Five Chicken Recipes

Sautéed Lemon Chicken Strips

Sautéed chicken is a popular weeknight meal because it cooks so quickly. We are always on the lookout for variations on the basic dish to add to our repertoire, like these lemony chicken strips.

Many supermarkets sell chicken tenders, but you can make your own by slicing boneless, skinless breasts lengthwise into 3/4-inch strips. Just be sure to pat the chicken dry before sauteing to help it brown, as browning improves the flavor. Serve over egg noodles or rice pilaf.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins (see note)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons drained capers, minced
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup lemon juice from 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Method (Preparation):

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil; repeat with remaining oil and chicken.
2. Add 1 tablespoon butter, garlic, and capers to empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook until beginning to brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and lemon juice and simmer, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Off heat, whisk in parsley and remaining butter. Stir in browned chicken along with any accumulated juices and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Peppery Grilled Chicken / Pollo al mattone or Pollo alla diavolo

This is called pollo al mattone because the bird is flattened with a brick for ease of grilling, or pollo alla diavolo (deviled chicken), because of the peppery seasoning of crushed black peppercorns and crumbled dried hot chile peppers.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon crumbled hot red chile pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 or 4 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 small chickens, split in half
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions

Mix the oil with the black and red peppers, rosemary, sage, and salt and set aside, covered, for several hours or overnight.

Prepare the chicken halves by cutting away and discarding excess yellow fat from the insides of the birds. Flatten them by laying each half, skin side up, on a board and pounding it smartly with the flat side of a cleaver. This should crack the breast bone so that the birds will lie flat on the grill and cook more evenly.

Put the chicken halves on a platter or in an oven dish and cover with the peppery olive oil. Leave to marinate, turning occasionally, for at least 1 hour. Or refrigerate, covered, for several hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, prepare the grill, leaving plenty of time for it to heat up if you’re using charcoal or wood. When the coals are hot, place the chicken halves, skin side down, on the grill and set the grill a good 8 inches from the source of the heat. Stir the lemon juice into the savory oil remaining in the platter and use this to brush over the chickens as they cook. Grill for 15 minutes on each side, turning once, brushing frequently with the oil and lemon juice. Test for doneness: The juices should run clear yellow when the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve immediately, piled on a platter garnished with lemon wedges.

Lemon Chicken / Pollo al limone

Ingredients:

• 2 fresh lemons, preferably organically raised
• 1 cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons minced fresh herbs: sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, or others according to what’s available
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3 to 4 pounds chicken, preferably free-range, cut into serving pieces (a whole bird, cut up, or chicken parts, according to your preference)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Grate the zest of the lemons into a bowl large enough to hold all the chicken pieces then squeeze all the lemon juice, holding back the seeds. Whisk in the wine, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the herbs, and the garlic. Add the chicken pieces, turning them to coat well with the marinade. Set aside, covered, in a cool place to marinate for several hours. (Or prepare the chickens in the morning and refrigerate them until time to start dinner.)

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Drain the chicken halves, reserving the marinade, and sauté them over medium heat until they are golden and crisp on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes on a side. Place the chicken in an oven dish large enough to hold all the pieces in one layer. Pour the remaining marinade into the frying pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits remaining in the pan. Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and set the dish in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are done (juices will run clear yellow when you prick a piece with a fork). Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if desired.

Serve immediately in the dish in which the chicken was baked, or remove to a heated platter and pour the pan juices over.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs chicken, cut up in pieces
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 6 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon celery powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

1. Place onions in bottom of crock pot.
2. Add chicken pieces.
3. Stir all the other ingredients together.
4. Pour over chicken.
5. Cook on low heat 7 to 9 hours or high heat for about 3 to 4 hours.
6. Serve over pasta or rice.

Baked Chicken With Orzo / Kotopoulo Youvetsi

This chicken dish is a common Sunday one-pot meal of the Greek islands, where it is cooked with homemade macaroni in the chicken-tomato stock. Orzo, elbow macaroni, ziti and penne rigate are good alternatives.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cups grated ripe tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes with their juice
• 1 4 ½ pound free-range chicken or capon, cut into 6 pieces, or six turkey drumsticks
• Salt
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed
• 1/3 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 pound orzo or elbow macaroni, cooked in plenty of boiling salted water for 2 minutes and drained
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• ½ cup coarsely grated hard myzithra, kefalotryi, pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the chicken or turkey in batches until golden brown on all sides. Set aside.

Add the onion to the pot and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, cinnamon stick, oregano, pepper or pepper flakes and tomatoes. Sprinkle the turkey or chicken with salt and return to the Dutch oven. Add about ¼ cup stock, or enough to come about two-thirds of the way up the chicken or turkey. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven.

Bake for about 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is very tender. Transfer the chicken or turkey to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining 1 ½ cups stock to a simmer.

Add the stock to the cooking liquid, stir in the pasta and bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed, adding more stock if the pasta begins to dry out.

Place the chicken or turkey on top of the pasta and bake for another 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley and cheese.