Lunch
2782 recipes found
Kale Soup With Potatoes and Sausage
Though kale probably originated in the dry heat of the Mediterranean, it became a fixture in the kitchens of northern Europe. In Scotland, according to the author Elizabeth Schneider, "to come to cail," was an invitation to come to dinner. Recent devotees extol the virtues of undercooked kale. But having spent five winters in Provincetown, Mass., where the Portuguese eat their kale with sausage or fish, I grew to like mine similar to theirs: slow-simmered in bacon or sausage fat, or braised in chicken broth until it's soft and sweet.
Sheet-Pan Chicken With Chickpeas, Cumin and Turmeric
The yogurt marinade does two very important jobs in this sheet-pan chicken recipe. One, the acidity in the marinade helps tenderize the meat, and two, the sugars in the yogurt help brown and caramelize the skin of the chicken as it roasts. Be sure to toss the chickpeas occasionally as they roast to encourage them to get coated in the chicken fat as it renders.
One-Pot Mujadara With Leeks and Greens
Cookbooks will tell you that, in the Middle East, mujadara is the essence of comfort food, a humble dish made from pantry staples. To that I will add how easy it is to make. The only part that needs some attention is the frying of the onions (or in this case, leeks). To get them crisp, you have to cook them until they are deeply brown and darker than you might be comfortable with. But without the deep color, you don’t get the crunch. Just make sure to take them off the heat before they burn. You want the majority to be mahogany, not black (though a few black strands would be O.K.).
Chickpea and Fennel Ratatouille
This ratatouille with chickpeas and fennel is among the best I’ve ever made. It’s a recipe for what you might call A Vegan Day. Being a vegan is not my point, and anyway, it’s as easy to create an unhealthy full-time vegan diet as it is to eat brilliantly as a part-time vegan. When fruits and vegetables are at their best, they give you insight into how the vegan thing can work for you, if only for a day. And given a moderate degree of freshness, most conventional vegetables from ordinary supermarkets can be made to taste good when gardens go dormant.
Ginger-Dill Salmon
Salmon, gently roasted to a buttery medium-rare, stars in this make-ahead-friendly dish. Fruity citrus and dill join spicy radishes and ginger, and the result is a refreshing, jostling mix of juicy, crunchy, creamy, spicy and sweet. Both the salad and the salmon can be made two days ahead, and everything is good at room temperature or cold. To embellish further, consider baby greens, thinly sliced cucumbers or fennel, roasted beets, soba noodles, tostadas, furikake or chile oil.
One-Pan Roasted Fish With Cherry Tomatoes
In this quick, elegant dinner, cherry tomatoes are roasted with garlic, shallots, sherry vinegar and a drizzle of honey, turning them into a sweet and savory condiment for simple roasted fish. This versatile, year-round recipe is delicious with juicy end-of-summer tomatoes or even with a pint from the grocery store. Thick white fish such as cod or halibut work best here. Serve with rice, couscous or your favorite grains, and a green salad.
One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese
In the time it takes to make boxed macaroni and cheese, you can have a homemade version that’s creamy with lots of sharp Cheddar, studded with broccoli and doesn’t require making a roux. Instead, the sauce is thickened by the pasta’s starch: As the noodles cook in milk, the milk thickens to the consistency of cream and the pasta absorbs the seasonings. Here, that’s garlic powder, but you could also use mustard powder, ground cayenne or grated nutmeg like in traditional mac and cheese. The broccoli pieces end up soft and sweet, but if you want more bite, add them halfway through cooking. (Watch the video of Ali Slagle making one-pot broccoli mac and cheese here.)
Roasted Chicken Thighs With Cauliflower and Herby Yogurt
This weeknight sheet-pan meal of crispy roasted chicken thighs and cauliflower gets a flavor boost from a tangy herbed yogurt sauce. If your cauliflower comes with leaves attached, don’t toss them. Roast them alongside the florets; just toss them with a little bit of olive oil and add them to the sheet pan about halfway through the cooking time. Make sure to scoop up a bit of yogurt with each bite.
Citrus Skillet Shrimp With Shallots and Jalapeños
Inspired by the bright, refreshing flavors of ceviche, this recipe takes advantage of an abundance of winter citrus to season pan-cooked shrimp, cooking it until tender and warm rather than curing it simply using salt and acidity and without the application of heat, as classic ceviches do. Shallots and jalapeños quickly bathe in orange and lime juice to cut the rawness and heat of each. You can substitute chopped scallions for the shallots, and white fish or scallops are easy stand-ins for shrimp. Best enjoyed with rice and a simple lettuce salad with avocado and a mustard vinaigrette, this vibrant, colorful dish can brighten up even the dreariest of cold days.
One-Pot Zucchini-Basil Pasta
This no-colander-necessary, one-pot pasta method isn’t a gimmick: Cooking the noodles in just enough seasoned stock means they’re done in the same amount of time it takes the liquid to reduce into a concentrated, extra flavorful sauce. Mascarpone makes it silky, though crème fraîche or even softened cream cheese would be solid substitutes. While the pasta cooks, make a quick gremolata of chopped parsley, salted almonds and basil, which adds brightness and texture to the finished dish. Though this pasta comes together quickly, it requires more attention than some: Be sure to stir frequently so the noodles cook evenly, and add a splash of water toward the end of cooking, as needed, so they stay saucy.
Chicken Chili
This comforting weeknight chili recipe takes advantage of quick-cooking ground chicken, for speed, and ancho chile powder, which brings deep, smoky flavor. Caramelized tomato paste adds savory depth, plus a touch of acidity to brighten the rich sauce. Meaty kidney beans simmer alongside until they break down a little, thickening the stew. Enjoy the chili on its own, perhaps paired with crusty bread, or turn your meal into a more festive affair with a tasty toppings bar to customize as you like.
Chicken Fried Rice
Fried rice is so perfect for using up whatever you’ve got that the rice sometimes becomes an afterthought. But not here: First, the rice is lightly seasoned with scallions, ginger and garlic, then judiciously studded with chicken, peas and small curds of egg so that you can still taste the rice itself. Ground chicken is used instead of sliced or cubed because it’s easy to infuse with seasonings and can brown without drying out. If you’d like to add additional vegetables, of course you can: Stir-fry them after Step 2, remove them from the pan, then add them back with the chicken in Step 4.
Chicken Parm Burger
When chicken Parmesan is refashioned into a quicker affair as a burger for sunny days and warm nights, it avoids the downfalls of many chicken burgers. This chicken patty is both juicy and flavorful thanks to the addition of Parmesan, herbs, garlic and tomato paste. It cooks over a lower-than-usual temperature, which maintains moisture while still browning, thanks to the sugars in the tomato paste. The burgers are assembled with tomato and arugula for freshness, and they wouldn’t properly nod to chicken Parm without a blanket of gooey, sweet mozzarella.
Honey-and-Soy-Glazed Chicken Thighs
In this simple weeknight recipe, chicken thighs are tossed with a sweet-salty glaze made of honey and soy sauce that caramelizes into a sticky coating as it roasts in the oven. Serve the sliced chicken with bibb lettuce cups for wrapping, or over steamed rice to catch all the juices. Leftovers can be chopped and combined with vegetables for a tasty clean-out-the-fridge fried rice.
Air-Fryer Chicken Thighs
Simple and satisfying, chicken thighs brown beautifully in the air fryer, maintaining moisture thanks to their fat content. A quick, vinegar-spiked sour cream marinade adds oomph and helps tenderize the chicken. Despite being tossed and coated in a quick wet marinade (or overnight, if time permits), the skin still comes out deeply golden-brown and shatteringly crisp without leaving the meat lackluster. Because thighs vary in size, and air fryers range in size and power, make sure to take the internal temperature before removing your chicken from the air fryer, or pierce the chicken to check that the juices run clear rather than pink to ensure doneness.
Chicken Salad With Lemon-Sesame Dressing
This main-dish salad is inspired by chicken larb, which is a dance of contrasts: light but rich, with tender meat, crunchy vegetables and seasonings that span sour, sweet, spicy and savory. This recipe dresses lean-but-juicy ground chicken or turkey with sesame oil, fresh lemon, miso, ginger, basil and celery, but there are many ways to adapt it: You could sauté crumbled tofu or cubed salmon instead of the chicken; or add yuzu kosho, wasabi paste or fried garlic. It’s good on its own, or with roasted potatoes, grains, salad greens, soba noodles or wrapped in nori.
Stir-Fried Chicken and Bok Choy
No need for a wok here. You can use a flat-bottomed skillet or sauté pan instead, the bigger the better. You want as much surface area as possible to get as hot as possible, so preheat the pan for at least five minutes before adding the oil. There should be a forbidding amount of smoke when the ingredients hit the pan (open the windows and turn on the fan before you start). That will give you the deepest sear. Stir-fries are infinitely variable, and you can change up this recipe by using beef or pork, and other green vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, mustard greens, cabbage, spinach or thinly sliced green beans) substitute nicely for the bok choy. Make a version of this dish once or twice and you’ll have a reliable and delicious alternative to takeout.
Pernil-Style Roasted Chicken Thighs
Pernil is a Puerto Rican slow-cooked marinated pork shoulder dish in which the pork is roasted for hours until succulent and crispy-skinned. The flavors of pernil become accessible on a weeknight with the use of quicker-cooking chicken thighs. The chicken pieces are coated in a garlicky, oregano-and-citrus rub that combines orange and lime juice for a sweet-sour hit. Serve the juicy chicken with rice or tucked into corn tortillas; a simple green salad or cabbage slaw would also make a nice accompaniment to complete the meal.
Shake and Bake Chicken Thighs With Parmesan Peas
Crushed shredded-wheat cereal perked up with spices creates a super-crunchy coating reminiscent of the "Shake 'n Bake" of countless childhoods. Here, it works so well on boneless, skinless chicken thighs that you won’t even miss the crispy skin. For a twist on the classic beloved side dish, buttered peas are showered with Parmesan cheese.
Kua Kling (Southern Thai-Style Red Curry)
Whereas larb is bright and acidic — light on its feet — this simple adaptation of a traditional Southern Thai dry red curry, is grounding and spicy. It owes much of its flavor to red curry paste, turmeric and fresh chile that have been toasted until they shake awake. For scorching heat (a curry like this is typically brutally hot), add more chile. As the chicken — though it could be ground pork, sliced beef or chicken, or mushrooms — cooks, its fat renders and the fired-up curry paste adheres. Season it with brown sugar and fish sauce, and serve with rice, cabbage, herbs, avocado, cucumber and-or a crisp fried egg.
Tea-Soaked Drunken Chicken With Cilantro-Scallion Oil
Made from fermented glutinous brown rice, Shaoxing wine is what gives this dish its slightly sweet flavor and nutty fragrance. The dish relies heavily on the wine's aroma and flavor, so if you can’t find it, substitute with a good quality dry sherry (a Manzanilla variety will work well). Here, the chicken is poached instead of simmered, guaranteeing a moist bird that soaks in the flavor of its cooking liquid. But if it's a more intense flavor you're looking for, allow the chicken to chill in the poaching liquid overnight.
Chicken Fajitas
You might think fajitas are too fussy for a weeknight, but this easy, foolproof version roasts on a sheet pan and can be ready in an hour. Because the ingredients are thinly sliced, everything cooks in a flash — and with little attention required. Smoked paprika, chipotle chiles and a quick stop under the broiler provide the smoky flavor that would traditionally come from the grill. This recipe is very adaptable: Chicken is called for here, but you could also use shrimp or skirt steak. For a vegetarian version, substitute fresh corn kernels, mushrooms, poblano peppers or zucchini for the meat. Cut the vegetables into sizes you’d want in a taco, coat them in the lime-chipotle marinade, roast until cooked, then broil until charred.
Spicy Sesame Noodles With Chicken and Peanuts
In this quick and spicy weeknight noodle dish, sizzling hot oil is poured over red-pepper flakes, orange peel, crunchy peanuts, soy sauce and sesame oil. While you brown the ground chicken, the mixture sits, and the flavors become more pronounced and fiery. Tossed with soft noodles and browned chicken, the bright chile-peanut oil shines. If you crave something green, throw in a quick-cooking green vegetable when you break up the chicken in Step 3. You can also swap the chicken with ground pork or beef, or crumbled tofu.
Chicken Miso Meatballs
Ground chicken breast meat is fairly lean, so milk is added to this recipe to keep them moist and tender. As the meatballs bake, the miso caramelizes into savory bites of sweet-salty umami. Crumbled Ritz crackers add richness and create a more juicy meatball (but plain, dry bread crumbs will also work). To make the Ritz crumbs, place the crackers in a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush them with the back of a wooden spoon or measuring cup. These also make a tasty hors d’oeuvre: Simply roll the mixture into smaller 1-inch balls. For a quick dipping sauce, combine 2 parts soy sauce to 1 part distilled white vinegar, and add sliced scallions, or red-pepper flakes, if you like heat.