Cold weather makes us want to cozy up inside with something delicious and filling. Preferably with ingredients that we enjoyed growing up or which make us remember happy days.
For me, Chicken Paprikas is my most memorable and comfort giving chicken recipe, but for my husband it is Chicken and Dumplings. As a young wife and mother I often made Chicken Divan, or the more prosaically named “Chicken and Broccoli Casserole”.
If you are looking for good ideas of something, warm, and nourishing to cook with either chicken pieces or cooked leftover poultry, here are time tested favorites. I include the recipe for Chicken Divan here, and suggest, or give basic instructions for nine other recipes.
Economical, Tasty, Easy to Prepare
Three qualities of the classic chicken recipes our mothers and grandmothers cooked were: (1) they should be economical to make, (2) appeal to tastebuds, (3) and be easy to prepare. That last point is very important for busy people today.
Because there is a world of delicious chicken dinners out there- this cookbook delivers all sorts of recipes to keep your menus fresh and exciting. I love having new flavors for this mainstay meal. Never be at loss for the recipe you need for a family meal or a party favorite. So much more, this book is also a cooking course with details on food handling, techniques, and more.
Cook chicken beforehand, roast or stewed, and then cut into bite-size pieces. Frozen or canned pre-cooked chicken is also available for these easy recipes.
Most are casseroles:
Tetrazzini
King Ranch
A La King
Chicken and Broccoli (I always called it “Chicken Divan”)
Chicken Pot Pie
Tasty Chicken Divan
Chicken and Broccoli is classic comfort food.
Try It Tonight!
Try out this delicious chicken dish and then take a look at the list of the other nine, read a bit of culinary history and have a great meal. Bon appetit!
This recipe originated in New York at the Divan Parisien restaurant, but American cooks everywhere took the basic ingredients and method and made many recipes that included the time saving ingredients of the day (Campbell soups, in particular).
It doesn’t take that much effort to make the Mornay sauce, duplicating the original and making it more healthful. This way it returns to our table with less salt and without additives.
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ready in: 1 hour
Yields: 4 servings
2 boxes or 2 bunches Broccoli, frozen or fresh
4 Chicken Breasts, boneless
3 tablespoons Flour
3 tablespoons Butter
3/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Milk, or Half and Half
1/3 cup Cooking Sherry
1/2 cup Gruyère Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan, shredded or grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice
More Parmesan to cover
Buttered bread crumbs, for top (optional)
Cooked Rice for 4 people
Cook the chicken breasts in simmering water. Or use 4 cups of rotisserie meat.
Thaw frozen or cook fresh broccoli until just tender. Steaming lends more nutrition to the meal. 2 – 3 minutes
Preheat oven to 375°F
Make Mornay Sauce: In heavy saucepan melt the butter; whisk in the flour; pour in milk and whisk; cook until thick. Add cheeses. Stir in wine, add salt and pepper to taste.
Butter casserole dish; layer broccoli, chicken and sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle all with more Parmesan cheese. Add some buttered breadcrumbs if desired.
Bake 35 – 40 minutes. Serve over rice.
Try These All American Favorites
These recipes are tried and true All American favorites. Often easy to fix, nourishing, and one dish made them staples for busy families. Using leftovers for economy, if you haven’t tried them lately, it is time to put old fashioned home cooking back in your life again.
Roast Chicken Recipes
Many good recipes start out with cooked chicken. Learn how to roast a chicken for your meals.
King Ranch Casserole
Bit O’ History
Chicken Tetrazzini:
invented early in the twentieth century and named after Italian opera star, Luisa Tetrazzini. This casserole has many guises, but can be made with chicken and boasts a flavorful cream and wine sauce poured over spaghetti noodles and baked.
King Ranch Casserole:
Not from the King Ranch, this casserole gives chicken South Texas flavors. It is so venerable and beloved in its Tex-Mex territory that some think it should be designated the Texan state dish. “Texas take on chicken à la king”
Basically, make a white sauce with chicken stock, add sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, and a few green chiles, minced garlic and Ro-Tel (nothing takes the place of a can of Ro-Tel). Then moisten tortillas with chicken stock, layer tortillas, sauce, and then cooked chicken, with layers of shredded cheese (Jack or similar type), lasagna-style. Bake.
