Main Course
8665 recipes found
Pineapple-Marinated Chicken Breasts
Bromelain, the group of enzymes in fresh pineapple, is excellent at breaking down the connective tissues in thick, fibrous chicken breasts. In this simple marinade, grated pineapple completely alters the texture of the breast meat, resulting in something that’s akin to luscious dark meat. Briefly marinating here is important: Leave it too long and the chicken will fall apart during cooking, becoming shreddy and a little gluey. Fifteen minutes is the sweet spot. The accompanying pineapple salsa is a bright topping for the juicy morsels of aromatic chicken and rice.
Skillet Chicken With Turmeric and Orange
This recipe is inspired by ingredients that are commonly used in Moroccan cuisine: orange and ground turmeric. The combination of both ingredients hits all the notes: savory, sweet, fragrant and lightly spiced. Enjoy this chicken with a green salad, over rice or as a filling in a sandwich.
Crispy Frico Chicken Breasts With Mushrooms and Thyme
The Italian word “frico” describes cheese that is cooked until toasted and crisp — but what results is something like the greatest cheese wafer you’ve ever had. That technique is applied here to boneless, skinless chicken breasts to give them a boost in flavor and texture. Like any properly cooked protein, the frico exterior will release easily from the skillet when it’s ready, so wait for it. Umami-heavy mushrooms are a great accompaniment, but any quick-cooking vegetable will work. Try chopped zucchini or whole cherry tomatoes in the summer, slow-wilting greens like curly kale or mustard greens in fall, or go all in with a ton of onions.
Dry-Brined Chicken Breasts
A short, simple dry brine can take a pallid chicken breast from bland to glam. Dark brown sugar is especially welcome since its molasses provides additional moisture. Dried bay leaves, ground to a powder, lend an aromatic woodsiness that will make you think, “Oh, that’s what bay leaves taste like.” But it’s the salt here that’s most crucial, as it draws out the meat’s water. That water then dissolves the salt and, through diffusion, the two reenter the meat, seasoning the chicken thoroughly and encouraging water retention during cooking. You can enjoy it right out of the skillet with a spritz of lime juice or save it to serve in salads, sandwiches, fried rice and the like.
Seared Chicken With Salami and Olives
Salami and olives, stars of the charcuterie board, make this any-night chicken dinner something special. Ingredients cured in salt like bacon, salami, olives, capers and anchovies are powerhouses of umami and flavor, two things cooks aim to develop. Salami is also packed with fatty richness, so when crisped, its seasoned fat turns plain old water into a brawny pan sauce. If you find your olive-salami sauce is too salty, balance the salinity with sweetness in the form of honey or brown sugar. (For a similar longer-cooking dish, check out Donald Link’s braise.)
Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breasts
They’re as good as they sound: cheesy chicken cutlets coated with buttery Ritz crackers. Skipping the usual flour-egg-bread crumb dredge, this recipe relies instead on a flavorful base layer of tangy sour cream, which has lactic acid that tenderizes boneless, skinless chicken breasts beautifully. When it comes to breaded white meat, thin cutlets are ideal, which you can buy from the store or achieve by slicing thick breasts in half horizontally (no pounding necessary). They cook more evenly this way, staying tender throughout as they’re quickly baked in a hot oven. Serve with something fresh — a big green salad, perhaps — to balance the wonderful richness of this nostalgic number.
Crispy Pepperoni Chicken
Imagine a topping made of crispy pepperoni and crushed pizza crust, and you’ve got pepperoni crumbs, the genius creation of Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, authors of the cookbook “Italian American” and chefs at Don Angie, a restaurant in New York. To make them, cook chopped pepperoni until it gives off its salty, spicy, garlicky and brawny fat, then toast bread crumbs in that fat. In the book, the crumbs are sprinkled on a wedge salad, but they do wonders for weeknight chicken, too. What simply seared chicken breasts lack in fat, flavor and texture, these crumbs make up for easily. As for sides, consider a radicchio salad, iceberg salad, roasted peppers, roasted broccoli rabe or simmered broccoli.
Chicken Breasts With Lemon
In this recipe, which Pierre Franey brought to The Times in 1992 in one of his 60-Minute Gourmet columns, two teaspoons of lemon zest are added to a simple sauce of lemon juice, thyme, garlic and shallots. It is, at once, lively and elegant. To round it out, it needs a sturdy accompaniment. Mr. Franey suggested mashed potatoes with garlic and basil, with just a little olive oil swirled in.
