and see a world of possibilities. Dan Neman prepares the Japanese dish, Karaage. An irresistible fried chicken recipe. Video by Colter Peterson@post-dispatch.com I like chicken. I probably make it dozens of different ways. But over the years, five ways for making it have come to the fore, firmly establishing themselves as my favorite methods ever. These are five recipes that transform the humble chicken from the ordinary and everyday into a meal of transcendent perfection. That may be overstating it a bit. But these recipes are good. They're really, really good. I began with a method of cooking that leads to a crisp skin and juicy meat, the Holy Grail of chicken. There are several ways of achieving this goal, but the simplest of all requires almost no work on your part.  Yield: 2 servings I saw how to do it on a little online video by Jacques Pepin, which proves that the internet does have some value after all. He violates one of the most time-honored rules of cooking, putting the chicken on a pan before turning on the heat. This method of gradually heating the pan with the meat slowly renders the fat beneath the skin (for this reason, it works best with thighs), which allows the skin to become crisp. After some of the fat has rendered, he covers the pan, fully cooking the chicken in its own steam. And because plenty of fond is left — that's the brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan — I use it to make a simple pan sauce with wine or broth and a couple of sprigs of herbs for added punch. The simplicity and purity of the chicken is only emphasized and enhanced by the sauce. In delicious contrast is the Japanese way of frying chicken, called karaage. This chicken is cut into thin strips and marinated briefly in a highly seasoned mixture of soy sauce, sake, ginger and garlic.  Yield: 4 to 6 servings Thus imbued with the essential flavors of Japan, the strips are then dredged through corn starch for extra crispiness when fried. How good is it? The first time I made karaage, a videographer and I finished the entire batch in maybe two minutes. And we wanted more. If these five recipes are my favorite ways for cooking chicken, then karaage may be my favorite favorite. Which is not to discount my next chicken dish, which comes from one of the most famous Italian restaurants in America, Rao's in New York City. It is literally impossible to get a reservation at this small, 125-year-old Harlem establishment; the tables have been assigned to regulars for decades. When one of the regulars dies, his heirs inherit the table.  Yield: 6 to 8 servings The most popular dish at Rao's is the lemon chicken, and with the recipe published in their cookbook, it is easy to see why. I have served it to guests on numerous special occasions. The recipe calls for garlic and oregano, but what makes it truly stand out is a large amount of olive oil and an even larger amount of fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Your arm may get tired from all the squeezing, but you know the saying: When life hands you lemons, make Rao's Famous Lemon Chicken. Chicken and lemon always go well together and, as it turns out, so do chicken and an awful lot of lemon. The other secret to this iconic dish is that it is partially broiled, which sets down a base of earthy undertones that makes the contrasting brightness of the lemon soar even more. Roast chicken with herbed butter and croutons was next. I know a chef who judges restaurants on the quality of their roast chickens. It is easy to do, he says, but difficult to do right.  Yield: 4 servings Maybe he doesn't know how to make roast chicken with herbed butter and croutons. Most of the herbed butter goes between the skin and flesh of the chicken, which makes the most satisfying, buttery chicken ever, and also crisps the skin. The rest of the herbed butter goes into the savory croutons, which become rich and flavorful. The croutons are stuffed into the chicken's cavity before roasting, like a Thanksgiving turkey, so they can absorb the juice of the chicken as it cooks.  Yield: 4 to 6 servings My final favorite way to make chicken is specifically a recipe for wings. That is, I once made a recipe for the whole chicken that was enjoyable enough — but the wings were amazing. So now I use the recipe for wings only. It is a simple application of flavors that go well together. Maple syrup goes with bourbon, and bourbon goes with chicken. And because sweet foods often benefit from a little heat, I throw in some crushed red pepper just to awaken the flavors even more. Buffalo wings have their place, but to my taste buds, maple syrup, bourbon and a little heat are the ultimate expression of chicken wings. And it's never, ever bland. Chicken recipesCrispy-Skin Chicken With Pan SauceCrispy-Skin Chicken with Pan Sauce, one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com Yield: 2 servings 4 small chicken thighs or 2 large thighs Salt and pepper ½ cup dry white wine, see note ½ cup chicken broth, see note 3 sprigs basil, thyme or tarragon, or 2 sprigs rosemary ½ tablespoon butter Note: If you don't want to use wine, use 1 cup chicken broth. 