Superfast International Chicken Recipes

By Text: Jason Horn and Cooking Light staff
February 05, 2009
Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
These dishes come from all over the world, but none take more than 20 minutes to prepare.
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Chicken Cutlets with Sesame Broccoli Slaw

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

Toasted sesame oil and seeds release a huge depth of nutty flavor into this easy entrée.

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Chimichurri Chicken Thighs With Potatoes

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chimichurri Chicken Thighs With Potatoes

An herb-packed chimichurri sacue makes this meat-and-potatoes main vibrant and exciting. Double the mixture and spoon it over grilled steak or fish on another night. For less heat in both the chimichurri and the potatoes, remove the seeds from the Fresno chile.

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Cheesy Chicken Cutlets with Ham and Jam

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Cutlets with Ham and Jam

This recipe is a play on chicken cordon bleu that's far easier to prepare. Instead of stuffing chicken breasts with jam and cheese, we broil cutlets until done and simply top them with ham, cheese, and a touch of jam. We also tested the dish with cheddar, which you could use in a pinch, but the nutty, tangy flavor of Havarti makes it feel more special.

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Curried Chicken Thighs with Pomegranate-Mint Sauce

Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Curried Chicken Thighs with Pomegranate-Mint Sauce

Talk about a company-worthy meal without much effort or a hefty price tag. Serve this easy and elegant entrée over a bed of couscous and with a side of the Steamed Broccoli with Garlic and Red Onion.

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Chicken Thighs With Ginger-Sesame Glaze

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chicken Thighs With Ginger-Sesame Glaze

Make-ahead tip: Mix up the glaze first thing in the morning, and allow the chicken thighs to marinate all day long in the refrigerator to soak up even more flavor. After that, getting dinner on the table is as simple as heating up the grill pan.

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Soft Chicken Tacos

Credit: Dennis Gottleib
Juicy, flavorful thigh meat, plus plenty of ground cumin and a topping of shredded cabbage, gives these tacos authentic Mexican flavor. While the chicken is grilling, heat the tortillas in a dry pan over medium heat for 10 to 20 seconds on each side, or place them in the oven for a few minutes―you'll end up with firm-but-flexible tortillas with a little crispy char around the edges. It takes a little more time, but the results are much better than microwaving them.

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7 of 27

Chicken Puttanesca with Angel Hair Pasta

Credit: Lee Harrelson

The piquant sauce in this recipe originated in Naples, and was designed to be made quickly, out of pantry odds and ends. Our version uses bottled pasta sauce to make things even simpler, while adding the requisite capers, olives, and red pepper that make a puttanesca. If your capers are packed in vinegar, rinse them before adding to the sauce―this makes for a more balanced flavor.

 

 

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Asian Chicken Salad

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner
This isn't your typical mayo-heavy chicken salad. Fresh greens and veggies, crunchy almonds, and chopped chicken with a light sesame-oil-and-ginger dressing make a simple dinner paired with breadsticks or a baked potato, or an ideal workday lunch―pack the dressing and salad separately.

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Lemon Chicken Pita Burgers with Spiced Yogurt Sauce

Credit: Beau Gustafson
The flavor of lemon brightens the spiced chicken patties in this recipe, and also flavors the tangy sauce, giving a double whammy of citrus flavor. For a healthful, hearty meal, serve in whole-wheat pitas with brown rice or bulgur pilaf.

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Ginger-Soy Chicken Thighs with Scallion Rice

Credit: Photo: John Autry
If you can't find ginger preserves, you can substitute ½ cup apricot preserves plus 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger.

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Chicken Paprikash

Credit: Randy Mayor
The second-most-popular Hungarian dish (after goulash), this recipe gets its unique flavor from the caraway seeds mixed into a basic tomato-cream sauce. The flavor complements chicken quite well, but you can also substitute beef or eggplant for excellent results. Serve with spaetzel or egg noodles, or, nontraditionally but just as good, rice.

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Jamaican-Spiced Chicken Thighs

Credit: Randy Mayor
The most flavorful part of the bird―the thigh―gets a quick dunk in an intensely spiced Caribbean jerk-style marinade for this simple dish. It works equally well on a stovetop grill pan or outdoor grill, and makes a good pairing for a wide variety of sides―sweet potatoes, rice and beans, or corn on the cob, to name a few.

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Speedy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Credit: Beau Gustafson
Canned, bottled, and precooked ingredients are a boon to superfast recipes. Rotisserie chicken, canned enchilada sauce, and even preshredded cheese shave time off this recipe; all you have to do is briefly cook the onions and peppers, assemble, and melt the cheese. Making enchiladas from scratch might take hours. This recipe takes about 15 minutes.

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Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Credit: Randy Mayor
Chicken breasts and mushrooms are weeknight-meal staples that everyone should keep on hand. If that's the case for you, you can put this dish together in less than 15 minutes, probably without a trip to the store. It's adaptable to your pantry―if you don't have egg noodles, use another kind of pasta, and if you're out of tarragon, try basil, oregano, or thyme.

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

Credit: Randy Mayor
This dish has everything that makes the Chinese takeout version so tasty―tender chicken, fresh veggies, a thick sweet-tart sauce, and big chunks of pineapple―but it's a lot better for you, and you can make it faster than they can deliver. Crunchy cashews added at the end complete the dish.

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Peanut-Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

Credit: Howard L. Puckett
A three-ingredient salsa brings tropical charm to this dish. The peanut coating adds crunch, flavor, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats to quick-cooking chicken cutlets for a dish that the whole family will love.

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Chicken Corn Chowder

Credit: Lee Harrelson
Thickening with a roux and pureeing some of the corn gives this soup the classic rich, creamy, hearty texture you expect of chowder. It's perfect to warm up your family on a cold winter night, but it's also great in the summertime, when you can use fresh sweet corn cut straight off the cob (you'll need about six medium ears for the recipe). Take leftovers to work for a healthful, homemade heat-and-eat lunch.

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Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

"Fabulous! I made for a 4th of July picnic and everyone raved over it. About six months later a relative of a close friend called and wanted the recipe, she had been thinking about the salad since the picnic!" —PURDUEKEL

 

Tangy and creamy goat cheese makes a nice partner to starchy orzo in this salad, which comes together in 10 minutes or so. If even that is more time than you have, it can be made ahead, whenever you can find the time. Mix together the dressing and all ingredients except the arugula and tomatoes, then add those just before serving.

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Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner
The simple addition of curry powder turns plain chicken salad into something altogether different. This recipe also adds caramelized onion for a sweetness that perfectly balances the curry's spice. The salad comes together in less than 10 minutes, but you can make it up to a day ahead―this allows the flavors to meld. Any kind of hearty bread is good for the sandwiches―try rye, three-seed, or whole-wheat pitas instead of pumpernickel.

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Kamut Spirals with Chicken-Artichoke Wine Sauce

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Work new, healthful whole grains into your diet with this recipe. Kamut pasta should be near the regular pastas at the supermarket―use whole-wheat or another whole-grain pasta like spelt or quinoa if you can't find it. The flavorful sauce, with acidic notes from the wine and grassy ones from the artichokes, combines with the hearty noodles to make a hearty dish. A topping of fresh basil and lots of Parmesan seals the deal.

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Sesame Noodles with Chicken

Credit: Beau Gustafson
This tangy, creamy, and spicy Asian-flavored sauce is so delicious and easy, it might just replace tomato sauce as your go-to way to dress pasta. The depth of flavor is surprising for such a simple recipe. A salad dressed with rice vinegar and sesame oil or any kind of stir-fried or steamed vegetable, especially broccoli, would make a great side.

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Mediterranean Chicken Salad Pitas

Credit: Randy Mayor
There's a lot to these simple-sounding sandwiches, but that doesn't mean they take more than 10 minutes to make. Chickpeas, bell pepper, olives, onion, and cilantro join chicken in a tangy lemon-cumin-yogurt dressing. This is a great recipe to make meatless, as well: Just replace the chicken with cubes of firm tofu.

23 of 27

Fattoush

Credit: Lee Harrelson
The classic version of this Middle Eastern bread salad is tasty and quick, with lots of vegetables and torn pita bread in a bright lemon vinaigrette, but it's not a full meal. We added chicken and kidney beans to make this a filling main dish without sacrificing any of the original flavor or increasing the prep time.

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Quick Chicken and Dumplings

Credit: Beau Gustafson
An ingenious solution makes this Southern comfort-food classic take less than 15 minutes start to finish. Simply use strips of flour tortilla in place of biscuit dough; they absorb the cooking liquid and take on the proper soft-and-chewy texture while thickening the final dish.

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Spicy Chicken and Snow Peas

Credit: Lee Harrelson
Here's a recipe that's as pretty to look at as it is delicious to eat. Crisp, fresh, and colorful carrots, peppers, and snow peas are stir-fried, then doused in a simple-but-fiery sauce. The whole process takes less time than cooking the boil-in-bag rice over which the dish is served.

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Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

Credit: Randy Mayor
Crusty and chewy ciabatta, creamy and herbal pesto mayo, and melty mozzarella come together to add a comfort-food note to these sandwiches. There aren't many ingredients, but they come together in a sophisticated way. Baked chips and orange wedges are a good side for a casual dinner, but try grilled or sautéed asparagus for a slightly fancier option.

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Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
Lettuce wraps make for a fresh burst of crunch and flavor, or spoon the stir-fry over rice. Look for fish sauce in your grocery store's Asian foods section.

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By Text: Jason Horn and Cooking Light staff