Great Chicken Recipes

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Pan-smoked Chicken with Apricot-Ancho Barbecue Glaze courtesy Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio

Attending the 48th National Chicken Cooking Contest, I realized being a food editor is a tough job. We were “forced” to eat a lot of great food, and then watch as an articulate and enthusiastic cook from Lexington, Kentucky, won the $50,000 prize.

Yes, I love my job.

A chicken burger won the hearts and taste buds of the judging panel, spotlighting the easy use and yumminess of ground chicken. The contest, sponsored by the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, happens every two years. This year’s event, set in San Antonio, Texas, brought nine regional winners to the kitchen.

The winning burger recipe, “Chinese Chicken Burgers with Rainbow Sesame Slaw,” was spotlighted in our July/August Recipe Box, as were a few of the other regional winners. You can find the other recipes that won the regional contests here.

However, those nine recipes represent only a small portion of the goodness that is the National Chicken Cooking Contest. The Food Media Seminar – hosted by the National Chicken Council for members of the media each year – allowed the food writers to taste a number of other great dishes. Here are a few of the chicken creations. Enjoy!

For more on the contest, visit the website, and check out this website for more great chicken recipes.

GREEN CHILE AND LEMON CHICKEN

Chef John Brand
Las Canarias at Omni La Mansion del Rio Hotel, San Antonio

Hatch chiles from New Mexico are preferred but any green chile will do – a poblano, Anaheim, or banana pepper. Be sure to roast and remove skin and seeds for better flavor.

Chicken:

2 ounces butter

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1 teaspoon fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon fresh parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 hatch, poblano or Anaheim chili, roasted and skinned, portioned in half for two chicken breasts

1 whole chicken

 Mix together all ingredients and stuff under skin of chicken breast, which can be loosened with your finger, and massage in mixture. Use all herb stems and lemon cut into quarters and stuff inside chicken.

 Skin Rub:

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard juice of half a lemon from above

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce