Tastes Like... Food & Wine offers cookbook to rescue that chicken dinner

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Food & Wine Books

There are 100 easy meals in quick from scratch chicken cookbook, and each has a full-page color picture.

By: JournalNow Staff | JOURNAL STAFF REPORT
Published: July 01, 2009

■ Food & Wine Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook, by the editors of Food & Wine. Food & Wine Books, $24.95.

Is your family one of those that has chicken twice a week or more and inevitably gets into a rut eating the same dishes over and over again?

Then maybe Food & Wine quick from scratch chicken cookbook can help.

The editors of Food & Wine magazine are a bit late getting into the cookbook game, as counterparts at Cook's Illustrated, Gourmet, Bon Appétit and other magazines have been at it for years.

But Food & Wine brings plenty of expertise to bear in this book of more than 100 easy meals, each of which is illustrated with a full-color photograph.

The book also has a lot of information about cooking poultry. An introductory chapter covers substitutions for different parts of the bird, carving a whole chicken and tips to avoid overcooking.

Also useful is the final chapter. It provides lists of recipes that can start with leftover cooked chicken, staples to keep in the pantry, basic cooking methods for poultry and essential and quick sauces.

In between are recipes divided by type of preparation. A chapter on soups, stews, curries and other braised dishes includes Indian-spiced chicken and spinach, chicken noodle soup with parsnips and dill, and goulash.

Among the pastas and grains are arroz con pollo, chicken pad Thai and turkey sausage with cheddar-cheese grits and tomato sauce.

Roasted and baked recipes include jerk chicken, Cornish hens with panzanella stuffing, and baked Buffalo chicken wings. The editors even include such grilled dishes as chicken breasts with grapefruit glaze and tandoori chicken.

Sautes and stir-fries include kung pao chicken, chicken Provencal and chicken livers with caramelized onions and Madeira.

The last main recipe chapter delves into sandwiches and salads, including Southwestern tortilla salad and smoked turkey and slaw on country toast.

All the recipes include prep time, cooking time and wine recommendations.

Besides the major exception of the whole-bird recipes, most of the dishes can be ready in about 30 minutes.

Aside from good organization and a lot of helpful tips, the Food & Wine Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook offers recipes beyond the familiar, but often with mainstream appeal. In other words, it's just the thing to get home cooks out of a chicken rut.