Chicken Tonight: May 2010

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Get dinner on the table in no time with a weekly collection of chicken recipes that are quick, easy, and guaranteed to please your family.

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Saffron-Marinated Chicken Skewers

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Marinating the chicken pieces in a saffron-scented yogurt mixture gives this Indian-style chicken an exotic flavor, yet it's super-easy to make.

Saffron-Marinated Chicken Skewers Recipe

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Honey Chicken Wings

Start with a jar of salsa for this 4-ingredient appetizer wing recipe. Simply adding honey and ginger to store-bought salsa turns it into a super-flavorful coating.

Honey Chicken Wings Recipe

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Chicken-Cheese Spread Gift Box

Chicken-Artichoke-Cheese Spread Gift Box

Bring the retro appetizer that everyone at the party's talking about. Chill a chicken-cream cheese spread in a loaf pan, then make it into the shape of a box by cutting the loaf in half crosswise and placing one half on top of the other.

Chicken-Cheese Spread Gift Box Recipe

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Chicken and Rice With Black Beans

Photo: William Dickey; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Online reviewers give this recipe five stars for being an easy weeknight dish. Because it's brimming with veggies in addition to the rice, chicken, beans, and cheese, it really is a one-dish meal.

Chicken and Rice With Black Beans Recipe

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Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro

This is a great choice for busy weeknights as you can cook the entire recipe in one skillet and because most of the ingredients are items that are easy to keep on hand in the pantry.

Parmesan Chicken and Rice Recipe

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Spanish Chicken and Rice

Photo: Marcus Nilsson

Tomatoes, garlic, onion, peas, and olives give this easy chicken dish its Spanish flair. If you prefer not to cook with wine, just substitute 1 cup of chicken broth.

Spanish Chicken and Rice Recipe

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Island Chicken and Rice

Bring the flavor of the islands to your table with this chicken dish featuring coconut milk, pineapple juice, and toasted macadamia nuts.

Island Chicken and Rice Recipe

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Saffron Chicken and Rice with Dates

Randy Mayor; Jan Gautro

Chicken seasoned with saffron and cooked with dates and tomatoes is typical of North African cuisine. Since saffron is fairly expensive, you can substitute ground turmeric and still get great results.

Saffron Chicken and Rice with Dates Recipe

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Chicken and Peppers with Coconut Rice

Photo: Kana Okada

Simplify dinner by cooking the chicken and peppers in a skillet first, then cooking the bean side dish in the same skillet after you remove the chicken. And you can make plain white rice seem more special by replacing a portion of the cooking water with coconut milk.

Chicken and Peppers with Coconut Rice Recipe

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Baked Chicken and Rice

Photo: John Kernick

Instead of cooking the rice separately, combine uncooked rice with canned tomatoes, chicken both, and orange juice, then bake it along with the chicken in a casserole dish. It's a perfect solution for getting the chicken and the rice done at the same time.

Baked Chicken and Rice Recipe

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Sweet-and-Sour Chicken and Rice

Truly a one-dish meal, everything is cooked in one Dutch oven, making both cooking and cleanup easy as can be.

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken and Rice Recipe

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Chicken-and-Rice

Use convenience products such as ready-to-serve rice, frozen peas, and canned mushrooms to help you get dinner on the table in about 35 minutes. You might try other shortcuts such as using microwave bacon and frozen chopped onion.

Chicken-and-Rice Recipe

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Creole Chicken and Vegetables

This speedy one-dish meal is a great way to bring the flavors of New Orleans to your table without spending all day in the kitchen. The use of frozen veggies, quick-cooking rice, and a few on-hand spices are the secrets to speed. Watch the video for more prep tips.

Creole Chicken and Vegetables Recipe

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Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo

Not all gumbos are full of seafood—this one brims with pieces of tender chicken and spicy sausage. And, in keeping with the tradition of gumbos, it's thickened with a rich roux and filé powder.

Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo Recipe

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Chicken Muffuletta

Photo: Jan Smith

Muffalettas are one of the signature sandwiches of New Orleans, and this chicken version is considerably lower in fat than the traditional ones packed with ham and salami. But it still has the olive salad that sets muffalettas apart from other sandwiches.

Chicken Muffuletta Recipe

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Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

William Meppem

Jambalaya is a signature dish of Creole cuisine and is a one-skillet meal featuring cooked rice with vegetables and almost any kind of meat. Chicken and andouille sausage are the stars here, with a supporting cast of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Recipe

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Chicken Creole

BECKY LUIGART-STAYNER

Creole cooking and Cajun cooking have some similarities but are not exactly the same. Creole cuisine tends to be a little more elegant and often features more tomatoes and fewer spices than Cajun dishes. This Creole chicken dish features both cubed chicken and ham cooked in a mixture of tomatoes, herbs, and white wine. Turn it into a complete meal by serving it with rice.

Chicken Creole Recipe

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Cajun Oven-Fried Chicken

Photo: Karry Hosford

Add a touch of Cajun spice to this all-time favorite Southern dish. Because it's oven fried, this chicken has less than 4 grams of fat per serving.

Cajun Oven-Fried Chicken Recipe

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Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce

Think of crab cakes, but with chopped cooked chicken breast instead of crabmeat. When you're watching your pennies, this is a great choice. The quick and easy Creole sauce is made with light mayo, yogurt, Creole mustard, and a bit a ground red pepper for an extra kick.

Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce Recipe

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Chicken Cacciatore

Photo: Dana Gallagher

The online audience loves this Real Simple recipe, and one reviewer claims "When I make this dish it's like Giada came to my house and made it herself!"

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

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Chicken Piccata with Capers

Photo: Lee Harrelson

To make this classic Italian recipe, brown thin pieces of chicken in a skillet, deglaze the pan with lemon juice, wine, and capers, and serve over pasta. It's easy enough for weeknight family fare but special enough for company.

Chicken Piccata with Capers Recipe

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Herbed Chicken Parmesan

Photo: Lee Harrelson

Take a shortcut with this classic Italian dish and use a jarred pasta sauce instead of making tomato sauce from scratch. Mixing herbs into the breadcrumb coating is an easy way to add extra flavor.

Herbed Chicken Parmesan Recipe

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Chicken and Basil Calzones

Photo: Beau Gustafson; Styling: Cindy Barr

Making calzones is easy when you start with a can of refrigerated pizza crust dough. Because this recipe features ground chicken breast in place of ground beef, it's lower in fat and calories than a traditional meat-stuffed calzone.

Chicken and Basil Calzones Recipe

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Grilled Chicken with Italian Salsa

Lee Harrelson

Make a simple salsa with fresh tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, and a splash of orange juice, and spoon it over grilled herbed-marinated chicken breasts.

Grilled Chicken with Italian Salsa Recipe

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Italian Chicken with Chickpeas

Becky Luigart-Stayner; Melanie J. Clarke

This rustic meal is cooked in one skillet in about 20 minutes, making it ideal for a quick weeknight dinner. Pantry items such as canned tomatoes, canned chickpeas, and bottled minced garlic keep the preparation simple.

Italian Chicken with Chickpeas Recipe

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Chicken Stuffed with Sausage and Breadcrumbs

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Italian Sausage and Breadcrumbs

Randy Mayor

Stuffing chicken breasts with a mixture of sausage and breadcrumbs is a great way to turn plain chicken into an extraordinary entrée.

Chicken Stuffed with Sausage and Breadcrumbs Recipe

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Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Coat boneless chicken breast halves in crushed tortilla chips and pan-fry them for pieces of crispy, low-fat "fried" chicken. Serve on hearty Kaiser rolls that are spread with a tangy cilantro mayonnaise and top with lettuce and onion. Just leave off the mayo if your kids prefer a plain chicken sandwich.

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches Recipe

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Chicken Focaccia Sandwiches

Photo: Beau Gustafson

Top sliced chicken with onion, bell pepper, and cheese, and serve on focaccia bread for a quick and easy main dish sandwich.

Chicken Focaccia Sandwiches Recipe

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Sicilian Chicken