18 Ways to Make Chicken (Yes, Chicken) Exciting (Yes, Exciting) Again
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Judy Mancini1/18Crisp That Skin
There are few things better than a roasted chicken with crispy, crackling, golden-brown skin, but as anyone who has ever slid a seasoned bird into a hot oven knows, getting it right can be a challenge. On a quest to find the absolute best way to produce a crispy-skinned roasted chicken, writer and recipe developer Mindy Fox spent five days coating chickens in baking powder, rubbing them in salt, poking them with metal skewers, and smoking up her kitchen. The results of her crispy-skin investigation—and the recipe she created for a no-fuss version of the best method she discovered—can be found here.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz2/18Use the Juice!
You can make a pan sauce for your chicken, or coat crispy bites in a sticky blend of soy sauce and honey. But the best sauce may be the one the chicken makes itself. Spoon chicken juices over any finished dish for a final dose of salty umami, or follow this recipe's cue and stir the juices into plain Greek yogurt to make a creamy sauce with zero effort (you’ll need about ¼ cup chicken pan juices for every cup of yogurt). Whichever way you go, you're going to need some bread to pick up any juices that get left behind in the pan.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka3/18Use the Fat!
Schmaltz, the golden elixir that comes from rendering the fat from a chicken, has a long history of use in the Jewish kitchen. And while it’s delicious in chopped liver, kugel, and latkes, its rich flavor can be applied in so many more places. Replace the butter, oil, or lard in any savory recipe with schmaltz (think biscuits and gravy! Savory pies! Mayonnaise!) and watch that dish take on all the warm, comforting flavors of roast chicken. Schmaltzy cornbread with green chicken chili? Now that’s worth kvelling about. Check out a few more of our favorite ways to schmaltz it up here.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz4/18Make It in Milk (or Yogurt)
Jamie Oliver made the world do a double-take when he took the classic Italian method of cooking pork in milk and applied it to chicken. Now, we think the world is ready for the next step: cooking—not just marinating, but cooking—a chicken in yogurt. "The lactic acid in dairy, especially yogurt, has a tenderizing effect," says Claire Saffitz, who developed this gingery, garlicky yogurt-braised chicken dish. But the appeal of yogurt goes beyond mere texture. "It’s a good canvas for other flavors. I love making it spicy. You can add a ton of garlic. You can even add a little honey." And you know what makes a great sauce for yogurt-braised chicken? More yogurt.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell5/18Fix It with Fruit
One of the best things about chicken is its easygoing nature—it tastes delicious with almost any flavoring you throw its way, from Moroccan harissa to Indian curry. But that doesn’t mean that chicken doesn’t play favorites. And as much as chicken loves spice, there's just something harmonious about chicken and fruit. For proof of this concept, go old-school Chinese-American and fry up chunks of dark-meat chicken in a cornstarch batter, then toss them in a savory orange sauce. Roast a chicken surrounded by sweetly caramelized grapes and shallots. Baste chicken wings with an irresistible sticky-sweet peach glaze. Braise chicken legs in a cidery, mustardy sauce with plenty of apples, wine, and onions. Or bake chicken quarters on a bed of tomatoes and garlic. Because tomatoes, of course, may be chicken's favorite fruit of all.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova6/18Make Acid an Asset
Did we say that chicken loves fruit? Well, for those that find the combo of savory chicken and sweet fruit a little too kid-friendly, we present our other favorite way of flavoring chicken: adding a hit of acid. A double shot of both red-wine and balsamic vinegars give backbone to this pancetta-dosed chicken braise, while the acids in vinegar help tenderize dark-meat chicken before frying. Or just squeeze a lime into a bowl of chicken pho (or Persian-style chicken and rice) and watch every spice come to life.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson7/18Cook It Forevvvvvvver
High-heat roasting gets all the glory when it comes to chicken (hey, if Thomas Keller says to cook a bird at 450°F, who are we to argue?). But while those infernal temperatures definitely deliver bronzed skin and juicy meat, we’re also partial to the polar opposite strategy: cooking the bird for way, way longer than seems sane. Do this, and your chicken gets fall-apart tender and (warning: controversial food word approaching) succulent. But it’s not just the texture that’s seductive. The taste of a chicken that’s been hanging out in the oven for about 3 hours is mysteriously deeper, more savory, and just more chickeny. Can a high-heat oven do that?
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson8/18Make Chicken Bread
Chicken + bread. Are you familiar with this dynamic duo? Maybe you’ve heard of roasting a whole chicken atop thick slices of sourdough bread, so the bread gets saturated with salty, umami-packed chicken flavor and becomes extra-crispy—at least in theory. In practice, this technique has its drawbacks, so we’ve got a new method for making Chicken Bread that’ll knock your socks off.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova9/18Pound It!
The uneven thickness and shape of skinless boneless chicken breasts makes them hard to cook evenly: by the time the center of the thickest part is fully cooked, the other parts are overcooked. Plus without the bones blocking direct heat and the skin keeping the meat moist while it cooks, the breast tends to dry out. But there's an easy way to combat skinless boneless chicken breasts' shortcomings: pound them to a flat, even thickness. Once thoroughly pounded, chicken breasts cook incredibly quickly and evenly, and can be simply seared to deep golden-brown in a super-hot skillet. And when topped with a simple sauce or herby bread salad—as in this recipe—a thin, crispy chicken breast is a truly special and satisfying thing to slice into for dinner.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson10/18Rack It!
The chicken cooking method we’re about to recommend is not for the weak. In fact, almost all the negative reviews on this recipe are from naysayers who never had the guts to actually try it. But you're a brave, independent cook, so we know you'll believe us when we tell you that roasting your whole chicken directly on the oven rack—yes, right on the rack—is actually a completely sound strategy. Position a pan of potatoes and shallots on the rack underneath the chicken, and the bird's juices will drip down onto the vegetables, basting them with salty, savory flavor. At the same time, the chicken will turn golden brown and crisp on all sides, since there’s no baking pan to block the oven’s heat. The only catch? You’ll need a little elbow grease to scrub the rack afterwards. Like we said, it's not for the weak.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Judy Mancini11/18Ice It!
Well, you're going to want to cook it first. More specifically to poach it. Even more specifically, to poach it Hainan-style, a Chinese cooking technique in which a whole chicken is poached briefly and then allowed to sit in the hot stock for a while before receiving a final dunk in an ice bath to stop the cooking. (Get out your biggest bowl for this one.) The result is perfectly cooked, incredibly juicy chicken that is absolutely delicious, especially when paired with a gingery, scallion-laced dipping sauce. Here's how to do it.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova12/18Freeze It!
Breaded chicken cutlets are one of those fail-safe family meals that you know everyone will always be happy to eat, but they can be a bit of a pain in the neck to make on a weeknight, what with all the pounding and dipping and breading and frying—and the consequent pile of dishes to wash. The solution? Bread and freeze them ahead of time using the genius tricks in this recipe, which yields crispy cutlets at a moment's notice, no messy dredging or frying necessary.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Molly Baz13/18Take the Bone Out, Leave the Skin On
The boneless, skin-on chicken thigh (and chicken breast!) is a modern marvel: juicy meat, crispy skin, and no teeth-breaking bones to get in the way. But these cuts of chicken aren't available in grocery stores (yet). So if you want juicy/crispy dinners like our new chicken teriyaki, you have to learn this simple technique.
14/18Make It Cold-Pan Crisp
It's happened to all of us: you get the cast iron hot, swirl in the oil, lay the chicken thighs skin-side down, and then: shriveling. The skin tightens on contact with the hot oil, exposing bare thigh meat. And, even worse, sometimes that tight, shriveled skin never gets crisp. Enter our patented (actually not patented at all) Cold-Pan Method, perfected by Epi’s Anna Stockwell: Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a large skillet and just lay the chicken thighs, skin-side down, in the cold pan. Turn the heat to medium and watch as the skin gently, gradually renders its fat and begins to sizzle. Twelve minutes later, the skin will be golden brown, and you can slide the chicken into a hot oven to finish cooking. The result? Audibly crunchy chicken skin that covers the whole thigh—and shatters with every bite.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell15/18Add a Crazy Crunch
Breadcrumbs, panko, almonds—all of these things will give a chicken cutlet crunch. But when you're a schnitzel/milanese/katsu fanatic—and if you aren't, you might consider becoming one, because life is better that way—you reach for new cutlet coatings. Pretzels are a good start. Making your coating green with tons of parsley and thyme never hurts. Ritz crackers? Corn Flakes? Chips? Triple yes. Salt and vinegar chips? Now you're really talking.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson16/18Reach for the Rice
Chicken has comfort food on lock in more ways than one. Sure, chicken soup cures everything from homesickness to the flu. But even soup can’t compete with the pairing of chicken with rice. Combine these two ingredients (both of which have been falsely accused of being bland) in soul-soothing recipes such as this creamy Filipino rice porridge spiked with scallions, ginger, and an umami-packed hit of fish sauce. Or poach chicken and use the broth to cook up a pot of chicken-scented Chinese rice. Maybe the Spanish classic arroz con pollo is more your speed? Or maybe you don’t need comfort at all. That’s cool. Chicken and rice isn’t all about coziness—rice can also be a welcome player in summery dishes like these mango-filled chicken lettuce wraps.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson17/18Find the Fricassee
People talk poetically about their grandmother's roast chicken, but real talk? Grandma was probably more into making chicken fricassee. That’s because chicken fricassee—which is just another name for pan-braised chicken, with the meat cooked to melting tenderness and the pan juices simmered down into a silky sauce—doesn't require turning on the oven. And it’s a simple technique with countless variations, from a creamy, nearly instant French version with leeks and cream to a super-aromatic take with artichokes and morel mushrooms. Try it and you'll be living proof that sometimes the newest way to love a chicken is the way we all forgot.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson18/18Make Chicken Chicharrón
The only thing more impossible than perfecting crispy chicken skin? Re-perfecting it. No matter how shatteringly wonderful you got it the first time around, you can’t get around the sadness of flabby, leftover chicken skin. It's just begging to be torn off, fried in its own fat, and turned into chicken chips. Here's how it's done.
