By Emily Weinstein, The New York Times
Hello and a belated happy New Year. I’m back to talk about chicken, that versatile, quick-cooking, affordable weeknight warrior, since January is the month of resolutions and a lot of those start in the kitchen. Unless you’ve pledged to give up meat this month or this year or forevermore, there is a proverbial chicken for every pot.
Maybe you’re rebooting your cooking routines for the new year and giving meal prepping a go? Maybe you need ideas for feeding children, whether they’re high-drama picky or not? Or maybe you just want to cook more efficiently, but not less deliciously. I have the perfect recipe all ready to go: ginger-lime chicken.
I’ve picked four other non-chicken recipes that I’d be excited to have for dinner this week.
1. Ginger-Lime Chicken
Although this may look like regular old chicken, don’t be fooled: It’s buzzing with the bright flavors of ginger and lime. Mayonnaise is the secret ingredient in this recipe, which is a trick J. Kenji López-Alt has written about. When slathered on boneless chicken and cooked, the beloved condiment carries flavor, sticks to the meat well, encourages browning and prevents the pieces of lime zest and ginger — or whatever seasonings you choose — from burning. Try this technique first with ginger and lime zest, then experiment with grated garlic, jalapeño, lemon, Parmesan and whatever else you can imagine. Serve with a pile of white rice and a fresh green salad topped with thinly sliced avocado.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lime zest (from about 2 limes), plus lime wedges, for serving
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (from a 3-inch piece of peeled ginger)
Preparation
1. Pat the chicken dry and season all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, lime zest and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the mayonnaise mixture and stir to coat. (The chicken can sit in the marinade for up to 8 hours in the fridge. Let come to room temperature before cooking.)
2. To grill: Heat a grill to medium-high. Grill the chicken over direct heat until cooked through and juices run clear, about 5 minutes per side for thighs and about 4 minutes per side for breasts, turning as necessary to avoid burning.
3. To cook in a skillet: Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Cook the chicken until juices run clear, about 5 minutes per side for thighs and about 4 minutes per side for breasts.
4. Serve chicken with lime wedges, for squeezing on top.
2. Sheet-Pan Fish Tikka With Spinach
Tikka marinade imbues meats and veggies with extreme flavor: Complex, layered heat comes from garam masala and red chiles, garlic adds a delicate depth and ginger a mellow freshness, while yogurt cools, tenderizes and extends flavors from the spices. Although traditionally anything with tikka marinade is cooked on coals for smokiness (see tip), the flavors come together well in a home oven. This recipe calls for any fleshy white fish that can stand this mix of heady spices and maintain its structural integrity for 12 to 15 minutes in the oven. Lay the fish on a bed of spinach, and the marinade will flavor both. The preparation is simple for this recipe, but the flavorful results are anything but.
By Zainab Shah
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds firm, white-fleshed fish (such as cod, basa or halibut, cut into chunks)
- 1/4 cup olive oil or any neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri or other red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Fine sea salt
- 1 pound baby spinach (about 14 packed cups)
- Rice or roti, for serving
Preparation
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Pat the fish dry and set aside.
2. Combine the oil, yogurt, garam masala, chile powder, ginger, garlic, coriander, turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and stir until the marinade is smooth. Add the fish and coat evenly.
3. Arrange the spinach in an even layer on a large sheet pan. Place the fish on the spinach, dispersing it evenly. Bake on the top rack for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the fish starts to turn golden.
4. Set the oven to broil and broil on high just until the fish turns golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt. Serve with rice or roti, if desired.
Tip
If the smokiness of tikka is nonnegotiable, heat a hot coal on the stove top for 3 to 5 minutes using tongs, loosely wrap it in foil and stick in the oven either on a separate rack or on the sheet pan alongside the fish and spinach. Although hookah charcoal works best for this, you can use a 1-inch cube of any charcoal.
3. Penne With Brussels Sprouts, Chile and Pancetta
Pasta and sliced Brussels sprouts make a good pair, the softened green shreds commingling with the chewy noodles in the sauce. Here that sauce is a simple one with big flavors: pancetta, rosemary, garlic and chile. The raw Brussels are then added to the pan. A splash of lemon juice at the end is a bright touch. Within 30 minutes, dinner is ready. Vary this recipe at will — use regular bacon instead of pancetta, or skip the meat altogether and use extra cheese to make a satisfying vegetarian main course. Use a knife or a food processor (fitted with the slicing blade) to cut the brussels. A mandoline works too but isn’t necessary, because the brussels don’t need to be paper thin, or uniform in size. These are unfussy slices you can do by hand.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 2 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- Sea salt
- 8 ounces penne
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 3 ounces pancetta, diced
- 1 large rosemary sprig
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1 jalapeño or Serrano chile, thinly sliced (or substitute 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons butter
- Fresh lemon juice, for serving
- Freshly grated pecorino cheese (optional)
Preparation
1. Bring large pot heavily salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until pasta is just al dente (do not overcook).
2. Meanwhile, heat large sauté pan over high heat and add the olive oil. When oil is hot, add the pancetta and rosemary, and sauté until the fat on the pancetta starts to turn translucent and very lightly brown, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, chile and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and sauté until garlic and pancetta turn richly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, a large pinch of salt and a splash of water to pan, and sauté until sprouts just start to soften, about 2 minutes. Spread sprouts mixture in pan and press down to flatten. Let it sear for a minute, then stir it up and repeat. This helps brown the sprouts. Add the butter, and sauté for another minute.
3. Drain penne and add it to pan with Brussels sprouts mixture. Cook, tossing, until everything is well mixed. Spoon into pasta bowls and top with a drizzle of oil and lemon juice, and a little cheese if you like.
4. Baked White Beans and Sausage With Sage
This incredibly easy one-pan dinner is from the cookbook “The Silver Spoon for Children,” with more than 40 traditional recipes adapted from “The Silver Spoon,” a book that appears in many home kitchens in Italy. Older children with some experience can follow this recipe as is, but if you’ve got little ones who want to help, they can stir the sage, beans and apple juice together in a large bowl while the sausages bake, then you can pour the mixture into the hot pan. If you like your beans on the saucy side, add 1/4 cup more apple juice. Serve with buttered crusty rolls and something leafy and green.
Recipe from Harriet Russell and Amanda Grant
Adapted by Margaux Laskey
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 4 sweet Italian pork sausages (about 1 pound)
- 2 whole garlic cloves (do not peel)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 fresh sage leaves
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Preparation
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, prick the sausages all over with a fork. Add the garlic, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat. Bake until the sausages start to brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Put on your oven mitts, take the roasting pan out of the oven and set it on a heatproof surface. Using tongs, carefully turn the sausages over. (The sausages will brown on the other side when they go back into the oven.)
3. Tear the sage leaves into little pieces and add them to the sausages along with the drained beans and apple juice. Give the bean mixture a stir.
4. Wearing your oven mitts, put the roasting pan back in the oven and bake until the bean mixture is warmed, about 20 minutes.
5. Put on your oven mitts one last time to remove the roasting pan from the oven. To serve, carefully stir everything together using a wooden spoon, and add a little salt and pepper to taste.
5. Eggplant Adobo
This superpunchy, one-skillet vegetarian meal is inspired by chicken adobo, a beloved Filipino dish. Here, eggplant cooks in rich, tangy adobo sauce — a blend of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, black pepper and bay leaf — absorbing the savory flavors as it simmers. Coconut milk is added in some versions of adobo, creating a rich, silky texture to balance out the sauce’s tart notes. This recipe includes a shower of fragrant basil, which brings a fresh hit that lifts the dish. (Thinly sliced scallions would also be great.) Serve the eggplant over rice to catch all of its flavorful drippings.
By Kay Chun
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or safflower
- 1 1/2 pounds eggplant (preferably small Italian eggplant), cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon turbinado or light brown sugar
- 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 fresh or dried bay leaf
- 1/4 cup chopped basil, plus additional small leaves for garnish
- Steamed jasmine rice, for serving
Preparation
1. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add half of the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with 2 tablespoons of the oil and the remaining eggplant.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, coconut milk, vinegar, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons of water; mix well.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 minute.
4. Add the browned eggplant, soy sauce mixture and bay leaf and toss to evenly coat. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until the eggplant is tender but still has structure, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and nicely coats the eggplant, about 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped basil.
5. Divide the eggplant mixture over rice among bowls. Garnish with basil leaves and serve warm.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.