1. With a sharp knife, cut fairly deeply along both sides of the bone on the back of the thighs. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place skin-side down on an unheated skillet. 2. Place skillet on stove and turn heat to medium-high. Cook a few minutes until you see rendered fat emerge from under the meat. Cover and cook until meat is done, 20 to 30 more minutes, depending on the size of the thighs (cut into meat to check; it is done when meat at thickest point is no longer pink). 3. Remove chicken and keep warm. Pour out fat from skillet. Place skillet back over high heat and add wine, if using, broth and herbs. With a wooden spoon, stir up all the brown bits on the bottom. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half or more. Remove pan from heat, add butter, and swirl butter around until it is melted and incorporated into sauce. 4. When serving, place chicken on plate and spoon sauce around it, to keep the skin crispy. Per serving: 365 calories; 28g fat; 9g saturated fat; 155mg cholesterol; 25g protein; 1g carbohydrate; 1g sugar; no fiber; 1,532mg sodium; 15mg calcium Crispy-skin method by Jacques Pepin; pan sauce recipe by Daniel Neman Karaage Karaage (Japanese fried chicken), one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com Yield: 4 to 6 servings 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sake 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 2 garlic cloves, minced ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar ¹⁄8 teaspoon table salt 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1- to 1½-inch strips, see notes 1¼ cups cornstarch 1 quart peanut or vegetable oil, for frying Lemon wedges Note: Do not use chicken breasts, which will dry out during the frying. 1. Combine soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Add chicken and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. While chicken is marinating, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line rack with triple layer of paper towels. Place cornstarch in wide bowl. 2. Lift chicken from marinade, 1 piece at a time, allowing excess marinade to drip back into bowl but leaving any garlic or ginger bits on chicken. Coat chicken with cornstarch, shake off excess and place on parchment-lined sheet. Reserve marinade. 3. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about ¾ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. While oil heats, check chicken pieces for white patches of dry cornstarch. Dip back of spoon in reserved marinade and gently press onto dry spots to lightly moisten. 4. Using tongs, add half of chicken, 1 piece at a time, to oil in single layer. Cook, adjusting burner if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees, until chicken is golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer chicken to paper towel-lined rack. Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Serve with lemon wedges (the lemon adds an important flavor note). 5. For even better results, fry a second time at least 1 or 2 hours, and as long as 24 hours, after frying the first time. Keep refrigerated before frying a second time. Per serving (based on 6): 423 calories; 23g fat; 4g saturated fat; 107mg cholesterol; 23g protein; 27g carbohydrate; 1g sugar; no fiber; 375mg sodium; 12mg calcium Adapted from "The Chicken Bible" by America's Test Chicken Maple-Bourbon Chicken WingsMaple-Bourbon Chicken Wings, one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com Yield: 4 to 6 servings ²⁄³ cup maple syrup ²⁄³ cup bourbon ¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional 3 pounds chicken wings 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. In a small saucepan, mix together maple syrup, bourbon, brown sugar and pepper, if using. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until it reaches the thickness of a syrup. You will have about 1 cup of liquid. Allow to cool and thicken. 3. Season wings with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes. Flip and roast 15 more minutes. Place wings in a bowl and toss with maple-bourbon mixture. 4. Spread coated wings back on baking sheet and cook until done (internal temperature of 165 degrees), 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size of wings. If wings start to get too dark, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Per serving (based on 6): 415 calories; 8g fat; 2g saturated fat; 129mg cholesterol; 50g protein; 30g carbohydrate; 29g sugar; no fiber; 188mg sodium; 65mg calcium Adapted from "Salt Sugar Smoke" by Diana Henry Roast Chicken With Herbed Butter and CroutonsRoast Chicken with Herbed Butter and Croutons, one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com Yield: 4 servings 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, slightly softened ½ cup chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, chives, chervil, basil or cilantro 1 teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt ½ teaspoon dried garlic flakes 1 whole small chicken, about 3½ pounds 1²⁄³ cups cubed day-old bread Note: The chicken can be buttered and stuffed up to a day in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated. 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 2. In a medium bowl, mash together the butter, herbs, salt and garlic flakes. 3. Put the chicken breast-side up, neck end facing you, on a clean work surface. Slip a clean hand under the skin, starting at the base of the neck, and work your hand further in gently, lifting the skin over each breast and down over each thigh, without tearing. Once the skin is loosened, slip in two-thirds of the herbed butter (reserve the rest for the croutons), pushing it under the skin to coat the breasts and thighs evenly. 4. Add the bread cubes to the remaining herbed butter and stir to coat. Stuff the buttered cubes inside the cavity, and tie the chicken with kitchen string around the drumstick ends and wings to hold its shape. Put the chicken breast-side up in a baking pan, preferably on a rack. Roast for 20 minutes. 5. Loosen the chicken gently from the rack or the bottom of the pan. Flip to expose the back and baste with the juices. Roast for 20 minutes more. Loosen and flip so the breast faces up again, baste with the juices and roast until the skin is golden brown and crackly, a final 20 minutes (longer if the chicken is more than 3½ pounds). A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should register 165 degrees. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. 6. Carve the chicken and serve with the croutons and cooking juices. Per serving: 751 calories; 33g fat; 13g saturated fat; 293mg cholesterol; 76g protein; 33g carbohydrate; 3g sugar; 2g fiber; 1,217mg sodium; 121mg calcium Recipe from "Tasting Paris" by Clotilde Dusoulier Rao's Famous Lemon ChickenRao's Famous Lemon Chicken, one of Dan Neman's favorite recipes for chicken, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com Yield: 6 to 8 servings 2 cups fresh lemon juice 1 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1½ teaspoons minced garlic ½ teaspoon dried oregano Salt and pepper to taste 2 (3 to 3½ pound) chickens, halved ¼ cup chopped parsley 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. 2. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate if not using within several hours. Whisk or shake vigorously before using. 3. Season chicken halves with salt and pepper, place on 2 baking sheets and roast 30 minutes, turning once. Cook longer if using larger chickens. 4. Remove chicken from oven and preheat broiler. With a very sharp knife, cut each half into 6 pieces (leg, thigh, wing, 3 small breast pieces). Pour sauce over chicken and toss to coat well. If necessary, divide sauce in half and do this in 2 batches. 5. Broil 1 pan of chicken for 3 minutes. Turn each piece and broil for an additional minute. Keep that chicken warm while repeating with the other pan. 6. Place chicken on serving platter or individual plates. Pour sauce into a heavy saucepan. Stir in parsley and place over high heat for 1 minute. Pour sauce over chicken and serve with lots of crusty bread to absorb the sauce. Per serving: 410 calories; 23g fat; 5g saturated fat; 187mg cholesterol; 46g protein; 6g carbohydrate; 2g sugar; no fiber; 234mg sodium; 32mg calcium Recipe from "Rao's Cookbook" by Frank Pellegrino  |
