chicken

Chicken Salad / August 16, 2016 by Cynthia Raub

chicken salad recipe with croissants and crackers

Is there anything to dislike about chicken salad? Unless you are a vegetarian or vegan, or you don't care for mayonnaise (Amy . . . ), what is there not to love? Tender supple chicken accompanied by a crisp crunch of celery, a little sweetness from the fruit of choice, all brought together by a delicate mayonnaise dressing. Ahhh! Sounds like the perfect lunch or snack to me. I love sandwiches because they deliver the perfect bite and I especially have a thing for loosely filled sandwiches. I'm always looking for more recipes to make that keep well, and are easy to make larger quantities without much more work. This is one of those recipes and I promise it will be a crowd favorite, unless the crowd is vegetarian or hates mayonnaise (Amy . . . ).

Notes: This recipe requires a fair amount of chopping, but it comes together in a cinch. It involves very little to no cooking, depending on what chicken you choose to use. In a pinch, you can always shred chicken from a store-bought rotisserie bird or you can buy prepared chicken meat; however, I would strongly suggest you try the simple poaching method, (recipe below,) to get tender chicken and a delicious broth simultaneously with hardly any extra work. The grapes in this recipe can also be substituted with other fruit such as diced green apple or dried cranberries. I love chicken salad on a croissant because, why not? But, it's also a dream on sliced white bread, a simple roll, or on crackers.

Flatbread with Chicken Shawarma, Eggplant, and Caramelized Onions / August 2, 2016 by Cynthia Raub

Flatbread with Chicken Shawarma and Eggplant Dip with Caramelized Onions

Recently, I got an email from NYT Cooking that was sharing Sam Sifton's Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma. It is one of those invaluable and easy pantry dishes that come together with very little prep and even less hands-on cooking. Throw marinade and chicken into a bag, let sit, dump on a sheet tray and toss it in the oven. And then what emerges is fragrant, multi-dimensional, and tasty chicken. The chicken is highly versatile as it can be served alongside typical Mediterranean sides and dishes like pita, cucumber and tomato, hummus, and rice. Or, I thought, you could throw it on a flatbread (a.k.a. pizza dough) and feel like a real, true and actual genius. Do you know what else is genius? Outsourcing the luscious spread to marry the flatbread and chicken together. You see, I am all too familiar with Amy's love for eggplant and I decided to exploit it. I told her I was planning on making the chicken shawarma, and I thought about putting it on a flatbread but that's where my ideas ended. Dang, shoot, crud - I'm plum out of ideas! Oh what could possibly be irresistibly delicious to spread on the flatbread? Then like a horse out of the gate, Amy threw out a dozen ideas, and it ended with roasted eggplant with caramelized onions. That was it. We are going to make this together, eat it, and be happy.

Notes: I used this recipe for the flatbread and pre-cooked the bread before adding any of the toppings. Like pizza, flatbread can be topped with nearly anything, so in the words of Melania Trump (just kidding, FLOTUS Michelle Obama) about flatbread toppings, "the only limit to your achievement is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them." #foodwisdom

Chicken Shawarma / August 2, 2016 by Cynthia Raub

In college, my priorities were: being hopelessly aimless, Depeche Mode, and Ali Baba. I'd walk around campus with my first generation iPod and listen to Enjoy the Silence on repeat daydreaming that it was written for me. After class I would scurry down to Ali Baba, a small Mediterranean place on the edge of campus and order a chicken shawarma gyro. Chicken shawarma is often crisped and browned on its warmly spiced edges, all while juxtaposing and pairing perfectly with the sides it is served with. When a recipe for chicken shawarma was delivered to my inbox, I immediately needed to eat it. I turned on some Depeche Mode and threw some ingredients in a bag to marinate. Once it was done roasting, I shredded off a steaming piece and was briefly transported to the dearly departed memory of my 22 year old, ear-phoned, and aimless self.

Notes: Shawarma is generally served with tomatoes, cucumbers, pita, tahini sauce, and rice or in a delicious gyro. We decided to make a fussy but worthwhile flatbread that mimicked pita. But this chicken is so versatile and easy that you could eat it on a shoe and be satisfied.

Roasted Chicken Legs with Smoked Paprika, Blood Orange, and Honey / March 15, 2016 by Amy Cantu

Roasted Chicken Legs with Blood Orange, Smoked Paprika, and Honey

I really can’t get enough of roasted chicken in its very many forms. The skin gets so tantalizingly golden, and meat comes out so juicy! This one is already conveniently in pieces, and using dark meat keeps it moist, even if you happen to forget about it in the oven for a bit. I love the lightly sweet honey glaze matched with the punchy tart orange, spicy jalapeño, and smokey paprika. The blood oranges speak to winter, but the fresh herb garnish bridges the gap to spring. This chicken goes perfectly with the herbaceous farro salad that Cynthia put together!

Notes: Consider your spiciness level when choosing how much jalapeño to add and whether to seed it. For the kids, I used half of a small, seeded jalapeño - the marinade seemed mildly spicy, but once cooked, I could hardly tell it was there. Keeping the seeds will dramatically increase the spiciness.

The recipe calls for blood oranges, which have a more pronounced flavor and adds pretty color for the garnish. Regular oranges work just fine too!

Chicken Chili / February 2, 2016 by Amy Cantu

I love all versions of chili - beef or chicken (ground or chunky), with or without beans, all beans no meat, added veggies, or just tomatoes - it all has a place in my heart (and my belly). I was having a rough day, when I decided to make this chili. You know, one of those days where you are jolted awake from a deep sleep, realize you are late, and then the universe throws in a few obstacles to keep you on your toes - cranky kids, a stubbed toe, and some rain for good measure. I needed some comfort food, and I also was not about to make another trip to the grocery store. Who knows what could happen to me between here and there? I had boneless, skinless chicken breast in the house, so that’s what I used to make this chili. Because it’s made with chicken, the chili is much lighter than traditional beef chilis, but it still packs in a lot of flavor from the extra tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers. The best thing about this chicken chili is that it tastes amazing on the day you make it, and even better the next day, after all the flavors have had a chance to meld together. Cynthia added a pan of perfect, buttery cornbread, and suddenly all felt right in the world again.

Notes: I served this to four small children (who ate it enthusiastically), so I omitted the red pepper flakes and cayenne. If you like a lot of spices in your food, you may find that you want to add additional chili powder. Make sure to taste it and adjust to fit your tastebuds!

This is also delicious with chipotle peppers, which add a smoky flavor and some heat. Add 2-3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, and omit the dried pepper flakes and cayenne. To make it vegetarian or vegan, omit the chicken and use four cans of beans (different types), and choose your toppings accordingly.