A wild, groundbreaking statement: I love chicken. I love how readily available and relatively inexpensive it is. I love chicken breasts; I love chicken thighs; I love chicken wings. I often think about what Fuchsia Dunlop wrote in her cookbook “The Food of Sichuan.” “The chicken has a place at the heart of Chinese gastronomy: Not only is its meat enjoyed in countless dishes,” she writes, “but its natural juices are thought to possess the very essence of flavor.” The very essence of flavor! And chicken plays so nicely with other flavors, textures and aromas across countless cuisines. Three cheers for chicken!
So this lineup of weeknight-friendly recipes includes five New York Times Cooking chicken recipes that I cook again and again. Several are made in one pan, most should be eaten with rice, and all are fantastic.
1. Sheet-Pan Paprika Chicken With Tomatoes and Parmesan
Sheet-pan paprika chicken with tomatoes and Parmesan. When you don’t have Parmesan, serve this chicken with an artsy swoop of plain yogurt or labne. Food styled by Eugene Jho. (Christopher Testani/The New York Times)
This deeply savory, weeknight-friendly sheet-pan chicken is worth buying a new jar of sweet paprika for, especially if you can’t remember when you got the one in your spice drawer (for those Fourth of July deviled eggs several summers ago?).The fresher the spices, the more intensely flavorful the dish. This one is as pretty as it is complex, with a mix of colorful cherry tomatoes and peppers that soften and absorb all the chicken juices as they roast. Serve it with something to catch the saucy tomatoes: Crusty bread, polenta or couscous all work well.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, drumsticks, thighs or a mix)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus more for serving
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon Espelette pepper or smoked hot paprika (pimentón)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pint cherry tomatoes (preferably different colors), halved
1 poblano chile or 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced sweet bell peppers (red, yellow or orange)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken all over with salt, and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.
In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, paprika, Espelette and oregano. Pour over chicken, tossing to coat.
Add tomatoes, poblano and sweet peppers to baking sheet, spread vegetables around the chicken. Season vegetables lightly with salt and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Sprinkle Parmesan all over chicken and vegetables.
Roast until chicken is golden, crisp and cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes. Stir the vegetables halfway through cooking but don’t disturb the chicken. If white meat is done before dark meat, remove it as it finishes cooking.
Transfer chicken to plates. Stir vegetables around in pan, scraping up all the delicious browned bits from the bottom and sides of pan, and stir in the parsley and black pepper to taste. Taste and add salt if needed, and a drizzle of vinegar if you like. Spoon vegetables over the chicken to serve.
2. Panang Curry
Rich with coconut milk and crushed peanuts, panang curry, also known as phanaeng or panaeng curry, is subtly spiced with coriander and cumin. This version is made with chicken, but you’ll often find it made with beef and sometimes prawns. Panang curry is sometimes mistakenly linked to Penang, a Malaysian island, but it actually originated in Thailand. According to Pim Techamuanvivit, chef and owner of Nari and Kin Khao restaurants in San Francisco, and executive chef of Nahm Bangkok in Bangkok, it’s important to use thick coconut milk for the creamiest results, and be sure to break the sauce by simmering until a layer of bright red oil shimmers on top. Purchase panang curry paste online or at an Asian market and add crushed peanuts to it if it doesn’t include them (not all of them do), or prepare your own paste, as is done here.
By Panang Curry
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the panang curry paste:
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup/1 ounce dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
2 to 4 tablespoons red curry paste, to taste (see Tip below)
For the curry:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
2 teaspoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk (do not shake)
8 makrut lime leaves, deveined, 6 torn and 2 thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon grated lime zest, for serving
1 1/2 teaspoons palm, granulated or brown sugar, plus more as needed
1 small, mild, thin-skinned pepper, such as a Fresno, Anaheim or banana pepper, or 1/2 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Thai basil, thinly sliced, for serving (optional, if makrut lime leaves are not used)
Rice, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the curry paste: Heat a medium saute pan over medium. Add the coriander and cumin. Swirl the pan around, or toss the seeds with a wooden spoon, and gently toast until fragrant, about 1 minute, taking care not to burn the spices. Transfer to a small plate and cool, then place in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and grind to a fine powder.
Add the peanuts and finely grind until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, add the red curry paste and stir until mixed.
Thinly slice the chicken into 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. Place in a medium bowl, drizzle with the fish sauce and mix until coated.
Heat the same pan over medium-high. Scoop 4 tablespoons of the thick cream off the top of the coconut milk and add it to the pan; it will immediately sizzle. Stir until thickened and bubbling on the sides, about 30 seconds. Stir in the curry paste, to taste. Reduce to medium, and cook the paste, continuously stirring, until a thick paste forms and the coconut oil separates (the sauce “breaks”), 2 to 3 minutes. If it starts sticking, add a splash of coconut milk and scrape up anything from the bottom of the pan.
Add the torn lime leaves or zest and sugar. Cook, continuously stirring, to dissolve the sugar and infuse the flavors, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, increase to medium-high, bring to a boil and cook, continuously stirring, until the curry has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and has a layer of bright red oil on top, 4 to 8 minutes. The curry should be at a lively simmer; adjust the heat as necessary.
Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. If using, stir in the peppers, saving a few for serving, and cook until just incorporated, about 1 minute. Taste and add more fish sauce and sugar, if needed. (Be mindful, this is not a sweet curry; the sweetness should hit a back note, not lead with it.)
Garnish with the sliced lime leaves or Thai basil and reserved peppers. Serve alongside rice.
Tips: Different brands of curry paste vary in spice levels. Taste a little first and determine how much to use.
3. Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)
Oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl). Bryan Washington’s recipe is sweet, salty, savory and a snap to make. Props styled by Sophia Pappas. Food styled by Maggie Ruggiero. (Chris Simpson/The New York Times)
Oyakodon is pure bliss, combining the ease of lightly poached chicken with the velvety richness of eggs and onions simmered in sauce. In Japanese, oya means parent, while ko translates to child. Consequently, chicken and egg come together in a blend of dashi, mirin and soy sauce. A perfect weekday meal, oyakodon cooks in just under 30 minutes and is delightful alongside pickles and a bowl of miso soup. The chicken and egg bowl is a dream of soulfulness ladled over rice. Leftovers, if you have any, will hold in the refrigerator for a day.
By Bryan Washington
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon sake
1 cup dashi
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
2 scallions, sliced, or 3 sprigs mitsuba
Togarashi (optional), for serving
DIRECTIONS
Cook rice according to package directions.
Meanwhile, stir chicken and sake in a bowl. In a measuring cup or bowl, stir dashi, mirin, soy sauce and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add more soy sauce or sugar to taste.
In a deep medium frying pan (or an oyakodon pan, if you have one), add dashi mixture and then onion. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then add chicken in a single layer, making sure the dashi mixture covers the chicken and onion.
Bring the heat down to medium-low. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip each piece of chicken with a pair of cooking chopsticks or tongs. Continue cooking until chicken is just cooked through and onion has softened, about 3 minutes more.
In a measuring cup or small bowl, lightly beat eggs. Bring the heat up to medium, and add three-quarters of the eggs in a clockwise pattern over the chicken. Allow the mixture to simmer, swirling the pan to ensure the eggs cover it throughout. When the eggs are slightly set, around 1 minute, add the remaining eggs around the pan’s edges in a clockwise fashion. Once again, swirl the pan to ensure coverage.
Continue to cook the oyakodon to your preferred doneness (less than a minute or so is great), then add scallions (or mitsuba) to the pan.
Divide the rice among individual bowls, then slide enough of the oyakodon over the rice to cover. Serve immediately and sprinkle with togarashi if preferred.
4. Sheet-Pan Chicken With Apple, Fennel and Onion
Sheet-pan chicken with apple, fennel and onion. This Colu Henry dish is fast, beautiful and exactly what you should make when you think you have the energy to make an apple pie but definitely do not. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (Con Poulos/The New York Times)
Chicken thighs are roasted with classic fall ingredients for a quick, flavorful sheet-pan supper. The toasted fennel seeds subtly amplify the anise flavor of the roasted fennel and play nicely with the apples and onions. Look for an apple on the tart side as it will naturally sweeten as it cooks in the oven. If you want to use bone-in chicken breasts you can, just make sure to cut the cooking time by a few minutes so they don’t dry out. Serve with a bright, bitter green salad flecked with blue cheese and toasted walnuts.
By Colu Henry
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium fennel bulb, tough outer leaves removed, cored and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 tart apple, such as Mutsu (Crispin) or Granny Smith, halved, cored and cut into 8 wedges
4 sprigs rosemary
Flaky salt, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small skillet, toast the fennel seeds over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pound into a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle or, alternatively, roughly chop. In a large bowl, toss together the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the fennel seeds and season well with salt and pepper.
Place the onion, fennel and apple slices on the sheet pan. Toss with the remaining olive oil and season well with salt. Spread in an even layer. Add the chicken skin side up on top of the vegetables and lay the rosemary (distributing evenly) on top of the chicken. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the onions, fennel and apples are softened and have begun to caramelize at the edge of the pan.
Turn the oven to broil and move the oven rack to sit right below it. Remove and discard the rosemary sprigs and broil the chicken for 1 to 2 minutes until the skin of the chicken is crispy and golden. Season with flaky salt.
5. Nasi Goreng Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Fried Rice)
Nasi goreng ayam (Indonesian chicken fried rice). If you have boneless, skinless thighs and leftover rice in the fridge, you can make Kayla Stewart’s nasi goreng ayam, adapted from a recipe by Lara Lee, for dinner. Food styled by Rebecca Jurkevich. (Johnny Miller/The New York Times)
Nasi goreng, which translates to “fried rice,” is one of Indonesia’s best-known dishes, and it’s prepared in numerous ways around the world. Like many other fried rice recipes, this version, from chef Lara Lee’s “Coconut & Sambal,” blends crunchy vegetables with piquant rice, but the addition of ginger and white pepper offer spice and aroma, while kecap manis, a velvety sauce, adds a slightly sweet balance to the dish. Don’t skimp on the fried egg or the fried shallots; both add essential crunch and texture. This is an ideal for a dinner for two.
Recipe from Lara Lee
Adapted by Kayla Stewart
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 7 ounces total), cut into bite-size cubes
1/4 teaspoon sea salt and a scant 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons coconut oil or sunflower oil
2 shallots, preferably Thai, or 1 small banana shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 (3-inch) piece fresh galangal (or ginger), peeled and woody stem removed, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup green beans, chopped
2 scallions, chopped into large chunks
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 1/2 ounces uncooked jasmine or basmati rice, cooked and cooled (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons store-bought or homemade kecap manis (see Tip for recipe)
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 large eggs, or duck eggs
1 tablespoon store-bought or homemade crisp fried shallots
1/2 long red chile, such as cayenne, thinly sliced
Prawn crackers, for serving
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, season the chicken pieces with the salt and white pepper.
In a large wok or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat until it melts or shimmers. Fry the chicken, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, then add the shallot, galangal and garlic, and cook over medium-high until fragrant. Add the green beans, scallions and turmeric and cook for 1 minute.
Add the cooked rice to the pan, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon and stirring until combined and warmed.
Return the chicken to the pan. Stir in the kecap manis, light soy sauce, fish sauce, a large pinch of white pepper, and extra salt if needed.
Meanwhile, fry the eggs: Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Once shimmering, crack the eggs directly into the oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the whites are partially cooked. Tilt the pan and spoon the hot oil over the egg whites until they are fully cooked. Season with salt.
Divide the fried rice between two serving plates and top with the fried shallots, sliced chile and fried eggs; serve with crackers.
Tip: To make your own kecap manis, in a medium saucepan, bring 3/4 cup light soy sauce or gluten-free tamari with 1 1/4 packed cups palm sugar or light or dark brown sugar to a simmer over medium. Reduce heat to low and cook until mixture thickens to the texture of maple syrup, about 5 minutes. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to a few weeks. Makes about 3/4 cup.
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