Everyone loves chicken, and there are endless different ways to prepare it. You can add sauces, marinades, vegetables, herbs and spices, dried fruits or even grains.
By PASCALE PEREZ-RUBINThe kitchen staple. The versatility of poultry makes it a great dish any night of the week(photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)
Now that summer has arrived and temperatures are soaring, we’re always looking for great, easy dinner recipes so we can get out of the kitchen as quickly as possible.In my opinion, preparing oven- cooked dishes that don’t take too much preparation is the best way to beat the heat. What I do is simply open my fridge, check what vegetables and sauces I have, and look in my pantry to see what else I have that will make the dish tasty. This is the time to be creative.You’ll be surprised at how tasty your food comes out when you improvise.This week, I’ve decided to devote my column to the best, foolproof oven- cooked dish: chicken. Everyone loves chicken, and there are endless different ways to prepare it. You can add sauces, marinades, vegetables, herbs and spices, dried fruits or even grains.This time, I’ve included three different chicken recipes. The first one is a whole chicken covered in spicy herbs, and the second is chicken pieces swimming in yellow sauce with rosemary and turmeric.Lastly, I’ve included a recipe that has been a hit in my home: chicken legs in sweet chili sauce over cubed potatoes or vegetables. The key to this dish is that it cooks slowly, drenched in the sauce. I’ve also attached a recipe for a great marinade.Translated by Hannah Hochner.SPICY HERB MIXIt’s easy to find prepared spice mixtures and rubs for chicken in the grocery store, but you’ll find that your chicken dish will come out much tastier if you prepare one yourself and store it in the fridge.In a bowl, mix equal amounts of cumin, black pepper, sweet paprika, hot paprika and salt. If you especially love one of these flavors, by all means add a little more.Marinade This marinade always comes out perfectly and it works well with all chicken parts. This is the basic recipe, but you are more than welcome to tweak it in any way you want to accommodate your palate by adding soy, ginger, wine, cumin, sweet chili sauce, spicy pepper, harissa (hot chili pepper paste) or mustard.■ ½ cup honey or silan (date honey)■ ¼ cup apricot jam■ 2 Tbsp. boiling water■ 4 garlic cloves, crushed■ ¼ tsp. hot paprika■ Salt and pepper, to tastePut all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Rub on chicken pieces, cover, and put in fridge for a few hours.CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES I love to vary this basic recipe and use different vegetables each time – usually whatever I happen to have on hand at the time.The secret to this recipe is cooking it for a very long time – two and a half to three hours. I usually prepare it in the morning so that it will be ready in time for lunch. You might be tempted to remove the chicken from the oven sooner, but don’t. The chicken won’t be crispy and tender enough, or the potatoes fully cooked.Makes 6-8 servings ■ 6-8 legs or other chicken pieces■ ½ cup spicy chili peppers■ 2 Tbsp. olive oil■ 1 Tbsp. soy sauce■ 1 Tbsp. onion soup mix■ 1 tsp. cumin■ 1 Tbsp. honey or silan■ 1 Tbsp. tomato paste or 1 tomato, grated■ ½-¾ cup water■ Salt and pepper, to taste■ 6 garlic cloves, whole or chopped thinly■ 1 large onion, sliced■ 1 carrot, cut into strips■ 1 zucchini, cut into quarters■ 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes or quartersClean the chicken pieces well. If you want, you can remove the skin from the chicken, but I don’t recommend doing so, since the skin helps keep the meat juicy.Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Add the chicken pieces and mix well until all the chicken pieces are covered. Arrange the chicken pieces, as well as the onion, carrot, zucchini and potato pieces, in the pan. Cover with baking paper and close tightly with foil (shiny side down).Place the pan in a preheated oven (180°) for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 150° and cook for another 90 minutes. Remove the foil and baking paper, baste chicken and vegetables in pan juices and then cook for another 30-60 minutes until brown and crispy. Baste the chicken with pan juices from time to time.SPICY GRILLED CHICKEN This is the absolute easiest recipe to prepare, but you do need to pay close attention and follow the directions properly. While the chicken is roasting, you must make sure it is covered with enough sauce so that it doesn’t dry out.Makes 8-10 servings■ 1 whole chicken (1.3-2 kg.)■ 2 onions■ 2 potatoes■ 6 garlic cloves, crushed■ 2 Tbsp. harissa■ 1 Tbsp. hot or sweet paprika■ 1 tsp. turmeric■ 3 Tbsp. olive oil■ Salt and pepper, to taste■ ½ cup waterClean the chicken well and pat dry. Peel the onions and potatoes.Stuff one of the onions inside the chicken and cut the other one into slices. Cut the potatoes into slices, too.In a large bowl, add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well.Spread mixture over chicken. Place the onion and potato slices in a pan that can hold a whole chicken and then place the chicken on top.Pour any leftover sauce on top.Cover with baking paper and then close well with aluminum foil (with the shiny side face down). Place the pan in a preheated oven (180°) for 1.5 to 2 hours. Baste the chicken with pan juices from time to time. Remove the foil and baking paper and continue cooking the chicken for another 30 minutes until it’s brown and crispy.CHICKEN THIGHS IN TURMERIC AND ROSEMARYMakes 4 servings■ 4 chicken thighs, cut up■ 2 medium onions, sliced■ 6 whole garlic cloves■ Leaves from two sprigs of rosemary■ ½ cup parsley, chopped■ 1 Tbsp. turmeric■ 3 Tbsp. olive oil■ ½ cup dry white wine■ ¼-½ cup water■ Salt and pepper, to tastePlace all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, making sure to cover chicken pieces well. Transfer chicken pieces to a pan, making sure there’s no overlap.Cover with baking paper and close with aluminum foil (shiny side down).Place the pan in a preheated oven (180°) for 90 minutes. Baste the chicken with pan juices from time to time.Remove the foil and baking paper, lower oven temperature to 160°-170° and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes.
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