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Posted: 12 May 2021 03:45 AM PDT Ever since I got my air fryer, I've loved experimenting with different recipes, from crispy bacon to perfectly browned brussels sprouts. But the thing I love making the most in my air fryer is chicken. I wondered if my beloved countertop appliance could go head-to-head with a fast-food deep fryer , though, because keeping the food moist enough for the batter to stick is a tall order After scrupulous research, I found three fast-food-inspired recipes that seemed promising — replicas of fried chicken from Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, and KFC — and decided to put them to the test in my air fryer. Here's how each turned out: Popeyes is my favorite chicken chain, so I wasn't confident that I could recreate the recipePopeyes is far and above my favorite of these three chains, which made me feel like it might be the worst replica recipe. Actually, I kind of hoped it was. I'm not sure what I'd do if I knew I could make Popeyes chicken any time I want. The first few steps were pretty simpleI started by cutting this recipe from the cooking blog Restless Chipotle in half. As great as Popeyes is, I don't need to eat for six. I also cut the chicken along a diagonal to get that classic tender look. Next, I combined the buttermilk with the Louisiana hot sauce and put the mixture and chicken into a sealable plastic bag to marinate for 30 minutes. While the chicken was marinating, I prepared the dry component of the dredge (the batter) by combining all-purpose flour, smoked paprika, salt, and chipotle chile powder. The dredging process itself went well, though I definitely should've made more. It was relaxing to drop the chicken into the flour mixture, then the eggs, then back in the flour. I didn't trust the cooking instructions, and my strips ended up burningAfter putting the chicken in the air fryer, I genuinely wondered how the tenders were going to turn out because Popeyes chicken has such a distinct flavor. The air fryer beeped after 10 minutes, and they looked pretty good, though not quite like the golden tenders I'm used to. If I was going by my own recipe, this is when I'd take them out. But I stuck to the instructions and flipped the strips, adding a dash more oil to the fresh side. The fryer beeped again, and I opened it to find some very burnt chicken strips that didn't look much like Popeyes. I decided this couldn't be how it ends, so I made more dredge and resolved to cut down the cooking time. I also decided to dip the strips in the egg first, then the flour, before dropping them in the basket for 15 minutes. My second batch ended up better than the first, but nothing beats the chain's productFirst I tasted the original (burnt) batch. The finished product wasn't bad, though it was too salty and had too much flour. That said, the smokey chipotle and paprika were fantastic. There's a good recipe in here somewhere, but I need to do some experimentation to find it. I expected these to be much drier than they ended up being. This marinade really did wonders. At the 10-minute mark, I checked my second batch of tenders, and they were perfectly done. Upon a thorough taste test, I determined the single-dredge, 10-minute tenders were the best of the bunch. They weren't burnt to a crisp or dry, and they still contained that delicious chipotle-and-smoked paprika flavor. There was too much salt, but that's a fixable problem. Still, there's no comparison to the deep-fried original. I'd still pick the chain's version any day of the week. Popeyes tenders just have a better layer of batter without sacrificing any of the juice or crispiness. The Chick-fil-A recipe seemed more manageableRight away, this Chick-fil-A dupe recipe I found on the cooking blog My Forking Life already felt much more manageable and intriguing than the Popeyes-inspired one. All I needed to do to start was cut the chicken and place it in a bag with pickle juice. The brine smelled excellent, and it seemed like something I'd be willing to make again. I had much higher hopes for the cooking process, too. The recipe called for 12 minutes at 360 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by two minutes at 400. The instructions were easy to follow, and I was expecting good resultsWhile the chicken was brining for 30 minutes, I whipped up the dredge mixtures. The dry component was a straightforward combination of all-purpose flour, corn starch, powdered sugar, salt, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. From there, I dipped the chicken pieces between the flour mixture and the egg mixture until they were well coated. I was hesitant because the instructions only said to spray the pieces with oil after they're flipped, but I was comforted by the fact that my chicken looked like the pieces in the pictures from the recipe page. I cranked up the heat on my air fryer and waited. There were a few sticking issues, but the chicken seemed to crisp up nicelyWhen it was time to flip the chunks after six minutes, a few stuck to the pan. The next time I make this recipe — and I plan to follow it again — I'll be sure to put more oil on the basket. They still looked fantastic and pretty close to Chick-fil-A. I thought these nuggets were even better than the real dealThese were delicious and very juicy. The sweetness and tanginess of the pickle juice just threw it over the top. They clearly aren't deep-fried, but the flour mixture was much better than the Popeyes-inspired recipe. I loved that there was less salt and that the other seasonings actually worked in concert with the pickle juice, which gave the dish life. I was pretty delighted with this recipe. It would've been perfect with a bit more oil, and I actually think the finished product was better than the real thing. The only downside is that you have to eat these nuggets quickly because they started to lose the juiciness that made them so tasty. I'm not the biggest KFC fan, so I wasn't holding out much hope for this recipeI saved this recipe from the blog Dine Dream Discover for last because KFC is my least favorite of the three major chicken chains. I just don't like how it makes me feel like a dried-out sponge the next day. Things got off to a rough start when I realized I needed to soak the drumsticks in buttermilk for up to 24 hours. The recipe definitely lost points in the ease department. Still, I had hopes that this would be better than traditional KFC. Once the drumsticks were soaked, it was time to prepare the dredgeI ended up soaking the chicken in too much buttermilk because I forgot to half the recipe, but I didn't think a little extra would hurt, especially if I shook some off before dredging. The number of spices felt unnecessary, but I dug into my pantry to look for flour, salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, paprika, garlic salt, ground ginger, and white pepper. This dish could become expensive if you, like me, have to buy a couple of extra spices. So to save a little money, I decided to utilize Italian seasoning in place of basil and oregano. Once again, the actual dredging process was pretty easy. But I prepped each 24-hour soaked drumstick a little differently because the recipe wasn't specific about what I should do. I wiped the first one down, which helped to get rid of some of the excess buttermilk that I accidentally added to the recipe. I left the second precisely as it came out of the bowl, figuring more of the flour mixture would stick to it. And for the third piece, I patted it down to what felt like a reasonable amount of buttermilk — somewhere between the first two. I was curious how the 3 versions would compare after fryingInstead of using oil to prevent sticking, this recipe called for parchment paper. I've never used parchment paper in the air fryer, which my cutting skills can attest to, and I was extremely wary. I decided to spray the third drumstick with oil to see if it turned out better after learning from the Chick-fil-A-inspired recipe. The instructions also said to cook the chicken for 13 minutes on each side at 390 degrees Fahrenheit, which seemed too long, so I took the experimental oiled drumstick out after only 13 minutes to test my theory. As expected, the chicken was fully cooked after 13 minutes. The ones without oil also had a lot of flour showing, which didn't seem good. I spritzed them with oil and pondered my next move. Do I follow through with the recipe? Or do I save the recipe? I decided to follow through, wondering if the added time would help the skin stick better. I wasn't a fan of these drumsticksI knew the piece I took out early would get cold, so I ate that one first while the others finished cooking. The main issue was that the skin kept falling off the chicken. The seasoning was OK, but I didn't get much of the ginger flavor I was hoping for. I didn't really get the buttermilk flavor either, though the chicken itself was reasonably smooth. As of right now, this didn't feel like it was worth the effort. The skin, which fell off, was quite good, but I didn't really get all the flavor I wanted. It was dominated by the paprika. After trying the others, I concluded the over-battered one turned out best. The buttermilk-soaked drumstick remained pretty juicy, and the skin was less burnt than the others. But I still wouldn't have cooked it quite as long. The breading also had too much flour. Even though I added oil, it never quite got moist. I hate to say it, but the real KFC is more enjoyable. The chain puts a lot of pepper in its chicken, which I personally would've liked to do here. Overall, the Chick-fil-A copycat recipe was the best, and I probably wouldn't make the others againOf the three, the Chick-fil-A replica recipe was clearly the best. Not only was it the most straightforward, but it was actually even better than the original product. Popeyes is too good to try and imitate at home, and, for me, trying to copy KFC just isn't worth it.  |
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