Sesame-Coated Sautéed Chicken Breasts
Here is a classic recipe from Pierre Franey’s “60-Minute Gourmet,” one that happens not to take quite that long to cook at all. Sesame was a novel ingredient for him, he wrote in 1981, introduced to him by the cooking of “the late Virginia Lee, one of the finest Chinese chefs I have ever met. She used a lot of sesame oil and sesame paste in her flavorings, both in main courses and sauces such as that which accompanies a Mongolian hot pot.” Mr. Franey used sesame seeds as a coating quite a bit after that — on fish fillets, for example — and here adapted the idea to a main course, using whole, skinned, boned chicken breasts. “The dish turned out admirably in texture and flavor,” he wrote. Even better, “it is certainly easy to make, involving nothing more than coating the breast halves with the seeds and sauteing them briefly on both sides in butter. There is a final touch, a light ‘sauce’ made of hazelnut butter to which a dash of lemon juice is added.” (By that, Mr. Franey meant butter that is browned until it is hazelnut in color.)
Chimichurri Chicken
Green chimichurri, the classic Argentinian sauce often made with fresh herbs, garlic, red-pepper flakes and red-wine vinegar, livens up whatever it’s spooned over: steak, chicken, tofu, fish or vegetables. In this simple recipe, boneless chicken gets three layers of zesty chimichurri flavor: First, it’s marinated in the sauce. Then, it’s sautéed, grilled or roasted, which further intensifies the flavors and encourages caramelization. Finally, just before serving, it’s drizzled with fresh chimichurri for a bright finish. You can make the sauce in a food processor, but chopping the aromatics by hand makes it especially fragrant. Keep the extra to serve with the chicken, alongside fluffy white rice, crusty bread or creamy potatoes.
Hara Masala Murgh (Green Masala Chicken)
As is the case with every South Asian dish, variations of hara masala murgh abound. In the south of India, fresh desiccated coconut is used in place of yogurt, which is a common ingredient in the northern parts of Pakistan and India. The stalwarts of the dish across regions are copious amounts of fresh cilantro and mint — hence its name hara masala, which means green masala. In Lahore, it is commonly found on restaurant menus, and its peppery herbaceousness is a welcome reprieve from the tomato-onion gravies typical in Punjabi cooking. This version uses thinly sliced chicken breast. It also skips over the tedium of grinding almonds in favor of using almond butter. These two shortcuts mean a quicker cooking time and a creamy texture.
Chicken Paillard With Curried Oyster Mushrooms
Alain Sailhac, dean emeritus of the French Culinary Institute in New York and one of New York’s most venerable French chefs, gives inspiration here to recapture the glory of the chicken breast, that popular yet generally overcooked piece of meat. He suggests cutting the breast in half horizontally to make two thin pieces, then topping them with quick-cooking vegetables like mushrooms, zucchini or tomatoes, and roasting everything together. This supremely juicy and complexly flavored dish uses that technique and is a snap to put together.
Easy Kung Pao Chicken
Sweet, sour and a little spicy, this meal tastes like home — specifically the home of Pearl Han, a talented Taiwanese American cook who naturally streamlined dishes while raising three kids and managing a busy career. Her younger daughter, Grace Han, shared this recipe: “quick, easy and my mom’s favorite.” Dried chiles sizzle in oil first to impart heat to the whole dish, then chicken browns in a single layer — no high-heat stir-frying necessary — to create a tasty caramelized crust before the pieces are flipped together. Coated in a dead-simple kung pao sauce that delivers the dish’s signature salty tang, the chicken begs to be spooned over steamed rice. Serve with stir-fried vegetables as well for a complete meal.
Coconut-Gochujang Glazed Chicken With Broccoli
Gochujang, a staple of Korean cooking, is a fermented red chile paste made from spicy Korean chile peppers and glutinous rice. Here, it’s combined with coconut milk, which mellows the spicy gochujang into a creamy sauce. Fresh ginger is the key ingredient, infusing the sauce with brightness and spice that balance the rich coconut. This recipe calls for broccoli as the vegetable accompaniment, but cauliflower or brussels sprouts would also work. The sauce can be made in larger batches and used on grilled pork ribs, chicken wings or even pan-fried tofu.
Rosemary-Paprika Chicken and Fries
This sheet-pan chicken dinner was inspired by patatas bravas, the crispy potatoes typically served with a spicy sauce and aioli in tapas bars all across Spain. Here, there are potatoes, of course, but they’re cut into matchsticks and browned on a sheet pan; and there’s a garlic mayonnaise for dipping. (Make real-deal aioli if you have a few minutes to spare.) But instead of the traditional smoky, brick-red sauce, similar seasonings are smeared onto chicken before roasting: a mix of lemon, garlic, rosemary, smoked paprika and red-pepper flakes. Using bone-in parts keeps the white meat juicy, while the skin gets crisp and some of the schmaltz glosses the fries.