Chicken A La King
This predates King Ranch and is considered the base for it. A casserole that uses cooked chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce. It is a family favorite for generations. The story according to Epicurious is:
E. Clarke King of Dayton, Ohio, sent us “the original recipe,” which he claimed had been invented by George Greenwald, head chef at New York’s Brighton Beach Hotel, for his parents (who owned the hotel) in the early 1900s.
Chicken Divan
Originally created by a chef in the Divan Parisienne Restaurant in the New York Chatham Hotel, this became a mainstream favorite when Mom’s everywhere discovered how easy it was to make. It combines chicken, broccoli, savory seasoning in a cream sauce.
5 Recipes For Uncooked Chicken:
Start with raw chicken pieces that you either cut up yourself, or buy as your favorite chicken parts.
Chicken and Dumplings
Coq Au Vin
Chicken Paprikash
Spanish Rice and Chicken (Arroz Con Pollo)
Filipino Chicken Adobo
French Comfort: Coq Au Vin
French Coq Au Vin
10 Fantastic, Classic Chicken Dishes
Soy Sauce Marinated Legs with Asian Flavor
Authentic Chicken Adobo
Famous Hungarian Chicken Paprikash Make authentic Hungarian Paprikas and delight your friend and family. The underestimated cuisine that is world class deliciousness has a number of key recipes. This is one of the finest.
The Story Behind Famous National Poultry Dishes
French, Hungarian, Asian cuisines are famous far beyond the borders of the countries represented by them. Why have they become so famous? The answer may be no more mysterious than the delicious flavor that crosses borders effortlessly.
Coq au Vin
The English translation of “rooster in wine” is not as evocative a name as the original French one. The slow cooking and hearty ingredients combined with the rich flavor of the wine makes familiar fare magnifique. The story goes that King Henri IV of France promised every home a “chicken in their pot”, and a French chef, Paul Bocuse, arose to the occasion with this braised stew.
Chicken and Dumplings
Beloved all over America, but especially by German immigrants and Southerners, this is a one pot stew. Although there is speculation about the origins, I favor the idea that many Europeans loved this as a variation of their noodle dishes- the dumpling being something of a large, fat noodle!
Perhaps it came to popularity once again during the Great Depression, but it predates that time by centuries.
Hungarian Paprikas
Not possible before the Ottoman empire imported New World peppers sometime during the 16th century, the Hungarian paprika spice is now the emblem of all Hungary’s cookery. Matched with a cooling dollop of sour cream to the sauce, and chicken is transformed into a delight.
Filipino Chicken Adobo
This may be the unofficial national maindish, but it is the most recognizable Philippine entrée to most of us. The method of marinating predates the Spanish name of “adobo”, and the flavors of soy sauce and ginger are a basic part of Asian cooking. I think the resulting flavor is addictive- it is that delicious.
Delectable Dumplings
Chicken and Dumplings |
Poultry
Many recipes calling for cooked chicken can be made with turkey instead, and vice versa.
Dice Cooked Chicken into Bite-sized Pieces
Many great home cooked recipes use cooked chicken that is cut into chunks.
10 Meals To Make With Roast Chicken First roast a chicken, it’s easy! Then choose to make any of 10 delicious delicious dishes inspired by fine world cuisines.
Tip: Take Time to Cook
The quickest way to whip up a meal is to use pre-cooked ingredients, but for economical and more nutritious meals home cooked from scratch is best. The best of both can be accomplished with combining days when you cook enough chickento be used in casseroles which call for ready cooked meat, AND use freshly purchased poultry to use in dishes such as roasted and stewed meals.
Designate “cooking days” when you make more time intensive meals. Save the cooked chicken in storage bags or containers for later in the week.
Chicken and Rice
Delish Chicken Casserole -made savory with mushroom, rosemary, and sherry wine.<
Arroz con Pollo
Which Chicken Dish Meets Your Comfort Expectations?
