Baked Chicken and Orzo →

Here’s a one pot Mediterranean inspired baked chicken and orzo recipe that is sure to be a hit with your family or dinner guests. Reminiscent of Spanish paella, this recipe replaces rice with tender flavorful orzo. Although the ingredients list is a bit lengthy, the actual preparation of the dish comes together quickly, and you and your family or guests will be richly rewarded. Serve accompanied by a green salad dressed with a light vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken and Orzo
Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 skin-on chicken breasts or thighs (skin-on preferred, but sub skinless if you prefer)

• 2 tablespoons of chopped pancetta

• 1 cup orzo

• 1 ½ -1 ¾ cups chicken broth

• ¼ cup white wine

• ½ medium onion chopped

• 3 tablespoons crushed tomatoes

• 2 cloves of minced garlic

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ½ teaspoon ground coriander

• ½ teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• large pinch of saffron

• ½ cup of green peas

• 1/3 cup Spanish olives with pimento sliced in half

• ½ sweet red pepper coarsely chopped

• parsley for garnish 

PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 375 F

1. Pat the chicken thighs dry. Mix the thyme, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and coriander. Coat the chicken with the mixture, cover, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

2. In a Dutch oven or other heavy bottom, oven-proof pan, brown the pancetta. Remove the pancetta and reserve. Pour off all but a tablespoon or two of the pancetta fat.

3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off excess marinade. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Remove and tent the browned chicken.

4. If the pan is too dry add two tablespoons of olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onions, and red pepper for a minute or two before adding the orzo. Stir until the orzo begins to brown and the onions are tender.

5. Add 1 ½ cups chicken stock, wine, tomatoes, and saffron, and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken thighs into the orzo and sprinkle the sliced olives around the chicken. Sprinkle the reserved pancetta over the chicken and place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the orzo is tender and the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 165 F. If the orzo is too al dente, add the remaining ¼ cup of chicken stock. Stir in the green peas for the last 10-15 minutes in the oven. (Waiting to add the peas at the end will ensure that you have bright green peas, not over-cooked gray peas.)

6. Serve garnished with chopped parsley. 

   Wine pairing: Medium-bodied white wines like Albariño, lightly oaked Burgundy, Vernaccia, Soave, Viognier, or dry Riesling will complement the complex, subtle flavors of this dish; for those who don’t drink white wine, a Rosé or a light Pinot Noir or Beaujolais would be a good choice. For this dish, avoid wines with heavy tannins.

Chicken Fricassee with Wild Mushrooms →

In culinary terminology, a “fricassee” is a dish of pan-fried meat or pieces of poultry served with a pan sauce comprised of aromatics and often mushrooms. This comforting dish comes together quickly and is easy enough to make mid-week for the family, yet elegant enough to serve company. The combination of wild mushrooms, tomatoes, white wine, both beef and chicken stock, heavy cream, and herbs of your choice, produces a deliciously rich sauce full of umami that is sure to please your family or guests. I hope you enjoy it.

Chicken Fricassee with Wild Mushrooms
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• ¼ cup butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (EVOO)

• 4 boneless chicken thighs

• 6 ounces of wild mushrooms chopped (shiitake, maitake, cremini, chanterelle, oyster, etc.)

• 1 large shallot chopped

• 1-2 teaspoons of herbs de Provence (equal measures of summer savory, dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, and fennel seed.)

• garlic powder

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 1 cup beef stock

• 1/3 cup heavy cream

• 1 cup of peeled, diced tomatoes

• salt and pepper

• chopped fresh parsley for garnish 

Preparation:

1. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper, garlic powder, and herbs de Provence.

2. In a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of EVOO and brown the chicken on both sides. Remove the chicken to a platter and tent.

3. Add the chopped shallot and mushrooms and sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms have released their water and just begin to brown. If the skillet starts to burn, add a small amount of liquid to allow the mushrooms to finish cooking. Remove the sauteed mixture to a bowl and reserve.

4. Add the wine, tomatoes, and both stocks to the pan, bring to a boil, and reduce to about ¾ cup.

5. Add the heavy cream and stir to mix; add the mushrooms and mix; add the chicken and simmer (don’t boil) for a few minutes until thoroughly heated through. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your taste. Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley. 

Wine pairing: white wines with body and good acid to balance the richness of the sauce; un-oaked Chardonnay, Chablis, Soave, Vernaccia, Albariño, or Viognier. A chilled Rosé might also be a nice choice.

Adapted from a recipe from Bon Appétit special edition on recipes of Spain, May 1992

Chicken Saltimboca with Marsala Wine Sauce →

In Italy, Saltimbocca (meaning “to jump in the mouth”) consists of thin slices of veal stuffed with prosciutto, sage, and a melted cheese, sometimes accompanied by a wine sauce. This recipe is an interpretation of the traditional dish served in Italy and found here in the United States on menus of many good Italian restaurants. For my purposes, I chose to use butterflied chicken breasts in place of veal; used fontina for the cheese; added spinach, and made a sauce from Marsala wine. The ingredients list is a bit long, but the dish is flavorful and elegant enough to serve to dinner guests and it won’t break the family budget. In place of traditional heavy cream, I opted to make a roux to create a lighter Marsala sauce saving calories and cholesterol for another time. Served over egg noodles or pappardelle, or polenta accompanied by sauteed broccoli or broccolini, or a mixed green salad, it will jump in your mouth. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Chicken Saltimbocca with Marsala Wine Sauce
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 ¾ cups chicken broth

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 handfuls of baby spinach rinsed

• 1 clove of garlic minced

• a pinch of hot pepper flakes

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

• 4 large sage leaves

• 2 slices of prosciutto cut crosswise in half

• 4 thin slices of fontina cheese about 2 x 2 ½ inches

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ cup of dry Marsala wine

Optional: toasted sage leaves or chopped parsley for garnish. 

PREPARATION
Pre-heat your oven to 200 F.

1. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil and reduce it by half. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil, and add the minced garlic and pepper flakes stirring for about a minute. Don’t burn the garlic. Add the baby spinach, lemon juice, and lemon zest and sauté until the spinach has wilted. Remove the spinach mixture from the skillet and set aside. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.

3. Cut across each chicken breast so you have two pieces roughly the same size. Carefully butterfly (slice) each half lengthwise leaving about an inch uncut at one side of each breast piece.

4. Open the butterflied breast pieces, placing each butterflied half of a breast between two layers of plastic wrap. Gently pound each with a meat mallet or rolling pin to flatten each piece to a uniform thickness of about ½ inch thick.

5. Lay the pounded pieces open and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of cooked spinach, a sage leaf, a piece of prosciutto, and a slice of fontina on each piece and fold over the other half of the butterflied chicken to create a “sandwich”.

6. Add flour to a flat plate and carefully dredge both sides of the chicken “sandwiches” in the flour, shaking off any excess flour. Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in the skillet over moderately high heat until the foam subsides, then sauté the chicken “sandwiches” until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes on each side), carefully turning over once. At that point, the cheese should be starting to melt and ooze out of the stuffed “sandwiches”. Transfer the cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter or sheet pan and tent placing the platter in a warm oven.

7. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the shallot and fresh sage for a minute or two (don’t burn the shallot). Add a tablespoon of butter to melt. Sprinkle two to three teaspoons of flour over the shallots and stir until the flour is well incorporated and just beginning to brown on the bottom of the skillet. (You’re making a roux: more flour = thicker sauce.)

8. Add the chicken broth and wine to the skillet, stirring constantly until you have a smooth sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference. *Optional: a few drops of lemon juice at the end will brighten the sauce.
9. Carefully return the pieces of chicken to the skillet with the sauce and heat over medium-low heat until you can see the cheese has melted. Serve the chicken with sauce. Garnish with toasted sage. (optional)
10. Serve with sauce over egg noodles, pappardelle, or polenta.

Wine pairing: an un-oaked Chardonnay or Burgundy, Rueda, Vernaccia, Pinot grigio, Viognier, or
dry-Riesling; for red wines, a Barbera, chilled Rosé, Pinot Noir, or Beaujolais would also work.  

Grilled Marinated Tarragon Chicken →

Here’s a super-easy, low-fat, summery version of the classic French recipe Tarragon Chicken. Being in full summer-vibe mode, I adapted Nigela Lawson’s “Roast Marinated Tarragon Chicken” to the grill.  After all, why heat up your oven and house, when you can grill? Faintly licoricey, bitter-sweet Tarragon is an ideal herb to use with chicken, but fresh Thyme with some crushed garlic would also be a good choice in the marinade. Grilling the chicken adds complexity to the flavor of the finished succulent bird. If you have any leftovers, make a summer Chicken Salad accompanied by marinated summer veggies like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and green beans. Enjoy! 

Grilled Marinated Tarragon Chicken
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

·   3- to 4-pound chicken (Cornish hen would also work well)
·   ¾ cup chopped fresh tarragon
·   Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
·   ½ cup olive oil
·   Malden salt or other flaky sea salt 

PREPARATION 

1. Butterfly the chicken by placing it breast-side down and, using kitchen shears, cutting along both sides of the backbone and through small rib bones. Discard the backbone, and place the chicken in a large plastic bag with a zipper. Add ½ cup fresh tarragon, lemon juice and zest, and olive oil. Expel as much air as possible from the bag, and make sure the marinade coats the chicken. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Heat your grill to 450 degrees. Oil the grill grates and place chicken skin side up on the grate. Spread the bird flat and roast until skin is crisp and golden, 35 to 45 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with salt to taste and cut into 8 serving pieces. Transfer to a platter, and garnish with remaining tarragon. Serve with salad or your vegetable of choice and roasted potatoes.

Adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson: “Roast Marinated Tarragon Chicken”

Wine pairing: a French Chablis, Spanish Verdejo, Viognier, or Pinot Grigio would work with this dish. A chilled Rosé would also be a good choice.

Pollo Scarpariello (Shoemaker's Chicken) →

Food is so connected to our deepest memories. When I read chef Mario DiBiase’s Instagram post for Chicken Scarpariello (Shoemakers Chicken), I was instantly transported to my grandmother’s kitchen when I was a kid. I didn’t know the name of the dish, she learned the recipe from her southern Italian neighbors, and she just called it “Chicken, Sausage, and Peppers”, but I still remember the fragrance of the dish! Chef Mario’s recipe is a bit more complicated with more heat than some of the simpler ‘scarpariello recipes I researched, but the extra ingredients are well worth it and add to the rich, tangy, spicy complexity of the sauce. Whatever you choose to call it, this fragrant, colorful, and delicious piquant Italian chicken dish is a great recipe to add to your kitchen repertoire. You can adjust the heat by increasing or decreasing the hot vs. sweet peppers. The recipe does require vinegar from pickled peppers. Serve with roasted potatoes or atop a wide fresh noodle like Pappardelle with sautéed Romano beans on the side to make it a true feast! Don’t forget the crusty bread to sop up the truly wonderful sauce. Buon appetito!

Pollo Scarpariello (Shoe Maker’s Chicken)
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in thighs with skin (or 6-8 wings separated at the joint, wingtip removed)

• Salt and pepper

• 3 links sweet Italian sausage

• olive oil

• 6 cloves garlic-crushed

• 2 large onions-large dice

• 6 pickled hot cherry peppers cored and quartered (optional sub pepperoncini if you can’t find hot-cherry peppers)

• 12 pickled sweet cherry peppers +1/4c vinegar from jar cored and quartered (sub any mild pickled pepper like Peppadew)

• 1 red bell pepper-cored and large dice (for more color use a combination of small red, yellow, and orange sweet peppers- 2 each)

• 1 green Poblano pepper-cored and large dice (optional sub an Anaheim or the milder Cubanelle/Italian frying pepper)

• ½ cup small marinated artichoke hearts

• 1 teaspoon dry oregano (sub a sprig of rosemary when you place the pan in the oven)

• 2 cups wine

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Season the thighs with salt and pepper.
2. In a heavy oven-proof pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic until just beginning to brown. Remove the garlic and set aside.
3. Add the chicken and sausage to the pan. Brown well on all sides. Remove and set aside. Slice the sausage into ½ inch coins. Tent the chicken and sausage.
4. Add the onions, fresh peppers, and garlic to the pan. Sauté until tender and browning.
5. Add white wine to the pan. Deglaze, scraping up the fond as wine reduces to about 2/3.
6. Add the vinegared peppers along with the juice and the artichoke hearts. Season with oregano (or rosemary) and adjust the salt. Add chicken and sausage, fold into vegetables to coat.
7. Place the pan in the center of the oven. Let roast, turning pieces as they brown. Cook until chicken reaches 160 F in the thickest pieces.
8. Plate and top with chopped fresh oregano.

