Chicken Recipes

As the child of Portuguese immigrants, 2011 Food & Wine Best New Chef George Mendes grew up eating all sorts of rice dishes at home. "There was simple tomato rice served with fried fish and then rabbit rice on special occasions and holidays," he says. This cozy chicken and rice recipe draws on those memories. In it, shredded rotisserie chicken, olives, sautéed onions and bell pepper, and crispy rendered soppressata are topped with cooked saffron rice and baked until the rice gets crispy on top to make a comforting dinner.

Dinner doesn't get simpler or more elegant than this pan-roasted chicken. To make it, a whole chicken is cut into eight pieces, then roasted with grapes, garlic cloves, and sprigs of rosemary to yield crispy-skinned chicken in a schmaltzy pan sauce that begs for a crusty piece of bread. "I'm on record as being a slavering fan of Angie Mar's glam-bomb fare," says Senior Editor Kat Kinsman, who is a super-fan of Mar (a 2017 Food & Wine Best New Chef) and first tried this dish to-go. "But the take-out foil pan filled with roasted grapes, garlic, and rosemary; fatty drippings; and the sloppiest, cook's-treat parts of a chicken (my favorite) may be the best thing she ever served me." Seek out a best-quality bird for this simple, focused dish, such as a pastured chicken from whiteoakpastures.com.

Tender tomatoes add bites of sweetness throughout this simple but deeply flavorful pan-roasted chicken dinner. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are browned on the stovetop and then transferred to the oven, where they bake with lemon slices, garlic, and cherry tomatoes. Served with crusty bread for sopping up the lemony pan juices and fresh, garlicky Swiss chard pesto, the roast chicken thighs are especially good with this wine pairing from Micah Clark, of The Charter Oak in St. Helena, California. "Oaky Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite late summer bottles," he says. "One with a lot of Sémillon works with the rich chicken and the bright lemon in this dish."

These Cornish hens are flavor-packed with aromatic herbs, fresh lemons, and garlic. Coated in a lemon-garlic-herb puree, stuffed with garlic and lemon wedges, and neatly trussed, the hens are roasted on top of a bed of fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs. The roasted birds are drizzled with butter-fortified pan juices just before serving. Pair with roasted or mashed potatoes and a salad tossed with a mustard vinaigrette.

Chef Meherwan Irani's Parsi-style fried chicken is first marinated with an aromatic mix of ginger, garlic, chiles, and spices then dredged in flour and dipped in fluffy beaten egg for a crispy, golden crust. Basting the chicken while it cooks helps to crisp the outside while keeping the inside juicy and evenly cooked. He serves this dish with a quick slaw of shredded cabbage and carrots, chopped cilantro, and healthy dashes of vinegar and lime juice.

Tangy feta and juicy tomatoes roast together in the oven, creating a creamy sauce that clings to ruffly campanelle or corkscrew-shaped cavatappi pasta in this easy bake sheet pan dinner. The whole dish comes together in under an hour as the chicken, cheese, and aromatics bake in the oven while the pasta and kale quickly cook on the stove. Serve hot, room temperature, or as a chilled pasta salad.