Last night I went to dinner with friends at one of my favorite Italian restaurants – a tavola.  During the course of the evening the conversation naturally led to Sunday’s big game and (of course) the snacks planned for the event.  While I’ve recently featured some appetizers, I noticed that I haven’t posted any hearty game day food – what was I thinking?!  These Chili Chicken Tacos should definitely make up for my oversight!

Since the chicken simmers in a slow-cooker you can easily assemble everything well in advance, and the dish should be ready by game time.  The actual prep time is only about 10-15 minutes.  This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to meet the needs of your group.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• salt and ground pepper
• your favorite taco shell – hard or soft, flour or corn
• cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, lime wedges and sour cream for serving (optional)

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, garlic, salsa, chiles, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Cover, cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours – stir occasionally.

Transfer the chicken to a serving bowl and shred, using two forks; moisten with cooking juices.  Serve in taco shells with desired toppings.

original recipe found here

This satisfying soup is all about texture – a smooth, satiny feel on the palate. Now I’ll be honest, there are a lot of steps to this dish, so I would recommend making this when you have some extra time – but trust me, it’s well worth it.  I find it’s a nice change of pace and very satisfying to take my time and prepare a well-made dish.  A few items to note about this recipe:

• it’s a good idea to read through this entire recipe before starting
• consider adding noodles or dumplings to this soup
• a parchment lid is just as it sounds – an easy to make “lid” for your stockpot constructed out of parchment paper.  Be sure to cut a small steam hole in the center and put the paper lid  in the pot so that it rests gently on the food you’re cooking.  It’s a great way to prevent the surface of your food from becoming caramelized as it cooks.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup coarsely chopped leeks
• kosher salt

separately:

• 4 quarts chicken stock
• 5 stalks celery
• 3 large carrots
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed, skin left on
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup Roux (see here)
• 2 – 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (dark and/or white meat)
• 1/4 cup minced chives
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar can be used as a substitute)
• flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the first set of ingredients – the carrots, celery, onions and leeks – season with salt, and cover with a parchment lid.  Reduce the heat to low and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, 30 to 35 minutes – until the vegetables are tender.  Remove and discard the parchment lid.

Add the chicken stock to the vegetables and bring to a simmer.  Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes, then strain the soup base into another pot and discard the vegetables.

Now, for the second set of ingredients.  Peel the celery stalks with a peeler.  Cut each stalk crosswise on the diagonal into thin slices.  As you get to the wider part of the stalk, adjust the angle of your knife to keep the pieces relatively the same size.  You need about 1 1/2 cups of celery for this recipe.  Cook the celery in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just tender – a few minutes.  Drain, cool in an ice bath, and drain again.

Cut the carrots lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into bite-sized pieces. As each carrot widens, adjust the size of the cut to keep the pieces the same size (similar to the celery).  You need about 1 1/2 cups of carrots for this recipe.

Put the carrots into a saucepan – add the honey, bay leaf, thyme, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cover with cold water.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the carrots are tender but slightly resistant to the tooth. Drain and transfer to paper towels.

Bring the soup base to a simmer and whisk in the roux a little at a time, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon – you might not need all of the roux. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming often – this is necessary to remove all impurities from the roux.  The soup will continue to thicken as it simmers.

Add the chicken, carrots, celery and chives to the soup and heat through.  Season with the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a large serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley leaves.

the pieces of chicken and vegetables should all be about the same size

adapted from a recipe found here

Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables is the perfect one-pot meal and a great winter dish.  It’s amazing how each ingredient enhances the others.  If you don’t like the vegetables in this version, feel free to replace them with your favorite veggies – this dish is very forgiving.  All of these great flavors and only one pan to clean afterward – how can you go wrong?  One item to note about this recipe:

• the original recipe calls for the removal of the chicken from the refrigerator 1 1/2 to 2 hours prior to cooking (to bring it to room temperature) – I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not this is something you would like to do

Serves 4

Ingredients

• One 4 to 4 1/2 pound chicken
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 2 large leeks
• 3 rutabagas
• 2 turnips
• 4 medium carrots – peeled, trimmed, and cut in half
• 1 small yellow onion – trimmed, leaving root end intact, and cut into quarters
• 8 small red-skinned potatoes
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Remove the neck and innards if they are still in the cavity of the chicken.  Using a pairing knife, cut out the wishbone from the chicken – this will make it easier to carve the chicken.  Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, add 3 of the garlic cloves and 5 sprigs of thyme – massage the inside of the bird to infuse it with the flavors.  Truss the chicken.

Cut off the dark green leaves from the top of the leeks.  Trim off and discard any darkened outer layers.  Trim the root ends, cutting around them on a 45-degree angle.  Slit the leeks lengthwise almost in half, starting 1/2 inch above the root ends.  Rinse the leeks well under warm water.

Cut off both ends of the rutabagas.  Stand the rutabagas on end and cut away the skin, working from top to bottom and removing any tough outer layers.  Cut into 3/4 inch wedges.  Repeat with the turnips, cutting the wedges to match the size of the rutabagas.

Combine all of the vegetables, the remaining garlic cloves and thyme sprig in a large bowl.  Toss with 1/4 cup of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables in a large cast-iron skillet or a roasting pan.

Rub the remaining oil all over the chicken.  Season generously with salt and pepper.

Make a nest in the center of the vegetables and nestle the chicken in it.  Cut the butter into 4 or 5 pieces and place over the chicken breast.

Put the chicken in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 400°F and roast for an additional 45 minutes, or until the temperature registers 160°F in the meatiest portions of the bird (the thighs, and under the breast where the thigh meets the breast) – the juices should be clear.  If necessary return the bird to the oven for more roasting; check every 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 20 minutes.  Just before serving, set the pan of vegetables over medium heat and reheat the vegetables, turning them and glazing them with the pan juices.

Cut the chicken into serving pieces, arrange over the vegetables, and serve.

original recipe found here

This is one of those no-fail recipes that everyone needs in their cooking repertoire.  One of the great things about this recipe (besides the taste) is that you can half, double or triple all of the ingredients based on your number of dinner guests.  This dish is very forgiving – feel free to adjust the ingredients to your taste – you can’t go wrong!  A few items to note:

• use cuts of chicken with skin on
• you can vary the cuts depending on your preference
• the garlic not only adds flavor, but it tastes great on its own after braising
• recipe below serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 bone-in chicken thighs with skin (6 ounces each)
• 2 chicken breasts with skin (6 ounces each)
• all-purpose flour for dusting
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin 0live oil
• 3 large peeled garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 3 1-inch strips of lemon zest
• 4 thyme springs
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with flour.  In a large ovenproof skillet, melt the butter in the oil.  Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned (12 to 14 minutes).  Transfer the chicken to a large plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.

Add the garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine and boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Add the stock, lemon zest, thyme, capers and bay leaves and bring to a boil.  Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up.  Transfer the skillet to the oven, cover and braise for 30-35 minutes, until the meat is tender.

Remove chicken, then return the skillet to the stove and boil until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme, bay leaf and lemon zest before serving.

I like to serve this with a side of fingerling potatoes and haricots verts (french green beans).

Adapted from Food & Wine recipe “Zesty Braised Chicken”