Served with Nokeldi, a homemade noodle similar to German Spätzle
The Traditional Hungarian Chicken Dish with a Paprika Sauce
Would you like a recipe for chicken that is easy to make, cooks up in an hour, and is great enough to serve proudly to company? You would? Then this recipe for Chicken Paprikash should really be on your list of new dishes to try. Of course, if you have a Hungarian heritage like I do, it is already one of your family’s favorite meals.
My friends were always delightfully surprised at the mellow spiced flavors and the balance in this dish.
Real Hungarian Paprika
Never substitute other paprika if you wish to have the deliciously subtle taste of this authentic chicken dish.
Always use real Hungarian paprika, and not just any store-bought brand for the true flavor of Hungarian paprikas.
Hungarian families cook many variations
There are many ways to tweak this recipe. Some cooks add garlic, potatoes, a little tomato, and change around the basic method of simmering the bone-in chicken pieces, but this is the recipe I have used, and yes, I mix it around a little, but basically my way is as simple as possible.
The one thing that true Chicken Paprikash must always have is authentic Hungarian paprika. It is always a more tender and rich flavor than with paprika grown anywhere else in the world.
Here is my recipe, but with links to many renditions of this well loved dish, because they might tickle your taste buds with their variations. The fine points of Hungarian paprika are included for the true gourmet in you. Enjoy!
Chicken Paprikàs for Company
The aroma and taste will impress your guests.
Arguably the most loved and famous of Hungarian entrees. A dish as traditional as Chicken paprikas is going to have more than one rendition. Try this one for company, it is the classic way to prepare this Hungarian favorite. Cosy homemade food, but with a simple elegance that amkes it special for your guests.
Hungarian Chicken Paprikas
Famously iconic chicken with paprika sauce is a dish Hungary is famous for: tender meat simmered in a piquant and creamy paprikainfused sauce.
1 red sweet pepper or Hungarian banana peppers chopped or slicedchopped or sliced (optional)
2 to 3tbsp2 to 3 TBSP Hungarian sweet paprika
1 tsp saltor to taste
1/4 tsppepper
1 cupwater to cover ( or more)
1pintdairy sour cream
Equipment
everyday pan or large skillet
Method
Sauté sliced onion and the sweet pepper strips in the butter or oil until tender; remove and set aside.
Brown chicken (optionally dredged in flour) in the large frying pan used to sauté the onion and pepper.
Cook at moderate heat, add onions and water, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Cook until tender; remove to warm serving plate.
Add sour cream to make sauce (use low heat so as to not curdle the sour cream). Adjust flavor with additional seasoning, spice or salt.
Serve sauce over the chicken on a bed of cooked noodles.(Galuska are traditional)
Cooking Term: Dredge
Dredging is done by lightly coating food in a combination of flour and other dry ingredients. It promotes browning and keeps the meat moist.
Hungarian Cooking has the Ubiquitous Hungarian Pepper
Paprika (spice made from peppers) is the most iconic of Hungarian flavors. It is the basis for this famous chicken dish.
What to Serve with Paprikash?
These are the side dishes that complement the chicken:
Noodles, Dumplings, Roasted carrots. Pickled Vegetables, Grilled Mushrooms, Crusty Bread
Family Favorites
Every family has a favorite way of making this famous and delicious dish. Online I’ve seen white wine added to the sauce, tomato puree and other variations.
My mother’s family also had a version which I call Homestyle Chicken Paprikash”, which includes tomatoes and potatoes and dispenses with the sour cream thickening, at times. But the recipe for what I consider the best chicken paprikash is the first one posted here, the one I revert to when I want my own idea of comfort food.
Homestyle Variation
Like my Mother and Grandma Used to Make
Made in this manner, it is a more simple way to serve the flavors in a hearty Sunday meal. The pan can keep warm in the oven for a few hours while you are in Church. My grandfather was a pastor and we had Sunday dinner there whenever we visited.
Traditionally it started with soup, but this stewed version of Chicken Paprikas skips that course. I combines the entrée and side dishes into one easy recipe. Serve with rolls and cucumber salad.
Brown the Chicken in oil, with salt and pepper, first, to give the skin a nice color.
This dish can cook in the oven at low temperatures (slow cooked), and is probably fine for a slow cooker, although we always baked it in a glass roasting/baking pan and a large Dutch oven is fine, too.From my posting on Facebook Hungarian Recipes.
Homestyle Paprikash
An easy and delicious chicken stew with all the famous flavor of Hungarian paprikas
Brown the chicken pieces in oil; add to baking pan with quartered potatoes.
Cook onions and green peppers in chicken drippings until soft. Add to chicken in baking pan.
Add water. Sprinkle liberally with paprika, season with salt and pepper.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until done.You can toss in a tomato or two, if you wish.
Notes
Serve with or without noodles. Especially good served with slices of homemade bread!!!!
Which Paprikàs Recipe Do You Prefer?
Paprikas labeled into a bowl with dollop of sour cream
Nokedli Dumplings
Of course, you may use any type of egg noodle, but Chicken Paprikash tastes special with homemade little spaetzle-ype noodles. So easy, too!
You can use any recipe for Spaetzle or Nokedli dumplings.
Serves: 6 Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 egg
a little water added slowly
salt
Instructions
Mix ingredients together to a medium stiff dough. Place on a cutting board and use a knife to separate off little 1/4 inch dumplings into simmering stew or boiling water. When they rise to top they are done.
Dough may also be rolled into lump and grated into the broth using a large-holed grater.
Paprikàs Tips
Sliced onions are not only easiest, they are best. Forget mincing or chopping. Tomato sauce is for goulash, let the taste of the paprika and peppers reign in this dish. Stir a little of the chicken juices into the sour cream before adding it to make the final gravy.
Don’t ever let Paprika burn.
My Paprikash Pan
It can be used on the stovetop or in the oven, which means you can make either style of Paprikash in it. Great for one dish meals, with a large cooking surface and a cover. Sold on Amazon
My Favorite Cooking Pan – an Everyday Pan
I once used a Dutch oven for making hearty stews like Chicken Paprikas, or sometimes a deep sided fryer, but once I purchased an Everyday pan I fell in love with the way it cooks and serves this kind of meal beautifully.
Using a large attractive pan to prepare the meal means that it can be served attractively at the table, no need to plate separately.
The pan above is the exact one I own, it has a tempered glass cover and is made of aluminum encased in stainless steel. its sloping sides and flat bottom are great on my glass top cooking surface.
I Love to Prepare this Chicken Paprikas Method
Why all my Friends Love Paprikas Chicken!
In the Magyar language this dish is known as “Csirkepaprikas”, a staple recipe that can be dressed up enough for company or easy enough for regular family meals.
It may be served as a family dish with the meat picked off of the bone with more sauce. Classically, pieces of bone-in chicken are served on a platter, with a reduced sauce, thickened with sour cream, spooned over the top of noodles.
Unquestionably, freshly prepared noodles are preferred, but any good egg noodles will be almost as delicious.
The flavors of this dish are outstanding, the method of cooking is easy, and the ingredients are quite simple. That makes it an ingenious choice to add to your cooking repertoire.
Because you are a busy mom, what is better loved than a dinner that is easy to make and doesn’t take too long, but can be slow cooked, too? Reheated, it is even better.
I love the fact that the flavors are different enough to pique the tastebuds of most everyone, yet appeals to most palates, as well.
Your Favorite Hungarian Paprika – Hot, Sweet, or Smoked
sweet red pepper
No Narration, Visual Directions
Types of Hungarian Paprika – I prefer the Sweet for my Paprikash
The two most famous growing regions are Kalocsa and Szeged; you will notice they lend their names to brands of Hungarian paprika.
Extra special (Extra különleges)
Special (különleges)
Delicatess (Csemege)
Noble sweet (Édesnemes)
Rose (Rózsa)
Paprikash or Paprikàs?
What difference does an “h” make? Not much. Drop the “h”, add an accent mark with the diacritical ” à ” for the Hungarian spelling.
Learn How To Make Classic Hungarian Style Chicken
These recipes are as easy as they look- and absolutely delicious.
These are variations. All things considered, I don’t think you should add tomato sauce. That is more of a goulash type of dish, and prefer the simple recipe with less steps and less ingredients. I do sometimes add a tomato or two.
