If you’ve ever enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner, chances are you’re fond of the idea of sitting around a table with a big bird and your family. Food marketers capitalize on this idea constantly with images of families sitting in the comfort of a franchise booth, happily chatting and eating their sauce-slathered chicken with no fewer than two starchy sides and a soda. Swiss Chalet now has a commercial on the TV where the family is thankful that their picnic got rained out so they could eat there instead. I think it’s safe to say that we’re fond of chicken dinners if we prefer them to having a picnic with our family! So I guess the real question is, why should you learn to cook a chicken dinner when you can just go to Swiss Chalet?

What’s the Deal with Those Rotisserie Chickens?…

1 teaspoon ginger puree
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced
3/4 cup bean sprouts
2 cups lettuce
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 cup pineapple, cubed
salt and pepper

1. Combine the ginger, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice and brown sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adjust seasoning if necessary.
2. Marinate cooked chicken in the dressing in the refrigerator for about an hour.
3. Combine bean sprouts, lettuce, basil and pineapple. Pour chicken and dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 red chili, minced
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce

12 ounces Chinese egg noodles
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 pound shrimp
3 tablespoons peanuts, chopped
water

1. Bring coconut milk, curry paste, chili pepper, peanut butter, sugar, lime juice and fish sauce to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir occasionally while preparing the noodles.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until tender.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil.
4. Slice the chicken very thinly. This is easier if it is slightly frozen. Add the chicken to the oil and fry for a minute. Flip chicken, add the shrimp and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink and shrimp is pink.
5. Remove the noodles from the water, draining thoroughly. Add to the chicken and shrimp, stir with prepared sauce and serve garnished with peanuts.

Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon ghee
1 medium onion, sliced
2 pounds skinless chicken pieces
6 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup ground cashews or almonds
1 dried red chili
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ginger puree
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup plain yogurt
salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil and ghee in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion, sautéing until tender.
2. Add the chicken and fry until lightly browned on all sides, then add the tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt.
3. Grind together cashews, chili pepper, garam masala, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, garlic and bay leaf. Stir the spices into the yogurt.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened and chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

1 cup butter, cubed
1 small onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger puree
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 black cardamom pod
1 cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, being careful not to brown.
2. Once melted, raise heat to bring the butter to a boil and stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave uncovered until the milk solids have separated, about 30 minutes.
3. Strain the clarified (clear) part of the butter and discard the milk solids.
4. Heat prepared butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown lightly on both sides, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through to center and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Serve with excess butter from pan.

Makes 4 servings

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger puree
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 cardamom pods
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced

1. Place onion, ginger, garlic, almonds and poppy seeds in a blender. Add yogurt to make a smooth sauce.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the cinnamon and cardamom, cooking until fragrant.
3. Brown the chicken, then stir in the yogurt sauce, coriander and nutmeg.
4. Add the mushrooms and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook covered until chicken is cooked through to center and tender.

Makes 2 servings

1 whole roasting chicken
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 granny smith apple, quartered
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon garlic
1/2 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons ginger puree
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Stuff chicken with apple quarters, rub skin with vegetable oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Place in a roasting pan and put in the oven, roasting until skin is crisp, about 20-25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine syrup, garlic, apple juice, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and ginger in a bowl.
5. Brush chicken with the prepared sauce and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Roast, basting with the same every 15 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through to the center, about 1-1/2 hours.
6. Allow chicken to rest before carving, then serve in quarters.

Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 cups fresh spinach, minced
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ginger puree
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 large tomato, crushed
1 whole black cardamom pod
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
salt

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and fry chicken until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Place spinach and water into a separate saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the chicken saucepan and add the ginger, garlic and onions, sautéing until lightly brown, then stir in the tomato, cardamom, cloves, coriander seed, cayenne and turmeric.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer, then add the coconut milk and the chicken back to the pot. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about an hour, adding a bit of water if necessary.
5. In a separate skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil and lightly fry the cumin and coriander seed. Drain the spinach and toss in this mixture, then stir into the chicken. Season to taste with salt and serve with Chappati.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons butter
2 chicken breasts, halved
1 cup dry red wine
1 sprig thyme, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
6 button mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast and brown on all sides.
2. Add the wine, thyme, rosemary, garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until chicken is tender, about an hour.
3. Melt remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir in the flour. Cook for about a minute, then stir in the juices from the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.
4. Serve chicken with prepared sauce and garnish with bacon bits and chopped parsley.

Makes 4 servings

4 cloves roasted garlic
1 dried red chili, minced
1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon harissa
3 tablespoons ranch dressing
2 chicken breasts, butterflied

1. Combine roasted garlic, chili, scallion, oil, basil, harissa and ranch dressing in a bowl.
2. Poke chicken breasts numerous times with a fork and then place in a bag with prepared marinade. Marinate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Remove chicken from the marinade, discarding any leftover, and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake until cooked through to the center, about 20-25 minutes. Allow to rest a few minutes before serving.

Makes 2 servings