Chicken Stroganoff
This Brazilian stroganoff is a riff on the classic Russian-American beef, mushroom and sour cream stew that was considered peak haute cuisine in the United States during the 1950s. In Brazil, stroganoff is often made with beef, chicken or shrimp, but with a tomato base, and heavy cream instead of sour cream. The biggest difference is in the accompaniments: The stew is served with rice and topped with crispy potato sticks. Do not omit the crunchy potato; it may be a garnish, but it is essential. If sticks are hard to find, replace them with lightly crushed chips. Straying from tradition, this recipe opts to poach the delicate chicken breast at the end, for more tender results, rather than to sauté it at the beginning.
Citrus Chicken
This take on the humble chicken breast yields a dish that is at once crisp and moist, tangy and sweet. You can use bone-in chicken breasts, but you'll need to adjust your cooking time by a few minutes.
Chicken Breasts With Curry
Here, standard weeknight chicken breasts are transformed into a dish that's fragrant and spicy. It's very easy to prepare: just make a quick stew of butter, onions, celery, garlic, apple, tomatoes and curry powder. Blend that together in a food processor until it forms a thick sauce, then combine with chicken breasts that have been lightly browned. Simmer until heated through, and enjoy with a snowy pile of rice. It beats takeout curry by a mile.
Brodo di Pollo con Pastina (Chicken Soup With Pastina)
Pastina means “tiny pasta,” and it’s often the first pasta shape Italian children are introduced to, typically cooked in broth. Pastina comes in a variety of shapes, like little stars and rounds. For this recipe, you can use any tiny shape you like, or use noodles broken into small pieces. Typically, the pastina is precooked in a separate pot and added to each soup bowl alongside shredded chicken, but this version cooks everything together for an easy one-pot meal. And this comforting chicken soup does not require premade or even store-bought broth: Instead, boneless, skinless chicken breasts cook in water with aromatics like onion, carrots, celery and garlic — and a good drizzle of olive oil — for a rich, flavorful broth that comes together fairly quickly.
Velvet Chicken Breast With Mustard Sauce
Cooking chicken breasts can be tricky, especially the “skinless-boneless” kind. No matter if they are pan-fried or grilled, they are apt to be dry if left to cook even a minute too long. This recipe borrows a Chinese technique called velveting that guarantees a moist chicken breast. A simple marinade made with egg white and cornstarch is the solution. Usually the chicken is cut into strips or cubes, but small chicken breasts or cutlets can be prepared the same way for Western-style dishes. Here, an assertive mustard sauce pairs nicely with the tender meat. Serve with boiled potatoes and crisp watercress, or stir-fried spinach.
Chicken With Garlic-Chili-Ginger Sauce
Honey-Mustard Chicken Tenders
The combination of honey and mustard has been around since ancient Egypt and Rome, and midcentury American cooks used it in any number of dishes, from baked chicken to glazed ham. But it wasn’t until the 1970s and ’80s, when restaurants started pairing the zesty sauce with breaded pieces of boneless chicken, that it became wildly popular. As a coating for chicken, honey mustard not only tastes great, but the acidity in the mustard helps keep the meat juicy. For hot honey mustard chicken tenders, add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne to the honey mustard. For an even quicker dinner, do steps 1 and 2 up to a day ahead. (Refrigerate the chicken and store the toasted panko at room temperature.) Eat the tenders dipped into barbecue sauce, hot sauce, ketchup, or — you guessed it — more honey mustard.
Chicken Salad With Fennel and Charred Dates
The unlikely inspiration for this savory-sweet salad comes from Lilia, an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, where vanilla gelato is adorned with sea salt, honey, olive oil and fennel pollen for a dessert that is citrusy, creamy and fresh. The savory spin goes like this: Thinly slice two fennel bulbs, then mix with shallots and shredded cooked chicken. Dates cook in olive oil so their outsides blister and their insides become caramel-like and soft. Fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes are added to the skillet, which creates a spiced oil for dressing the salad.
Crisp Chicken Schnitzel With Lemony Herb Salad
This schnitzel is light and crunchy with a crust that rises like a soufflé. The secret is to trap air in the crust when you cook the meat by moving and shaking the pan (Ms. Clark demonstrates with pork in this video.) You can use this technique with a variety of meat cutlets.