Hungarian Chicken Recipe Links – Other Paprikash Recipes
Sofia’s Chicken Paprikash Recipe | Eating Well Brilliant red paprika, the main seasoning in Hungarian cooking, gives this light version of chicken paprikash its color. Vary the heat by using hot, s
Warming, soothing soup—winter days are just made for serving a bowl of your favorite concoction of ingredients. The perfect way to serve it up is not straight from a saucepan or soup pot but graciously ladled from a soup tureen, and that is what this presentation is about: finding a lovely soup tureen or two for your table.
How many of us have memories of our grandmothers using a pretty tureen to serve the mandatory first course of hot soup? It was traditional in my Hungarian grandmother’s meals to have a beautiful transferware soup tureen filled to the brim with her wonderful simmering chicken soup. It started some truly memorable meals.
Unfortunately for me, my rambunctious boys broke that old tureen that I inherited, but that doesn’t mean I need ever do without a good lidded container to serve a special recipe for this cold weather necessity. There are so many beautiful choices, and with eBay, even a way to replace a beloved antique. Enjoy the tour through the tureen aisle, and don’t leave without putting one on your list for gracious meals that are in good taste (in more ways than one!).
What Is a Soup Tureen?
The origin of the word tureen comes from the French, who do all things comestible so well. A tureen is a broad, deep bowl shaped container that is used for serving foods such as soups or stews. Often with a lid to cover and keep the contents warm, as well. That, my friends, is the unvarnished way to describe the soup tureen, but the art of serving a good soup has made many tureens so much more than that explanation would imply.
Soup Tureens
Probably the tureen was originally simply an earthenware bowl, which may be guessed from the root of the name in the French (terrine) and even earlier Latin terms for “earthen.” These word roots became terrines or terrenes. Some of the earliest known were made in the early 1700s (the 18th century). They were not only porcelain or earthenware! For the table of the rich, silver serving dishes were also used for the staple soups and stews of the day.
Fine Silver Hollowware
Pair of soup tureens
In France, many of the fine silver tureens of the eighteenth century were melted down to finance wars, and are now, thus, very rare. Today, a modern design is usually made in silverplate for serving soups.
There are so many ingenious, even whimsical, designs for serving soup that it may be hard to make a choice! But whatever our dining décor, or favorite motif, there seems to be serveware to match. I had so much fun looking through the wide number of choices available, that it was hard to stop. Do you have a favorite? I still wish I had the brown transferware tureen of my grandmother!
The most common material for these serving containers are a type of ceramic or porcelain material, instead of silver metal, harking back to the original material for which tureens came by their name.
A tureen of either type is a way to ensure the soup stays hot at the table. A custom that might be revived is serving soups in tureens that combine design with clues to the type of soup served, such as a tomato soup in a tomato red tureen.
Or a fish chowder? Yes, there were (and are) covered bowls molded in the shape of fish, a sure giveaway that seafood flavors awaited the hungry diner.
It seems that this particular serving piece retained the freedom of expression that modern tastes left by the wayside in most of the dinnerware designs. Perhaps because the large piece that holds that hot start to the meal doubles as a centerpiece. Few of us manage to create these table decorations for most of our meals, but the decorative holder in the amusing shape or pretty color makes a perfectly acceptable substitution.
The cool white color highlights food so well, especially the greens or reds of summer soups. Wedgwood adds elegance to your table and makes a simple soup a dining event. Don’t you love Nantucket baskets, with their fine weaving and round shape? I do! Maybe that is what makes this design so appealing. A summer on Nantucket recalled all year with a graceful basket look, detailed down to the lock closure.
People usually think of soup as a winter warm-me-up, and cozy cool weather fare, but soup can be served cold as the perfect dish for a hot summer evening. It is light and filling at the same time. Some classics for summer repasts are gazpacho, chilled yogurt soups, and fruit soups.
There are as many summer recipes as your heart might desire, all of which are great served in a lovely tureen. My Hungarian grandfather loved his cold cherry soup in the morning.
To make the meatballs, combine the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and mix with hands.
Drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 30 minutes until browned, set aside.
For soup
For soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
Add the fresh dill and the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary.
Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted.
Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.
This tureen is one of the finest designs made by the famous Royal Copenhagen company. Flora Danica was made for royalty.
