Chicken and Spring Vegetable Recipes and Tips

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Braised Chicken with Baby Vegetables and Peas

Forego the packaged trimmed, peeled carrots labeled "baby carrots" and opt for small carrots with the tops attached. Trim the green tops to within one inch and refrigerate in the crisper drawer to keep themcrisp.

Baby turnips have a sweet, mild flavor and tender texture. Choose those that are firm, unblemished, and sweet-smelling.

Freshly shelled green peas are sweet and tender. Look for pods that are crisp, with no blemishes or signs of wilting.

View Recipe: Braised Chicken with Baby Vegetables and Peas

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Caramelized Spring Onions, and Thyme

Spring onions look like oversized green onions. Since they’re picked before full maturity, they have a milder flavor than pungent full-grown onions. Look for spring onions at farmers’ markets or in the produce section of major supermarkets. If you can’t find them, substitute leeks.

View Recipe: Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Caramelized Spring Onions, and Thyme

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Chicken Scaloppine with Sugar Snap Pea, Asparagus, and Lemon Salad

Look for asparagus stalks with deep green or purplish tips that are tightly closed and not slick. Remove the fibrous ends by bending each stalk until it snaps; the tough part will break off naturally.

Sugar snap peas are crunchy and sweet. Choose plump, crisp pods, and refrigerate up to three days.

View Recipe: Chicken Scaloppine with Sugar Snap Pea, Asparagus, and Lemon Salad

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce

Distinctive morel mushrooms grace this dish with their nutty, woodsy flavor and unique texture. Because of their spongelike crevices, wash them well to remove dirt. If you can’t find fresh morels, look for one ounce dried, then rehydrate them in hot water before adding to the sauce.

View Recipe: Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Artichokes and Toasted Breadcrumbs

Contrary to popular belief, baby artichokes are not immature. In fact, they are fully grown but simply positioned low on the stalk. Choose those that are olive green with tightly closed leaves. Because they have a tendency to discolor, place them in acidulated water after cutting.

View Recipe: Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Artichokes and Toasted Breadcrumbs

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Roast Chicken with Smashed New Potatoes and Garlicky Jus

The term new potato refers to any thin-skinned potato harvested in early spring while the plant is still thriving, regardless of its skin color or variety. (Fully mature potatoes are harvested after the plant dies.) If you can’t find true new potatoes, use small red- or white-skinned potatoes.

View Recipe: Roast Chicken with Smashed New Potatoes and Garlicky Jus

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Olives, and Artichokes

Room-temperature lemons with smooth, glossy skin (as opposed to bumpy rinds) produce the most juice.

View Recipe: Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Olives, and Artichokes

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Chicken Skewers with Fava Bean and Mint Salad

Open fava bean pods to remove the beans. As the recipe directs, you also need to cook the beans briefly in boiling water and then peel off their tough outer skins.

View Recipe: Chicken Skewers with Fava Bean and Mint Salad

Chicken and Spring Veggies

Braised Chicken with Baby Vegetables and Peas

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Caramelized Spring Onions, and Thyme

Chicken Scaloppine with Sugar Snap Pea, Asparagus, and Lemon Salad

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce

Oven-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Artichokes and Toasted Breadcrumbs

Roast Chicken with Smashed New Potatoes and Garlicky Jus

Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Olives, and Artichokes

Chicken Skewers with Fava Bean and Mint Salad