Chicken

If you have never experimented with Thai ingredients before, try this recipe—the flavors are mental. Lemongrass, coconut milk, basil, lime: They all hit the palate in perfect harmony. If you love Thai food, this is a great dish to start playing around with—and it’s very easy. The floral aroma of green curry simmering on the stove is hypnotic. Kaffir lime leaves are crucial to this dish and are worth the trip to your local Asian market. Serve with Perfect Steamed Jasmine Rice (page 240).

This is a quick throw-together with intense Moroccan flavor. Cooking the chicken on a rack allows the oven’s heat to circulate around the bird and cook it faster. Serve the chicken with Baked Eggplant with Sesame Yogurt and Mint (page 262).

Pot pie has come long way. I recently went to a charity event in New York City, at which David Bowie was the guest of honor. The main course? Chicken pot pie. Go figure! Frozen puff pastry sheets work really well here without compromising the dish, but allow an hour or more to thaw the frozen sheets. Serving individual pot pies makes for a great presentation. You can pick the crocks up at any kitchen store or use 2-cup ramekins if you already have them.

Give yourself plenty of time to marinate the chicken; I usually do this the morning I plan to serve it. The smashed broccoli and garlic remind me of the soft, overcooked vegetables of my youth. It’s mushy and satisfying. To me, chicken and broccoli is a classic combination that doesn’t need rice or potatoes to go with—it’s perfect the way it is.

I love this dish for the simple ingredients and hearty, rustic flavors. Braising the chicken in red wine actually tenderizes the meat, as well as imparting a beautiful purple hue. “Leggy” red wine means to me a heavy wine with depth and body. Depending on whether or not each of you can eat half a chicken, you will probably have leftovers. Soft, creamy polenta (page 244) is a great accompaniment.

Just as you would never find chow mein in China, I don’t think you’d find this salad anywhere in Asia, but the concept is a popular one. In my version, chicken breasts are roasted, not deep-fried.

Roast a selection of seasonal vegetables right along with the chicken breasts to make a delicious meal. Turnips, carrots, onions, and potatoes are perfect for a winter evening.

This simple recipe might well replace a turkey for a special holiday meal. The even browning that the convection oven offers and repeated basting with the slightly spicy glaze guarantee beautifully burnished, succulent little birds.

Fragrant with garlic, lemon juice, and butter, this may just become a favorite. Soak up the tasty pan juices with crusty French bread.

You can double or triple this recipe, although you probably won’t need to increase the egg mixture until the recipe is quadrupled.

My husband loves tortilla chips, but he won’t touch those little pieces left in the bottom of the bag, so I crush them with a rolling pin to make a coating for boneless chicken breasts. This family favorite can be easily expanded into a party meal. Ordinarily, I serve his with rice, and sometimes I like to add black beans, too.

While the chicken roasts (it only takes about 30 minutes), prepare one of these sauces to dress it up, or simply serve with mashed potatoes and gravy prepared with the pan drippings.

I’ve baked these spicy chicken breasts for crowds, and always receive lots of compliments. The original recipe was for grill-cooking, but this version works year-round.

This simple sweet-hot glaze is one to remember when you’re down to the wire at dinnertime. Keep the ingredients on hand in your cupboard, ready to dress up ordinary chicken parts. Cover leftover glaze and store it in the refrigerator; it will keep for several weeks. In the convection oven, the chicken cooks quickly, retaining its tenderness and juiciness.

Crunchy with peanuts and marinated in a richly flavored Asian-style sauce, this is good with steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried snow peas.

Roast chicken is a simple but perfect dish when convection roasted: the meat is juicy and the skin is brown and crisp. I reach for fresh herbs in the summertime or dried ones in the winter and a bit of butter, then slip them under the breast skin before baking. When there’s absolutely no time, I just put the chicken in the oven. Be sure to place the chicken on a rack above a shallow roasting pan for perfect air circulation. To turn this into a one-dish meal, add some vegetables—carrot chunks, potato cubes, onion wedges, fennel sticks, cut-up zucchini, or anything in season. Roast them in a single layer in a shallow baking pan beneath the chicken. Following this basic recipe, I give my favorite variations.

I’ve discovered that poultry really is juicier and more flavorful when it is brined. But the amazing thing is that when you add spices to the brine, the chicken picks up the flavors. I threw in a couple tablespoons of a special hot chimayo chile powder bought on a whim. Not only did the rich chile flavor come through, but the chicken also had just a pleasant hint of hotness. Convection roasting adds another measure of juiciness to the chicken, sealing in the juices. Sometimes I scrub a couple of baking potatoes, rub them with olive oil, and place them in the oven to roast right along with the chicken.

This is a simple country-style roast chicken with a garlicky wine marinade. Roast small red or fingerling potatoes while the chicken cooks. Add them to the oven after the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes. You can even add a pan of popovers (page 191) to the oven. They will be done in about 1 hour.

Chicken-wing drumsticks are a favorite appetizer and are so quick and easy to prepare and cook in the convection oven. For a bit more fire, add crushed red pepper flakes to the marinade.

These little cubes of chicken resemble chicken nuggets and are perfect when you’re trying to think of something to feed children. Eliminate the hot spices if the kids object (but one of my granddaughters announced, “I like hot!”).