Royal Copenhagen blue fluted mega large tureen<
Royal Copenhagen tureen classic Danish design
The famous blue and white design “Blue Fluted” porcelain is one of the most popular designs and is still hand painted.
The Danish blue and white patterns of Royal Copenhagen are perhaps my all-time favorite designs for porcelain or even any type of ceramic. Its combination of detail with simplicity in what is an ideal marriage of blue and white is a look I keep gravitating to, even though there are so many styles of tableware that I might say I love. ( “That one! No, that one!” mentality is at work here)
But the Danish have been at the art of refining design and picking out the aesthetic essentials for a long time, and it is a design sense that appeals to people living in our hectic modern age. At least, that is my explanation for why this pattern has such longevity and popularity.
“Try this chicken soup, it is just like my grandmother’s.”
— Ilona
Royal Albert “Old Country Roses” soup tureen
Recipe 3: Hungarian Soup (Csirke Leves)
This soup is like one my grandmother used to make.
Hungarian Chicken Soup (Csirke Leves)
Delicious and nourishing chicken soup like MY grandma made.
Cook slowly for 1 hour or until the chicken is done. Strain before serving.
Notes
Don't substitute or forget the saffron- this is such an important part of the flavor of this soup.Remember, as well the difference that real Hungarian sweet paprika will make in all Hungarian sourced recipes.
This colorful and decorative soup server, in the painting, looks like it is porcelain or ceramic.
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, and drain.
Add 1 quart milk to potatoes and heat. Blend in the salt and pepper.
Cut butter into flour, and blend in egg and milk, using only enough milk to make the mixture thin enough to drop into the hot soup.
Drop by teaspoon into hot soup.
Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Serve at once.
Notes
If this sounds like a variation on mashed potatoes- it is comforting for that reason. If you wish to boost the falvors, think of your favorite potato toppings: bacon bits, a sprinkling of parsley, a dollop of sour cream- let your preferences quide you.
Collecting Majolica Pottery
https://youtu.be/hCvMeblKnsg?si=qUGxUyygl3tueFea
Victorian majolica is characterized by having molded shapes that are painted in colorful clear lead glazes. Italian tin-glazed pottery was colorfully painted on a white background. It was also called majolica ware.
<h4>Mock Turtle Soup</h4>
“Beautiful soup, so rich, and green
Waiting in a hot tureen.”
— The Mock Turtle in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
A gorgeous soup tureen Source: Paul Cézanne
A gorgeous soup tureen by Paul Cézanne
Transferware Tureens
Transferware refers to patterns applied by transferring the print from a copper plate to a specially sized paper and then to the pottery. Transferware can be in patterns of blue, brown, red, or other colors. Blue is probably the most common.
How About You?
Have a seat at the table, and tell us your memory of soup and how it was served. What was your all-time favorite recipe? And do you have something special to serve out your stews or soups?
Cooking, eating, and entertaining … it’s why I collect recipes and share them. Plus I’m half-Hungarian, which explains a lot.
Easy roast chicken yields more than one meal. Originally, I published this article in 2011 with all ten recipes plus the roast chicken one included. I think that format is awkward, and this post is dedicated mainly to instructions on roasting the best possible chicken. These recipes are a variation or two on the basic method.
The remainder of recipes are listed, and linked, so that each one is easy to access and print for a gallery of great meal possibilities. You won’t miss out on trying all ten.
Easy and Tasty Meals that People Love
Roast chicken is one of those simple, basic recipes that every beginning cook can master, but sometimes the way you flavor it can make this dish into something entirely new. Whether you buy one of those convenient roast chickens at the grocery store rotisserie or roast your own according to my easy directions, I will give you 10 (count them!) easy and delicious recipes for using roast chicken as a base or as a way to put leftovers to use.
Chicken is still one of the most economical of meat entrees and almost everyone likes this choice, which makes it great to cook for picky eaters and potlucks.
A few new ways to roast the bird, and other recipes to use the meat in a variety of ways await. Let’s start in on choosing, and how to, roast that basic chicken.
First You Have To Roast The Chicken
Make the best roast chicken ever. After you’ve tried my recipes …branch out and amaze your family with your repertoire. One of the great secrets when you first start to cook is how easy, delicious, and versatile roast chicken can be. From a basic roasted chicken are innumerable dishes to serve: herbed, sauced, in salads, in casseroles, all sorts of ways. It is very economical, too.
The absolute simplest directions for roasting your chicken are included here. For a few words of how to make it best, read on.
To get the most meat from the process buy a chicken called a “Roaster”. Any young whole chicken will do, but a roaster is a larger chicken with tender meat, usually between 5-7 pounds each. Yum!
Chickens are graded, and almost all chickens sold in your grocery store are “USDA grade A”. That means they are supposed to be firm, full breasted, meaty, no blemishes, no broken skin or broken bones. What are the other type of chicken designations? There are “broiler” and “fryer” chickens which are less than 6 pounds, normally. They can be roasted as well, they are just a smaller size and younger than the roaster chickens at the time of slaughter.
or buy one of those delicious rotisserie ones!
If you buy a rotisserie roasted chicken from your grocery the work is done for you and I think it works out to be more economical in many cases. Places like Sam’s Club and Costco sometimes use the larger roasting chickens, groceries such as Krogers often offer the smaller sizes. They all taste good to me.
For the recipe ideas you will simply need the chicken to cool enough to remove the meat from the bone. Then start cooking one of the ten ideas here!
Homecooked? Pro and Con
A few reasons that I can think of to do your own roasting are:
you can use organic meat if you wish,
get larger sizes of roasting chickens, or even a capon.
You can be sure of the quality of the meat, and the sanitary conditions of preparation.
A ready-cooked bird is so easy that time-consuming home cooking is almost not a consideration, and has only a small edge because of cleanup, etc.
There you have the pros and cons of the ready-ooked and the homecooked.
Roasting the chicken is so easy that you will be surprised. Try it at home.
Capon:What is it?
A capon is a castrated rooster. Good roasted.
Easiest Steps to Roast a Chicken
– A Four Step Program – There are many recipes for all sorts of roasted chickens, with flavors from herbs, with vegetables, glazed… but this is the very basic recipe and it will give you excellent results. Roast chicken is good like that. One of the easiest meals possible.
TIP:
Broil for 10 minutes, before placing in 450° oven for 20 min.The chicken will be juicier.
Roasting times and temperatures can vary. Chef Emeril says 500 °, others say differently. If the heat is higher, the time cooking is lower. The oven type makes a difference in both time and temperature.
Roast chicken isn’t picky, and you will get a good result no matter which recipe you follow, but some of the tips and adjustments in recipes will give you GREAT results. Try the above tip: broil, then roast.
Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold running water
Dry it thoroughly, I use paper towels. Then get a good vegetable oil, I use Olive Oil, rub completely over the chicken.
Salt and pepper the chicken inside and out. I use sea salt and cracked pepper. Now is the time to add poultry spices or a chicken spice rub, but it is not necessary.
Roast your chicken in a roasting pan at a moderate heat like 350 degrees. Time is according to weight, but figure about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The golden brown roasted skin and clear juices will indicate that it is done.
My Little Secret: sometimes I just douse the bird in Wishbone Italian Dressing before roasting. It is super delicious. Occasionally basting a few times while it is cooking.
Middle Eastern Roast Chicken Is Amazing
This recipe has exotic flavors that are bound to please your palate. Instructions for the ras-el-hanout spice rub is included. ( You may buy it at specialty groceries, on Amazon, or make your own)
Middle Eastern Roast Chicken
- unique Moroccan flavor-Prepare chicken for roasting, and then give a whole different flavor to it. Middle Eastern exotic spices make this a special dish to serve company. Try this at your next Hafla.
plus 1 tablespoon ras-el-hanout which you can buy in Middle Eastern groceries or spice section of some stores
Roast the Chicken with lemons
1Uncooked roasting chicken
1garlic clovepeeled
2small whole lemons- pierced all over with fork
Method
Make a paste of all the spice ingredients, the lemon peel, and the lemon juice, oil, and fresh mint, mash together and smear the chicken inside and out with the spice paste.
Put the lemons and garlic inside the chicken and truss the legs. Roast the chicken in a pan for about an hour or more. start out @ 400° for ten minutes or so, then drop the heat to 375° and roast until golden brown.
Notes
~~~~~~recipe for ras-el-hanout ~~~~~~~ 2 teaspoons coriander 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper 1 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon hot Spanish paprika 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Generous pinch saffron threads Preparation: In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the ground spices. Crush the saffron threads between clean, dry fingers, sprinkle over the spice mixture, and whisk again. Transfer the Ras El Hanout to an airtight container, and store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months.This recipe can be found at epicurious.com | Fine cooking also has a similar recipe "Roast Lemon Chicken with Garlic & Herbs"
Chopping tomatoes photo by Jakob Montrasio
Good Ingredients, Proper Equipment
These two factors make the difference in great cooking.
Sea salt makes a huge difference in taste, I think, and a good olive oil. I like a quality roasting pan, too.
Spices make a big difference. Look for the brands suggested and check the cooking tips!
Cooking Gear: Roasting Pan
Stainless steel with good heft makes for a solid roasting pan that will hold up to the use you are bound to require of it. A rack to keep the meat above the bottom of the pan
Ten Yummy Chicken Recipes with Roast Chicken
Besides the recipes on this page, try the rest of the meals utilizing meat from a roasted chicken. All are very simple to make.
When you need to make more than one meal at a time
When you need to stretch your budget
When you need something to serve either hot or cold- it is good either way
When having company to dinner
When serving more people than you anticipated (turn it into your favorite casserole)
When taking dinner to someone else
When you want something easy to fix
Julia Child’s Recipe – Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme
Fun French music and quick moves through all the steps to a great roast chicken meal.
A Julia Child recipe video to guide you through the roasting process and come up with a delicious meal of lemon-lavored roast chicken over watercress.
“Recipes I Found” Roast Chicken Link List
Sometimes I get the absolute best recipes from magazines or on the web. Here is my collection from on the web-yum!
Brown Sugar Glazed Capon From Cooking Light’s Easter menu for 2011. A Jewish flavored menu that is roast chicken at its best: glazed and gravied.
Lemony Roast Capon Epicurious put together Lemon, Thyme, and Onions to roast a fabulous dinner big enough and delicious enough for a holiday family feast.
Apricot stuffed roast chicken is going to become a holiday alternative to plain Jane turkey in your family recipe repertoire. This particular recipe is very rich in flavor.
The meal can’t be boring when adding jammy apricot glazed roast chicken that has a bread stuffing infused with herbs, tangy apricot pieces, and pecans.
When poultry is stuffed, it creates a much moister meat, as well as a side dish that cooks along with the main course.
Apricot Stuffed Roast Chicken
- Not just for holidays, get stuffed anytime-
Stuffing will make the cooking times longer, but takes care of the side dish by providing a savory dressing. I like it with fruit flavors, apricot here, but orange or apple could be substituted.
Rub chicken inside and out with the salt, pepper, (and poultry seasoning if desired)
Sauté onion, parsley, and celery in the butter until tender. Add the apricots and cook for a few minutes.
In a large bowl add the vegetables to the bread stuffing, add the nuts and pour in chicken broth. Mix well. Stuff the chicken.
Roast the chicken, basting with juices. After the roast has cooked for an hour and a half mix 1/4 cup of apricot jam with some juices from the roast, brush onto the roast for the last half hour or so of cooking.
Notes
Tips Be sure to stuff the chicken only right before cooking it. Be sure to remove all the stuffing after cooking and refrigerate leftovers separately from the chicken meat. Internal temperature should register 175° when done.
Wondering what you wish to serve with the finished bird and beautiful stuffing? Side dishes of tender broccoli, perhaps some Mediterranean-style accompaniments, or a fennel dish. A garnish of olives, a dish of balsamic carrots or creamy potato leek soup would complement this, as well.
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Paprika (spice made from peppers) is the most iconic of Hungarian flavors. It is the basis for this famous chicken dish.
It can be used on the stovetop or in the oven, which means you can make either style of Paprikash in it. Great for one dish meals, with a large cooking surface and a cover. 
This tureen is one of the finest designs made by the famous Royal Copenhagen company. Flora Danica was made for royalty.
