Notes about Recipes in this book

• Chicken-artichoke dip with caramelized leek

  • Rutabaga on January 01, 2017

    Store-bought artichoke dip has become somewhat ubiquitous, but this homemade chicken version really stands out. The flavor is well-balanced, not overwhelmed by too much mayonnaise/sour cream/cream cheese. It's an excellent party dish; prepare it a day in advance, then pop it in the over 30 minutes before you intend to serve it.

• Chicken nachos with arbol chili sauce

  • Rutabaga on May 25, 2018

    To me, these were more like chilaquiles rather than nachos, as the chile sauce softens the chips as they bake. There's also a high ratio of meat to chips, although you can customize that. It's a real one-dish meal for a casual evening, and the sauce is indeed good. Even though I only had around four tablespoons of tomato paste instead of seven, I didn't feel the sauce suffered in any way. While it takes a little time to cook the chicken and make the sauce, that can easily be done in advance. Rotisserie chicken would be a good substitute if you want to speed up the process. I roasted three chicken breasts when making the dish (I planned to have some left over for another use), and it took almost an hour for them to fully bake at 350 F.

• Chicken quesadillas with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and roasted tomatillo salsa

  • Rutabaga on October 08, 2018

    The nice thing about these quesadillas is you can make the salsa, chicken, and tomatoes in advance, and then they come together in minutes when it's dinner time. I made it even easier by using a rotisserie chicken and sprinkling some chipotle powder directly in the quesadillas. I also used Oaxaca string cheese instead of queso fresco. All in all, it's a tasty quick meal.

• Lemon chicken drumsticks

  • Rutabaga on February 01, 2017

    This chicken was fine, but nothing special. To be fair, I only had oregano, no dill or rosemary. Also, I baked them in a Pyrex dish, and a metal roasting pan would likely yield crispier skin. It's a very simple way to prepare chicken, so it would be worth trying again with the additional herbs, baked in a sauté pan.

• Gourmet beer can(less) chicken

  • Rutabaga on March 02, 2017

    This method leads to a nicely flavored, moist bird. It seems unfortunate to throw out all the aromatics in the bottom of the pot (the onion, lemons, etc), but I'm not sure there is much else that could be done with them. While it probably doesn't beat the classic Zuni Cafe style roasted chicken, it's a good runner up.

• Roast chicken tabbouleh

  • lkgrover on June 24, 2020

    Excellent chicken salad with lots of herbs; has a light & fresh taste.

• Bacon and maple roast chicken

  • lkgrover on March 13, 2023

    The roast chicken is moist, and the skin is crispy. It is not as sweet as I expected, given the amount of maple sugar & maple syrup. I marinated the chicken overnight.

• Chicken souvlaki

  • Rutabaga on September 26, 2017

    The ingredients here sounded quite untraditional for souvlaki - teriyaki sauce? And since I didn't have any teriyaki sauce on hand, I instead used soy sauce mixed with a little of Trader Joe's spicy Korean barbeque sauce and a spoonful of sugar. All in all, the meat was well-seasoned, but didn't have any strong curry or teriyaki flavors, so I guess it works! Unfortunately, my meat was rather dry, probably at least in part because I put it on the coals when they were still a little too hot, but I also think chicken thighs do better on the grill. Adding some yogurt to the marinade might also have helped keep the meat moist.

• Spicy stir-fried sweet basil chicken

  • Rutabaga on July 25, 2020

    While I used this recipe as a base, I varied it using what I had on hand. This meant using chicken pineapple soy ginger sausage instead of plain ground chicken, which was rather sweet, so I added rice vinegar and sesame oil. I was out of oyster sauce, so used some leftover vinegar/fish sauce I'd made for another stir fry, in addition to the fish sauce already called for in the recipe. All in all, it was quite good, and very easy. I'd make it again for an easy family meal.

• Chicken yakisoba

  • Rutabaga on January 19, 2018

    This makes a really tasty quick supper. To make it even quicker, you can mix the sauce or chop the veggies in advance. Since I had no mirin, I substituted rice vinegar with a pinch of sugar.

• Chicken mushroom soup

  • Rutabaga on October 30, 2018

    This is luscious fall soup, creamy without being overly rich. I used oregano in place of the marjoram and thyme, and used about a full pound of chicken meat, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. It's nice to make in advance, but wait to add the sour cream just before serving.

• Chicken Wellington

  • Rutabaga on December 04, 2019

    This was good, although the filling ended up slightly on the dry side. It was still moist, but I would have preferred a little sauce, just because there is so much pastry. You could probably increase the filling ingredients by half, and it would not be too much, as there really is a lot of pastry. It's a little time consuming, but if you make the filling and pastry in advance, it's easy to put together and pop in oven on a weeknight. There is one error I noticed - the oven temperature is missing! I baked mine at 400 F, and it was well done after 50 minutes in the oven, so perhaps 375 F would have been better.

• Pizza bianca with roasted garlic and chicken sausage

  • Rutabaga on November 29, 2019

    While I used the Saturday dough recipe from The Elements of Pizza, and also followed the standard baking method of switching between the broiler and a hot oven that is detailed in that book, I turned to this recipe for topping ideas. Instead of ricotta, I used goat cheese, using some extra milk to thin it to an easily spreadable consistency. This was a wonderful base for the chicken sausage and prosciutto (not to mention more garlic). On some of the pizzas, I also added Mama Lil's pickled peppers and sprinkled some torn basil over the top when they cam out of the oven. Perfetto!

