Whole Chicken

(Braised Chicken with Chilies and Chinese Long Beans) The intoxicating seasoning paste in this Eurasian stew may be used to flavor chicken, beef, lamb, or seafood.

Remove the skin and fat from a whole cut-up chicken to make this Middle Eastern dish.

A simple but flavorful poultry main course.

At the beach in Malta, the locals eat fried rabbit, rather than burgers, with fries. I've adapted the recipe by using chicken and sweetening the gravy with a touch of honey.

Potatoes roasted with olive oil and chopped fresh rosemary are a nice accompaniment. What to drink: Poggio del Sasso.

Renee brings the flavors of the Middle East to her special Friday-night chicken. Roast chunks of butternut squash and potatoes alongside to cook the whole meal at once. Look for roasting chickens next to the fryers.

Tandoori Murghi Of all the food cooked in a _tandoor,_the most popular and the best-tasting is chicken. The distinctive flavor, texture, and color of this dish are achieved by a particular yogurt marinade, by the use of tenderizers, a special tandoori coloring, and finally, by being cooked in the Indian clay oven. The recipe given here is designed for the conventional oven and charcoal grill. (Household-model tandoors are not yet commercially available in the United States.) The results are very much to my satisfaction.

A classic roast chicken enlivened with an herbed olivada (olive paste) that is rubbed under the skin. The olivada can be prepared one day before you cook the chicken. What to drink: A crisp white wine or a light, fruity red works well with this menu. For white, Pinot Grigio is a great choice; for red, try a Valpolicella Classico.

Mashed potatoes or squash side-dishes would be perfect with this.

I came up with this recipe one day when I was boiling a big old hen for chicken soup and had plenty of meat left over, but if you don't care to fool with that, the casserole can easily be made with a nicely roasted chicken picked up in a deli or supermarket.

(Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Olives)

A sensational version of roast chicken that is great with rice.

This was inspired by a classic dish at San Francisco's Zuni Cafe. Uncork a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir to accompany the menu.

In the eighties, the popularity of this homestyle dish caused take-out rotisserie chicken shops to spring up across the country.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr