Tastes Like Chicken** **This chicken is all about a tangy sauce that is slightly sour, slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and completely addictive. For a smokier taste, see theVariations for Smoky BBQ Chicken.** 1 cup soy sauce 1 cup sugar ½ cup (1 stick) butter 3 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts In a large saucepan, combine the soy sauce, sugar, butter, and Sriracha. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer for 1 minute to fully melt the butter. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning if necessary, and then set aside. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces about 1 inch thick. Combine the chicken pieces with the sauce, stir to coat, and marinate for 15 minutes. Preheat a grill to high heat and prepare for direct grilling. Grill for about 4 minutes per side, until the chicken is fully cooked and has nice grill marks. Serve with any leftover sauce on the side. _Serves 6_ ### **BBQ Chicken on the Half Shell** **This BBQ Chicken on the Half Shell is a great way to serve a crowd. The secret is using a boneless skinless breast of chicken, which is both faster and easier than stuffing a chicken. This makes it easier to eat in quantity when entertaining.** 6–8 ounces sliced deli turkey or ham 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1 cup BBQ sauce (see recipe in sidebar) ½ cup barbecue dry rub ½ cup sugar Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and prepare it for baking. Tear off a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the baking sheet. Lay the foil on the parchment paper. Combine the turkey, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir to mix. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Place the chicken in a baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. Combine the BBQ sauce, barbecue dry rub, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Remove the chicken from the oven and spoon the BBQ sauce over the top. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the oven and tent with foil for 5 minutes to allow it to rest. Serve with barbecue sauce on the side. _Serves 6_ ### **BBQ Chicken Quesadillas** **Using a cast-iron skillet makes cooking this quesadilla easy. It is also imperative that you remove the quesadillas from the pan as soon as they are browned so they don't become soggy. A cast-iron skillet also keeps foods warm for extended periods of time. We use this recipe as the basis for chicken quesadillas in general. You can also use it for quesadillas with other fillings, such as pepper jack cheese and grilled steak.** 3 tablespoons butter, divided 2–4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips 1 cup BBQ sauce (see recipe in sidebar) 1 cup chopped grilled vegetables 8–12 flour tortillas, warmed (not hot) Cooking spray ¾ cup shredded pepper jack cheese Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until fully cooked, about 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium and add BBQ sauce and vegetables. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the remaining butter to the skillet. As soon as the butter is melted, lay down four warmed flour tortillas in the skillet. Evenly distribute half of the chicken mixture over the four tortillas, then top each with a fourth of the cheese. (You will have 8 or 12 quesadillas in total.) Cover the quesadillas and cook for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Remove the quesadillas from the skillet and cover each one individually with aluminum foil. Return them to the pan and cook for 1 minute, or until hot and fully cooked. Remove the foil, cut each quesadilla into three wedges, and serve. _Serves 6–8_ ### **Stuffed Chicken Breasts** **This stuffed chicken breasts are like a boneless stuffed chicken breast. They are stuffed with a delicious Italian-style meat mixture of ground veal and pork. This dish is full of bold, deep flavors and takes just minutes to make.** 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 onion, finely chopped 1 (12-ounce) package good-quality ground veal and pork 4 cups milk 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons butter 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it just begins to soften. Add the ground veal and pork and cook until fully cooked, stirring often, about 6–8 minutes. Stir in the milk, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced to about half its volume. Remove the mixture from the heat and set it aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a large baking dish. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Cook the chicken breasts, on each side, until lightly browned. Do not cook them through. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve. Pour the reduced milk mixture over the chicken and carefully turn to coat the chicken. Place the stuffed chicken breasts in a baking dish. Put the baking dish in the oven, and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the sauce begins to bubble and the skin begins to brown. (Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan if the sauce evaporates too quickly.) Remove the dish from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately with its pan juices. _Serves 4_ ### **Greek-Style Stuffed Chicken Breasts** **Stuffed chicken breasts are a great dinner for a family, but if you want a more elegant dish, use boneless breasts and ask the butcher to make 4 cuts into the breasts horizontally, creating 4 even pieces of meat. Then trim away the fat and skin to help the dish come out nicely.** ¼ cup olive oil 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper 1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced 1 (8-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 (12-ounce) bottle chicken broth 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts ½ cup crumbled feta cheese 1 tablespoon chopped parsley Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for 4–5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic, and Greek seasoning. Stir to mix. Add the chicken breasts, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and discard the liquid. Slice each breast horizontally, making 4 pieces per breast. Spoon 1 tablespoon of sauce onto the bottom of a baking dish. Lay the chicken slices on top of the sauce, making a little room between them. Continue layering sauce, chicken, and sauce. Scatter the feta cheese and parsley on top of the chicken breasts. (The skillet juices can be frozen for a few weeks if you do not use all the sauce.) Bake for 20 minutes, or until the sauce begins to bubble and the cheese browns. _Serves 4_ ### **Crispy Fried Chicken** **We love crispy fried chicken so much that we were inspired to create this fried chicken dish with a whole fried chicken as its centerpiece. This chicken is very easy to make and is just as good the next day. Make sure to remove the excess liquid from the chicken and place the chicken on a serving platter as soon as it is finished. Otherwise, the chicken will steam and become soggy.** 1 (3½-pound) whole chicken 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cups flour, divided 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup neutral-tasting oil, such as peanut, safflower, or canola Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and prepare it for baking. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the chicken by 2 inches. Salt the water with the 2 teaspoons of salt and bring it to a boil over high heat. Place the