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Garlic Chicken and Peppers with Beans
Makes: 4 servings
Time: 15 minutes preparation
1 hour no-work baking time
1/4 cup olive oil
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces (31'2 pounds)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
6 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried sage leaves, or 8 large fresh leaves, snipped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can (15 ounces) white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) small red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup (packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a deep 6-quart flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, cover, and cook over low heat until tender, 5 minutes. While thee are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken pieces (except for the wings, where it is just too hard).
3. Push the peppers to the side and add the chicken. Cook over medium heat just to stiffen the flesh, 2 minutes on each side. Remove the breast pieces from the casserole and set them aside. Add the wine, broth, garlic, and sage and bring the liquid to a simmer. Add 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cover, transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Return the breast meat to the casserole, and add the white and red beans. Continue to bake, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, chop the parsley.
5. Serve the chicken in deep bowls, sprinkled with fresh parsley and swimming in all its lovely fragrant juices. Or, using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken and beans to a serving plate. Boil the juices down until only 2 cups remain, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, stir in the parsley, and ladle the sauce over the chicken and beans.
Fiery Asian Chicken Braised with Mushrooms
Makes: 4 serving
Time: 1 hour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1 chicken, quartered or cut into 8 pieces (31/2 to 4 pounds)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cinnamon stick (1 inch long)
1 strip lime zest (1 inch long)
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves
Salt
1. Heat the vegetable and sesame oils in a deep 6 quart flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Saut, the chicken, just to stiffen the skin, turning the pieces once, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
2. Add the garlic, mushrooms, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cinnamon, lime zest and red pepper flakes. Saut,, stirring until the mushrooms begin to wilt, for a couple of minutes.
3. Return only the dark mat to the casserole, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the white meat, cover and simmer until the chicken is just done, 20 minutes longer.
Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and let it rest for 10 minutes or until cool enough to remove and discard the skin and fat underneath the skin. While the chicken is resting, strain the juices from the casserole into a bowl or degreasing cup and reserve the mushrooms. Discard the cinnamon stick and lime strip. Remove all of the surface fat. Return the degreased juices to the pan and bring them back to a simmer.
5. Coarsely chop the cilantro and add it to the sauce. Simmer for 30 seconds or until barley wilted. Season to taste with salt. Return the skinned chicken to the sauce and simmer over low heat to reheat, 2 to 3 minutes.
Feta-Stuffed Chicken
Makes: 4 servings
Time: 10 minutes preparation
45 minutes no-work bake time
8 ounces feta, mild goat cheese, or Boursin cheese
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 whole bone-in chicken breasts, skin on, split in half
1/4 cup (packed) flat-leaf parsley laves or fresh dill (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine the cheese, oregano, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Loosen the chicken skin from the flesh without completely detaching it, and stuff as much of the cheese mixture under the skin as possible, Spread the remaining mixture over the skin. Place in a baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. raise the heat to 450 degrees F and bake until the chicken breasts are cooked through and slightly golden on top, 15 minutes longer.
4. While the chicken is baking, chop the parsley. Remove the chicken form the oven, sprinkle it with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Excerpted from Monday-to-Friday Chicken. Copyright (c) 1998 by Michele Urvater. Reprinted with permission by Workman Publishing.