• Sweet potato-chicken casserole

  • lkgrover on October 05, 2021

    Great autumn casserole. I like the savory & sweet mix. Easy preparation, ready after 1 hour of baking so it works for weeknight dinner.

• Orecchiette with roasted tomato sauce and pan-fried herbed chicken

  • lkgrover on February 23, 2023

    Excellent pasta with chicken, tomatoes, and lots of herbs.

• Dijon-chicken macaroni and cheese with caramelized onion

  • lkgrover on August 30, 2020

    Excellent! I used cooked rotisserie chicken, white cheddar cheese, and Swiss cheese. The mustard is subtle in taste, although it smells stronger.

• Pappardelle chicken in creamy lemon sauce

  • lkgrover on September 25, 2020

    Very good chicken pasta sauce. I used leftover roasted chicken.

• Chicken pad see ew

  • lkgrover on April 02, 2025

    Good chicken & broccoli stir-fry with wide rice noodles. The instructions call for cooking the chicken and the rice separately before adding to the stir-fry, which creates a lot of dirty dishes.

• Paprika-chicken salad melts

  • Rutabaga on January 22, 2017

    The inclusion of potatoes sets this chicken salad apart. I used smoked paprika, and thought smoky flavor was great with the sharp cheddar and rosemary. While I probably enjoyed it the most, my husband and five-year-old liked it, too.

• Pulled chicken barbecue buns with blue cheese slaw

  • Rutabaga on February 06, 2019

    I varied this recipe a bit by serving the sandwiches on homemade buttermilk biscuits instead of buns. Either option would work well. Instead of cooking raw chicken in the barbecue sauce, I used meat from a rotisserie chicken. The sauce is easy to make and flavorful, and I love the addition of blue cheese slaw. To keep it mild for the kids, I left out the jalapeno, then added hot sauce to taste for myself. This would be a good make-your-own sandwich option for a party.

• Chicken banh mi with quick-pickled carrots

  • Rutabaga on October 24, 2017

    This is a good starting point for a delicious banh mi style sandwich. I did change a few things, using chicken breasts, which I marinated in the seasonings for about 10 hours, instead of drumsticks, and crisply cooked turkey bacon in place of salt pork. Sliced on the diagonal and sprinkled with sesame seeds, the chicken breast was a great option, and thighs would also work well. Since turkey bacon is lean, I added mayonnaise to the sandwiches to ensure they weren't too dry. And since I think a good banh mi needs some heat, I liberally added Sriracha sauce to mine - perfect! I also recommend using whole cilantro springs rather than chopped cilantro, and adding cucumber spears and/or sliced jalapeno if you can.

• Chicken souvlaki sandwiches with homemade tzatziki

  • Rutabaga on September 26, 2017

    This is the way to eat souvlaki! When you use good quality ingredients, the sandwiches will be great. I also sprinkled some Aleppo pepper on my sandwich for a little spice. For the tzatziki, I used whole milk Fage yogurt, which is great, but very rich. I think it needs extra lemon juice or vinegar to balance it out.

• French onion-chicken burgers

  • Rutabaga on February 02, 2018

    Excellent burgers! I used turkey in place of chicken and pan-fried them on the stove, topping them with overhanging slices of Gruyere that melted down the sides of the meat, creating a crisp crust where they met the pan. I made the onions as written, but let them caramelize for almost a full hour before adding the wine. But delicious as it was, you do not need a full cup of butter! I would half that amount next time. When the onions cooled, a puddle of melted butter pooled in the pan. I cut the burger recipe in half, using only a pound of meat, which I made into four burgers that I found to be just the right size.

• Chicken sumac wraps with beets and feta

  • Rutabaga on December 11, 2017

    The combination of chicken, sumac, beets, and feta is a good one, although unfortunately my sumac seems to have lost much of its taste. I sprinkled extra over the sandwich filling to try to boost the flavor. My other issue was that these just weren't that great at room temperature. I used IndianLife brand spinach flatbreads, and they were too chewy and dry. Surprisingly, they tasted much better when I heated the leftovers in the microwave. So in the future, I might serve these with a different bread, and also serve them warm. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, which baked more quickly than thighs with bone.

• Grilled chicken burritos with homemade salsa

  • Rutabaga on May 30, 2017

    This was a big hit with my family. My husband said he felt like he was eating Chipotle (and he meant that as a compliment!), and that the only thing that would improve it would be a really good salsa. This is where I admit I didn't make the salsa in this recipe, as I had some garlic chipotle salsa from Trader Joe's to finish off. It was still good, but I'm sure making the salsa as directed would take it to another level. Also, I roasted the chicken in the oven (40 minutes at 450 F) rather than grill it. As written, the spicing here is gentle, but well-rounded, providing great flavor without much heat. This is perfect for families, as those who prefer heat can add hot sauce according to their liking. While it's an easy dish to make, it's a little long to prepare for a weeknight, as it can take almost an hour to cook the chicken, let it cool, and then prepare the burritos. A better option for a quick meal would be to cook the chicken and rice in advance, then reheat.