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Spring 2008

Collections: Weeknight Chicken Recipes

Dress up family dinners with four delicious recipes, each requiring only minimal prep time
Written By
Heather Garvin
Photographs by
Christopher Brown

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Chicken, Blue Cheese, & Caramelized Onion Pizza
Chicken Tortilla Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing
Chicken & Rice Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Could your weeknight dinner repertoire use a creative revamp? In the spirit of spring cleaning, say goodbye to the same old uninspired meals and bring in some newcomers (without adding hours in the kitchen).To get you started, we’ve taken chicken—a healthy, easy standby—and upgraded it into four low-maintenance recipes. We recommend roasting a whole bird on Sunday for use in two or three meals throughout the week.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Serves
6
Ingredients 
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbs. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp. fennel seed
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 4 cups cooked penne rigate
  • 1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts
  • 2 roasted red peppers (from a jar), cut into strips
  • 1 (10 oz.) jar pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
  • 1 (3 oz.) jar nonpareil capers
  • 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
  • 2 cups diced cooked chicken, any skin removed (preferably white meat)
Directions 

To make the vinaigrette, blend the garlic cloves and salt in a food processor until minced. Add sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, and seasonings, pulsing until the tomatoes are roughly chopped. With processor on, slowly pour olive oil in until vinaigrette is just emulsified. (The vinaigrette can be made one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. The oil will separate, but just bring to room temperature and stir before tossing with salad components.)

Combine the pasta with the remaining salad ingredients and toss gently with the vinaigrette. This salad can be made the day before using. Bring to room
temperature before serving.

Chicken, Blue Cheese, & Caramelized Onion Pizza

Serves
4
Ingredients 
  • 1 ready-made 12-inch pizza crust
  • 2 large yellow onions
  • 2 Tbs. butter or olive oil
  • 1 Tbs. sugar
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • Olive oil for brushing
  • 1 ½-2 cups diced cooked chicken, any skin removed
Directions 

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Set pizza crust on an ungreased sheet pan and set aside.

Halve the onions and slice lengthwise into thin strips. Heat the butter or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions to pan and cook, stirring often, for approximately six minutes until beginning to brown. Add the sugar and season onions to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium.

Continue to cook until onions are soft and dark brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add one tablespoon of water to the pan and stir the onions, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Once the water evaporates, remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the cheeses in a small bowl. Lightly brush the crust with olive oil and spread two-thirds of the cheese mixture evenly over crust. Top with chicken and caramelized onions, and sprinkle the remaining cheese mixture over top.

Cook for 10-13 minutes until cheese is bubbly. For a crisper crust, remove the pizza from the sheet pan the last few minutes of cooking. Cool slightly before slicing.

Chicken Tortilla Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

Serves
4
Ingredients 
  • 5 six-inch corn or flour tortillas
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • Salt and chili powder (optional) to taste
  • 4 hearts of Romaine lettuce or one head of iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup shredded carrot
  • 1 ripe avocado, cut into wedges
  • Approximately 2 cups pulled cooked chicken

For the honey-lime dressing:

  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup olive oil
Directions 

Halve the tortillas and thinly slice. Working in batches, fry the strips until golden, about two minutes. Transfer to paper towels with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with salt and chili powder.

Whisk all salad dressing ingredients together, slowly pouring in the oil at the end while still mixing.

Combine shredded lettuce, carrot, avocado, and chicken in a large serving bowl. Toss with the dressing and top with tortilla strips. Serve immediately.

Chicken & Rice Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Recipe by Heather Garvin

(Serves 4 as a main course)
Prep time: 15 minutes; cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients 
  • 8 medium poblano peppers
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 bunch green onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 plum tomatoes, finely diced
  • 1 ¼ cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups cooked white rice
  • 2 cups diced cooked chicken, any skin removed
  • 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or cut into small pieces
Directions 

Line an eight-inch square pan with foil or wax paper. Spray the foil or paper with nonstick spray and set aside. Heat a grill to medium heat or preheat the oven to 350ºF. Wash the peppers, cut off and discard the tops, and clean the insides of all seeds and membrane. To make the filling, heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté the green onion, tomato, and corn with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper until soft, about four minutes. Fold in the white rice and diced chicken. Remove from heat. Allow filling to cool and stir in the cheese. Divide rice mixture evenly among eight peppers and stuff. (Peppers can be stuffed one day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.) If grilling, spray the preheated grill grates with cooking spray, place the stuffed peppers on the grill, and close the lid. Turn the peppers every five to six minutes, and cook until they are well-charred on each side. The peppers are finished once the filling is hot and the flesh is soft, about 30 minutes. Alternatively, the peppers can bake in the oven on a greased baking sheet until the cheese is melted and the peppers are heated through, about 30 minutes. Place under the broiler for the last five minutes of cooking, turning once halfway through, to achieve a similar charring that you would get from the grill.

Photograph by Christopher Shane