Main Course
8665 recipes found
Bobby Flay's Chicken With Roquefort
This recipe came to us from Bobby Flay in advance of the opening of his restaurant Gato. The chicken gets a jolt of flavor not only from the cheese but also from a honey and sherry vinegar gastrique, basically a sauce made from caramelized sugar or another sweet ingredient like the honey, deglazed with vinegar and then reduced.
Chicken and Celery Salad With Wasabi-Tahini Dressing
Inspired by the desire to make use of some leftover wasabi paste, this is the kind of chicken salad that’s sure to become a go-to recipe. The best advice here is to make a large batch, and save it for multiple meals. Equally delicious cold or at room temperature, this salad is especially good in a sandwich, tucked into soft potato rolls. Embrace the wasabi and think of it as a hot mustard; you can even dial it back, starting with less, then adding more to taste. Lime juice lends a mellow acidity that rounds out the dressing.
Chicken Breast With Eggplant, Shallots And Ginger
Curry Chicken Breasts With Chickpeas and Spinach
This entire dish is built for flavor — and ease. An ideal ingredient for quick weeknight meals, chicken breasts can be pounded thin, so they’ll cook quickly and evenly. Here, the cutlets are dusted in flour to create a delicate, golden crust that seals in moisture, and flavored with Madras curry powder, an Indian spice blend featuring coriander, turmeric, chiles, cumin, fennel, garlic and ginger. Toasting it in oil brings out all its warmth and richness. The curried chickpeas make a wonderful side dish on their own, and would pair just as well with another meat or fish.
Chicken Schnitzel With Pan-Roasted Grapes
No matter how you spin it, making schnitzel is a bit of a process. But by starting with thinly sliced chicken breasts, or chicken cutlets, this recipe removes the most time-consuming step — pounding the chicken — and makes schnitzel more doable on a weeknight. The contrast in temperatures and textures from the pan-roasted grapes and tangy sour cream make for perfectly balanced bites. Serve with a simple green salad with a lemony vinaigrette.
Soy-Ginger Chicken With Greens
I serve these spicy pan-cooked pounded chicken breasts over a mound of pungent wild arugula or other salad greens. Some of the salad dressing serves as a marinade for the chicken.
Poached Chicken Breasts With Parsley-Onion Salad
Slowly poaching bone-in chicken breasts in a very low oven makes the meat extremely silky, without turning it tough or drying it out. And having the oven on for an extended period allows you to cook other things in the gentle heat. Here, halved cherry tomatoes turn sweet and jamlike. A pan of chicken skin renders and crisps, becoming golden and potato-chip crunchy before getting tossed with a bright parsley-onion salad. If you’d rather skip the chicken skin, you can. This dish is nearly as good without it, though you may want to add some toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds to the parsley salad for texture.
Crisp Stuffed Chicken Cutlets
The chef Alexandra Raij modeled this recipe on a traditional Spanish dish called flamenquines, in which flattened chicken breasts are stuffed with ham and cheese, then rolled up, coated in egg and bread crumbs and fried. Her recipe mostly follows that lead, but instead of pounding the breasts and rolling them up with the stuffing, she used thin cutlets of chicken and layered the stuffing between two of them, sealing them together with an egg mixture. Fried to a golden hue, the dish is both crunchy and greaseless. The crumbs insulate the delicate meat and help keep it from overcooking.
Double Lemon Chicken
The universally loved crispy chicken — from Austrian schnitzel to Korean fried chicken to the westernized lemon chicken that you’d get at your local Chinese restaurants — is found in multiple corners of the world, and is therefore served on many tables. That lemon chicken is the inspiration for this dish, where a sweet lemony sauce coats crispy fried chicken pieces. This Middle Eastern version uses a cheater’s preserved lemon paste and plenty of fresh lemon to brighten it up. You’ll make a little more preserved lemon paste than you need; use it for salad dressing, toss it with roasted vegetables, or swirl it into soups. Serve this dish with some lightly cooked greens and plain white rice.
Seared Chicken Breast With Potatoes and Capers
Pan-seared chicken is a skill with countless rewards. (If this is your first time making chicken this way, you’ll understand why fast.) You'll want to start the chicken on the stovetop and finish it in the oven. Then, once it's perfectly cooked, you can pair it with almost anything, whether a simple green salad or a side of smashed potatoes loaded with butter, mustard, capers and chopped lemon, as it is here. The trick is to steam, not boil, the potatoes, which gets them soft and smashable quickly. You need very little water (an inch or so), so there’s no waiting around for water to boil, and, best of all, you won’t lose any of that rich potato flavor.
Skillet Chicken and Zucchini With Charred Scallion Salsa
Baked chicken breasts have a reputation for being dry, but pan-searing bone-in, skin-on breasts before roasting them helps them render their fat. It also forms a protective coating, develops a crisp, deep-golden skin and adds an extra layer of flavor. In this one-pot recipe, zucchini is tossed with the rendered chicken fat, and everything cooks together in the oven. Swap in any seasonal, quick-roasting vegetable for the zucchini, like cherry tomatoes or asparagus, but don’t skip the charred scallion and jalapeño salsa. The zingy lime, grassy herbs and barely there brown sugar really make this dish sing. If cilantro isn’t your thing, basil makes a fine replacement, or try a combination of the two. Alongside? Steamed rice would be nice.
Kerala Roadside Chicken
In the south Indian state of Kerala, a street stall selling food is called a thattukada, and one of the most well-known dishes served is something called chicken fry, or thattu chicken. The chef Asha Gomez, who grew up in the Kerala port city of Trivandrum and now lives in Atlanta, took that street chicken and adapted it into a quick-cooking recipe that relies on coconut oil for crispness, and curry leaves, ginger and garlic for flavor. It gets its heat and color from Kashmiri chile powder, a fruity pepper used in many Indian dishes. It’s worth seeking out the pepper online, or at a market that caters to Indian shoppers, where you can also find the fresh curry leaves that are key to this dish. Ms. Gomez serves it with the flaky paratha that’s unique to Kerala, but any flatbread, or even rice, works well. It’s also a great dish to set out as a nibble with drinks, as they do in the toddy shops of southern India.
Soy-Glazed Chicken Breasts With Pickled Cucumbers
The pan-steam method used here ensures boneless, skinless chicken breasts cook quickly while staying moist. The technique works with water, but a flavorful mixture of soy sauce, honey, garlic and coriander infuses the chicken with even more flavor. Depending on the size of the skillet you use, the sauce may reduce a little slower or faster than the time indicated. When you swipe a rubber spatula across the bottom of the skillet, the sauce should hold a spatula-wide trail that fills in with liquid pretty quickly. If you happen to reduce too much, whisk in water one tablespoon at a time until you’re back to a shiny sauce that can be drizzled. Rice is an obvious side, but the sliced chicken and pickled cucumbers are really good tucked inside flour tortillas, too.
Chicken Katsu
Katsu, a popular Japanese comfort food of breaded cutlets, is commonly made with chicken or pork. For this chicken version, boneless chicken breasts are pounded thin, dredged in flour, egg and panko, then fried until golden brown for an irresistible crispy crust that yields to — and protects — juicy meat inside. The traditional accompaniments are a mound of crunchy shredded cabbage, steamed rice and a generous drizzle of sweet-savory katsu sauce. Also called tonkatsu sauce, it’s a tangy Japanese-style barbecue sauce made with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, ginger and clove. Though you can purchase bottles of it in Asian markets or online, the sauce is easy to make, lasts indefinitely in the fridge and serves as a great all-purpose dip.
Muhammara Chicken Sandwiches
In this picnic-perfect sandwich, sliced chicken breast is enlivened by muhammara, an earthy Middle Eastern spread of roasted red peppers, walnuts and lemon that includes a little pomegranate molasses for sweetness. Poaching is an ideal technique for keeping chicken tender and juicy for these sandwiches, but you can swap in roasted, grilled or rotisserie chicken as well. Baby arugula, or a similar leafy green, adds a peppery bite. Be sure to use bread that can hold up to the sandwich fillings — one with a firm crumb and crunchy crust.
Parmesan Chicken Breast With Tomato and Herb Salad
For better weeknight chicken, dredge it in flour loaded with freshly grated Parmesan and shallow-fry it. The cheese works to create a sort of frico, so you don’t need bread crumbs for a deeply flavorful crust. While you could make this entirely on the stovetop, you risk overcooking the Parmesan, and under- or overcooking the meat. Instead, finish it in the oven, which yields a juicy, tender breast and keeps the Parmesan from getting too dark. Serve with perfectly ripe beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, jumbled together with salt and herbs and a splash of vinegar to make the tomatoes pop.
Coconut Sambal Chicken With Rice
Sri Lankan coconut sambal is a savory and spicy condiment made mainly from freshly grated coconut, shallots or red onion and fresh or dried chiles. For convenience, this version uses unsweetened shredded coconut instead of fresh, since it’s more accessible and easier to work with. The sambal can be customized to suit varying heat levels; use three chiles for a spicy sambal, or five for even more heat. It’s typically served on the side as an accompaniment to meals, and commonly sprinkled over rice and curries. In this recipe, bright sambal complements lean chicken breast, which benefits from rich, nutty coconut milk. The sambal keeps for about a week in the fridge and is terrific on roasted fish and pork chops, as well as on sautéed spinach or broccoli.