Wine pairing: a fruit-forward white wine like a Dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer would work with the spiciness of the dish. Pinot Grigio or Viognier are also good choices. For red wine try Pinot Noir, Nero d’avola, or Zinfandel. William Seibert from Shelburne Falls Cork recommends an Andre Blanck Grand Cru Riesling Schlossberg Vineyard.

Adapted from a recipe by #mario.cooks
Chef Mario DiBiase, SottoVoce Restaurant, Brooklyn, NY

Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken →

For many, roast chicken is quintessential comfort food. This is the easiest, best roast chicken recipe you will find. If you don’t already have a cast-iron skillet, you need to go out and buy one! It will quickly become one of your most useful kitchen tools. A follow-up recipe to my Spice Rubbed Roast Turkey Breast , the advantage of using the hot preheated cast iron skillet to roast your chicken is that you end up with beautiful crisp browned skin all over the bird including the skin on the underside of the chicken. The typical cast iron skillet can accommodate a bird in the 4-5 pound range which will feed four people. Highly recommended recipes for cast iron skillet cooking: Cook it in Cast Iron by Cook’s Country/America’s Test Kitchen.

Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken
Serves 4 with leftovers

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound chicken (preferably air-chilled)

• olive oil

• Herbes de Provence or equal measures of dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, and fennel seed.

• salt and pepper

• 1 small onion

• 3-4 cloves of garlic

• canola oil

• wood chips for smoking on the grill (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat your oven or grill to 400-425 F. with the cast iron skillet in the oven or grill. You want the skillet to be very hot so it sears the skin on the underside of the chicken.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020

1. Pat the chicken dry inside and out. You do not have to rinse your chicken to clean it.

2. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and dried herbs inside the bird’s cavity.

3. Place a small onion and a few cloves of garlic in the cavity and tie the legs.

4. Brush or rub the bird with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, and the dried herbs evenly all over the bird.

5. Add a tablespoon of canola oil to the hot skillet and carefully place the bird breast side up on the skillet.

6. Close the grill or oven and cook for 1 hour before you check the temperature of the bird with a meat thermometer. You may have to continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes until the finished temperature reaches 155 F.

7. Remove the bird from the skillet to a cutting board and tent. The temperature will continue to rise about another 10 degrees to the recommended safe temperature of 165 F. for poultry.

*Note: while the tented chicken is resting, you can make a simple delicious pan sauce by adding a tablespoon of flour to the skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the fat in the pan and flour combine to make a roux. Once the roux begins to turn light brown, slowly add a cup of chicken broth and ¼ cup of dry white wine stirring constantly and scraping up the rich browned bits (fond) on the bottom of the pan until the sauce forms. Simmer and reduce the sauce for a few minutes to intensify the flavors and add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard (optional) and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Any accumulated juices on the cutting board can be added to your sauce.

Wine pairing: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Rueda, White Cotes du Rhone, Dry Riesling

Grilled Chicken with Raspberry Sauce →

It’s summer and the fresh farm produce is coming on strong including fresh raspberries. Friends picked five pounds of the luscious berries and gifted us a good size bowl of the beauties. After gorging on the delightful red juicy morsels, there were enough left for me to try this savory sweet-and-tart raspberry sauce to pair with summer-time grilled chicken or Cornish Hen. It would also work with grilled pork tenderloin. Grill-on!

Grilled Chicken or Cornish Hen with Raspberry Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1 small chicken split in half or 2 Cornish Hens split

• Chicken Marinade

• Savory Raspberry Sauce

  Steps:

  1. Make the marinade and marinate the chicken for 4 hours or more.

  Chicken Marinade:

• ¼ cup Sherry Vinegar

• ¼ cup soy sauce

• ½ cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon ground dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon ground dried rosemary

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
  

  2. Make the raspberry sauce

  Raspberry Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup raspberries (preferably fresh, but frozen will work)

• ¾ cup chicken broth

• ¼ cup Sherry Vinegar

• 1 tablespoon minced shallot

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or a heaping ½ teaspoon dried thyme)

• 2 tablespoons honey (divided)

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)

  Preparation:

  1. In a small saucepan, saute the shallot until just translucent (before it begins to brown)

  2. Add the chicken stock, vinegar, raspberries, thyme, and 1 tablespoon of honey and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a hot simmer and reduce by 2/3.

  3. Remove from heat and strain through a sieve to remove the solids.

  4. Return the reduced liquid to the saucepan over low-heat. Adjust the sweetness if needed by adding the reserved 1 tablespoon of honey.

  5. If the sauce is too thin, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water or chicken stock and add the slurry to the hot liquid while stirring.

  6. Add a pinch of salt and pepper if desired.

  7. Set aside. You can rewarm the sauce just before serving it with the chicken.

  3. Grill the chicken

• preheat the grill to hot

• remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe with a paper towel. This will help prevent flare-ups on the grill and will produce a crispier skin.

• With the grill top open, reduce the heat to medium and sear the chicken skin side down for 2 minutes; turn over and repeat.

• Close the grill and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 25-30 minutes turning twice.

• Remove the bird to a plate and tent

  *Note: grill time will vary depending on the size of your bird. Use an insta-read thermometer to check the final temperature at 165 F.

  4. Reheat the sauce, plate, and serve

• Rewarm the sauce

• If you cooked a chicken, cut the chicken halves in half again so you have four servings. You don’t have to cut Cornish Hens in half again unless you want to.

• Plate the chicken and pour sauce around the pieces. You might want to put a small bowl of sauce on the table to spoon extra sauce over the chicken.

• Garnish with fresh raspberries. (optional)

  
  Serve with a fresh summer salad, or Gingery Grilled Vegetables, and rice.

  Wine pair: a refreshing chilled rosé, a white wine from the Rhone Valley, Chablis, White Burgundy, or not too oaky Chardonnay will pair nicely.

Mediterranean Grilled Game Hens →

One of my most memorable meals was in Montreal when I was served a pan-seared and roasted game hen with a simple pan sauce of wine, garlic, and herbs. I had never tasted chicken like that and knew it had to become part of my kitchen repertoire. In truth, a Cornish Game Hen is nothing more than a variety of young chicken that is processed at about 5-6 weeks when it weighs between 1 ½ and 2 pounds. The French call such a bird “poussin”. The comparison between veal and beef, lamb and mutton, game hen, and chicken follows: the younger version of each is more tender with a more delicate flavor. This simple recipe for grilled game hen uses the classic Mediterranean flavors of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and rosemary processed into a flavorful paste that is spread over each bird. To complete the Mediterranean cooking experience, I served the hens accompanied with saffron fragrant yellow rice and a simple tomato avocado salad. A bottle of white Burgundy completed the experience. I could almost smell the Mediterranean, I was back.

Two game hens serves 4
Prepare the Game Hens:
Spatchcock the hens by cutting along both sides of the backbone with a pair of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife. Lay the bird spread open, bone-side down, and press down firmly to completely flatten the hen. This technique allows you to cook a whole bird in less time and yields more crispy skin. (See *Note below)

Marinate the Game Hens:
For the marinade paste:

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh rosemary, parsley, and garlic

• 2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Process ingredients to smooth paste and spread over the bird. Marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge or better yet overnight.

Grill the Hens:

1. Preheat your grill to about 450 degrees.

2. Lightly oil the grill grates and grill the hens over indirect heat breast side down for about 10 minutes, or until lightly charred. Turn the hens over and grill for about 15 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh registers 160°. If necessary, you can finish browning and crisping the skin over direct heat for a minute or two.

3. Transfer the hens to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes, then cut them in half so each person is served half a hen.

Wine pairing: serve with a white Burgundy or white Cotes du Rhone, Chardonnay, Viognier, or softer not too minerally Sauvignon Blanc.

*Note: Cornish Game Hens can be had from your local butcher, or found frozen at your super-market. If you can’t find game hens the marinade works equally well on chicken.