Best. Chicken. Recipes. Ever. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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Best. Chicken. Recipes. Ever. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Best. Chicken. Recipes. Ever. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Posted: 12 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT

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.

Crispy-Skin Chicken With Pan Sauce

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.

Karaage

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.

Rao's Famous Lemon Chicken

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.

Roast Chicken With Herbed Butter and Croutons

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.

Maple-Bourbon Chicken Wings

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.

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Sheldon Simeon's Huli Huli Chicken Recipe - Today.com - Today.com - Today.com

Posted: 28 May 2021 11:30 AM PDT

Chef notes

Huli means "turn" in Hawaiian, a reference to the special rotating grills used to cook this local style of rotisserie chicken. Huli huli, so the legend goes, was created by an enterprising poultry farmer named Ernest Morgad in 1955. In the decades since, it has become a favorite here, often sold at school fundraisers and stands that set up along the highway. During one fundraiser for my high school volleyball team, my dad's guys built a huge contraption made from chicken wire and rebar: The chickens were sandwiched between the wire and cooked over a huge hibachi pit filled with kiawe wood, which sent up billows of sweet-smelling smoke that perfumed the air for miles.

Recipes for huli huli chicken vary, but most tend to use a general teriyaki marinade with the addition of ketchup or pineapple for tanginess. When I put huli huli chicken on the menu at Lineage, the idea was to combine those homey roadside flavors with how classic roast chicken is often presented at fancy restaurants. I start by coating the chicken in shio koji, a paste for marinating or seasoning made from fermented rice malt and salt, which has the dual effect of tenderizing the bird and unlocking a whole universe of savoriness (ready-to-use shio koji paste or marinade is available at most Japanese and Asian markets or can be ordered online).

The second step, which can be done ahead, is to create a sweet-tangy glaze to brush on the chicken, since the real secret of huli huli is not only the turning, but the repeated shellacking of glaze that keeps the chicken succulent.

Technique tips: To mimic the effect of a rotating spit, create two zones of low heat and high heat on your grill and flip the bird between the zones, basting it often to create a glistening browned crust. Also, using a spatchcocked chicken will help the meat cook evenly.

The easiest way to spatchcock a chicken is to have your butcher do it. Otherwise, use a sharp pair of kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the chicken's backbone (spine), separating it from the ribs. With the backbone removed, turn the bird over so the breast is facing up. Splay out the legs and breasts until they lie flat and give the bird a firm press in the center of the breast; you may hear a crack and it should lie flat on its own.

Preparation

1.

Place the chicken on a large sheet pan and rub all over with the shio koji. Cover loosely with parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

2.

In a saucepan, combine the chicken stock, butter, oyster sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Crush the white parts of the scallions with the butt of a knife and add those, too. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has reduced by about half. Remove the ginger, scallions and garlic using a slotted spoon or sieve.

3.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry. Stir it into the sauce and increase the heat to bring back to a boil before removing from the heat.

4.

An hour before you're ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. When you're ready to cook the chicken, rinse off the shio koji and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Season the chicken lightly and evenly with garlic salt.

5.

Preheat a grill to medium-hot. Using tongs, oil the grates of the grill with an oiled rag or paper towels. Set up the grill for two-zone cooking: If using coals, push them off to one side of the grill so you have direct and indirect heat. If using gas, reduce the heat to low on one side of the grill.

6.

Place the chicken, breast-side up, on the cooler side of the grill. Cover and grill for 10 minutes. Uncover, brush the chicken with sauce, cover and grill another 10 minutes. Uncover, glaze the chicken again, then flip the chicken breast-side down onto the hotter part of the grill. Cook over direct heat, uncovered, until the skin begins to brown and char slightly, about 10 minutes, then brush with sauce and flip the chicken breast-side up, still over direct heat. Brush the breasts with sauce and continue cooking the chicken over direct heat until the juices run clear, or a thermometer inserted into the breast reads 160 F (plan for about 40 minutes total cook time). Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 15 minutes.

7.

Meanwhile, bring any remaining sauce to a boil (if the sauce is broken, don't worry, it will emulsify when it boils). Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Slice the chicken and serve topped with some more sauce and the chopped scallion greens.

Reprinted with permission from Cook Real Hawai'i by Sheldon Simeon and Garrett Snyder, copyright© 2021. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House." Photography copyright: Kevin J. Miyazaki © 2021.

18 Creamy Chicken Cutlet Recipes That Are Perfect for Dinner - Yahoo Lifestyle

Posted: 19 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT

If you're craving a comforting and delicious meal, these chicken cutlet recipes are the perfect choice. Not only are chicken cutlets a great source of protein, but they also cook quickly making them suitable for easy weeknight dinners. Serve tasty recipes like Creamy Lemon Chicken Parm and Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce with whole grains, whole-wheat pasta or vegetables for a filling, nutritious dinner.


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