Sheet-Pan Baked Feta With Broccolini, Tomatoes and Lemon
When baked, feta gains an almost creamy texture, similar to goat cheese but with feta’s characteristic tang. In this easy vegetarian sheet-pan dinner, broccolini (or broccoli), grape tomatoes and lemon slices roast alongside the feta until the broccolini crisp, the tomatoes burst and the lemon rinds soften. (Remember, broccolini has a tender, delicious stalk so only the bottom 1/2-inch needs to be trimmed.) Serve this dish over a pile of orzo for a complete meal. If you like, cut the broccolini, feta and lemon into bite-size pieces and toss with the orzo.
Grilled Chicken With Charred-Scallion Chimichurri
Bright and tangy chimichurri gets a deep smoky hit from charred scallions. This entire weeknight meal is prepared on the grill, taking advantage of tender chicken cutlets that cook up in just 5 minutes. Grilling lettuce brings out its inherent sweetness, and here, romaine gets caramelized on the outside to complement cool, crisp centers. Any leftover scallion chimichurri makes a tasty sandwich spread, or pairs beautifully with roasted salmon or steak.
Sheet-Pan Mushroom Parmigiana
This smart weeknight dinner offers all the comforting flavors of a classic Parmigiana, but with minimal work. Earthy portobello mushrooms are used here, offering a perfect cradle for the red sauce and creamy mozzarella. Use good quality store-bought marinara sauce (vodka, arrabiata or amatriciana), a much-underrated pantry item that can turn around a meal quickly. This flexible recipe can be scaled up or down without too much fuss. It accounts for two portobello mushrooms per person, but if you’re serving them with pasta or a salad, you could reduce to one each. The basil-scented bread crumbs finish the mushrooms with a lovely, herbaceous crunch. Extra bread crumbs keep well in an airtight container and are wonderful for topping pasta, salads, soups and roasted vegetables. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter.
Roasted Honey Nut Squash and Chickpeas With Hot Honey
Colorful and meatless, sweet and fiery, this sheet-pan dinner is an exuberant combination of cold-weather vegetables and warming spices that will perk up any weeknight. Although the recipe takes about an hour from start to finish most of it is hands-off, and the actual prep time is relatively short. If you don’t have hot honey, you can substitute regular honey and a pinch of cayenne. And try to use canned chickpeas prepared with sea salt; the unsalted kind are bland.
Sheet-Pan Paneer Tikka
Paneer, the slightly salty and extremely versatile South Asian cheese, is the perfect backdrop for heady masalas. In this recipe, soaking paneer in hot water for 10 minutes before cooking rehydrates it, while coating and baking it — along with bell peppers and red onion — with yogurt, ginger, garlic, oil, and spices means the paneer will be light, fluffy and flavorful every time. Basting the paneer with melted ghee toward the end of the baking process keeps it from drying out and adds nuttiness. In the end, you’ll have a one-pan meal of sweet, crunchy veggies and luxuriously spiced paneer in under 30 minutes. To make it vegan, substitute tofu for paneer (no need to soak) and skip the yogurt.
Rasta Pasta With Jerk Chicken
Comforting and spicy in just the right way, Rasta pasta is popular in Jamaican communities across New York and beyond. This version gets its spice from jerk seasoning and a single Scotch bonnet. The bell peppers and green onions add not only texture, but a sweet crunch and brightness. You could swap salmon or shrimp for the chicken, or use fettuccine or rigatoni instead of the penne, if you like; just mind the cooking time. You could even halve the heavy cream, or substitute coconut milk for more depth of flavor. Feel free to refrigerate any leftovers, and either reheat or eat them cold the next day. This is a dish that gets better with a little time.
Crispy Sheet-Pan Noodles With Glazed Tofu
Contrasting textures are a signature characteristic of Cantonese chow mein, in which crispy fried strands tangle with tender noodles. Here, that is achieved with the help of a sheet pan and an intensely hot oven. To ensure optimal crunch, start with the pan on the bottom rack to crisp the underside of the noodles, then move it up to the highest to encourage crackly noodles on top, too. Instant ramen noodles are the perfect choice for this recipe because they crisp up flawlessly; just soak them in boiling hot water to loosen them up before sliding them into the oven. The hoisin-marinated tofu is subtly sweet and carries a lot of the flavor in this noodle dish. Quick cooking baby bok choy adds freshness, but you could also use leftover vegetables or seasonal produce. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter.