The Best Chicken Recipes from Famous Chefs

Julia's Roast Chicken — Photo: Con Poulos

Food & Wine has been around since 1978, and since the very first standalone issue — which featured recipes for William S. Proops' Chicken with Artichokes, Dorian Leigh's Chicken Braised with Aromatic Herbs and Vegetables, and W. Peter Prestcott's Chicken Salad — we've been cuckoo for chicken in all its versatile forms, from crispy fried thighs and salt-baked showstoppers to whole, roasted birds and the jerk and pho of your dreams. In the four-and-a-half decades we’ve been publishing, we've been so clucking lucky to have some world-class chefs share their recipes. Take this short quiz to figure out which culinary luminaries will provide you with your next winner of a dinner.

1. It's been a long darned day and your feathers are pretty ruffled. Luckily, you have a full fridge and pantry, so finding ingredients isn't a factor. How much effort do you want to put into cooking?

A: It's a delivery night.
B: I'm happier heating up leftovers.
C: I need it to be simple, but I'm willing to turn on the oven.
D: This is how I unwind, bring it on.

2. When you're feeling under the weather or even just a little bit down, what's the most healing thing to eat?

A: Something warm and mild.
B: A good, long braise or stew with some deep flavor to it.
C: Greasy and carby.
D: Spice and heat to the max.

3. Where's your happy cooking place?

A: In the other room while the dish braises or roasts on its own for a few hours.
B: Staring at the microwave clock as it counts down.
C: Over an open grill flame.
D: Fussing and stirring over a dish that needs constant attention.

4. How do you feel about going to a farmers market?

A: I prefer (or only have access to) pantry staples.
B: I want to go but I don't as often as I could.
C: It's part of my regular routine.
D: I don't really need to because I grow my own.

5. Do you collect old recipes and cookbooks?

A: I just wing it on the internet.
B: I have some tried and true ones I keep around.
C: It's a major pastime for me.
D: I only use them for inspiration but I don't follow them.

6. What's your favorite part of the chicken?

A: The breast.
B: The legs and thighs.
C: The messy parts: liver, neck, and the like.
D: Give me the whole bird.

The Results

Anita Lo, Charles Phan, Julia Child, Floyd Cardoz, Paul Bocuse, Maria Guarnaschelli, Marcella Hazan, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten

You've got some mighty cozy companions for this dinner. All these chefs share recipes that come together easily, pack in maximum pleasure, and make plenty to enjoy now, and are just as satisfying to savor tomorrow.

Mostly As

Grilled Chicken with Banana Pepper Dip Recipe

Grilled Chicken with Banana Pepper Dip and Fattoush

55 mins

Chicken Pho

3 hrs 30 mins

Julia Child's Favorite Roast Chicken

2 hrs 30 mins

Butter-Roasted Chicken with Cilantro and Mint

2 hrs 15 mins

Poulet au Vinaigre (Chicken in Vinegar Sauce)

1 hr

Smothered Chicken

Roast Chicken with Lemons

2 hrs

Sesame Chicken Salad with Ginger-Lime Dressing

1 hr 15 mins

Judy Rodgers, Nancy Silverton, Marcus Samuelsson, Suvir Saran, Ricardo Zarate, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Florence, and Jacques Torres

Fancy company you're keeping! Some of these chicken recipes (like the Zuni Cafe chicken) are some of the best-loved dishes in America, and others make the grade as F&W staff favorites. Bookmark, try them all, and find your new go-to.

Mostly Bs

Zuni Chicken (Roast Chicken with Bread Salad)

1 hr

Coconut Chicken with Pickled Pepper Collards

2 hrs 45 mins

Golden Chicken Thighs with Charred-Lemon Salsa Verde

3 hrs 10 mins

Honey-Ginger Chicken with Lime

45 mins

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Spicy Miso Mayo

1 hr

Roast Chicken Cacciatore with Red Wine Butter

2 hrs 45 mins

Extra Crispy Fried Chicken

4 hrs 30 mins

Ginger Marinated Chicken with Peppers and Onions

Ginger-Marinated Chicken with Onions and Peppers

2 hrs 45 mins

Edna Lewis, Kwame Onwuchi, Scott Peacock, Chris Shepherd, Eric Ripert, Charles Phan, Bill Kim, and Katy Sparks

Some of these chefs are already household names (like Eric Ripert and the late, great Edna Lewis), and others might be newer to you, but if Food & Wine had a Hall of Fame, these folks and their flavorful, next-level dishes would be smack dab at the center.

Mostly Cs

Fried Chicken with Tomato Gravy

Pollo Guisado

2 hrs 45 mins

Spicy Southern Barbecued Chicken

2 hrs 45 mins

Crispy Chicken Thighs with Green Papaya Salad

4 hrs

Chicken Legs Coq au Vin

2 hrs 15 mins

Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

35 mins

Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken

1 hr

Lemony Chicken Fricassee with Shallots and Morels

30 mins

Barbara Tropp, Paul Chung, Wylie Dufresne, Gregory Gourdet, Angie Mar, Ina Garten, Thomas Keller, and Donald Link

Be still our chicken hearts, the F&W staff turns to these chefs and their recipes again and again when we want to flex at a dinner party, or simply enjoy the act of being in our kitchens. Some might call for a little extra technique and time, or feature the parts of the chicken the smartest cooks save for themselves, but they all rule the roost.