The Mom 100 Cookbook | Workman Publishing, 2012 | Serves 4

While a whole roast chicken is a wonderful thing, it does involve post-cooking cutting it up, which can be a little daunting. Buying chicken already cut into parts allows you to pick the pieces or assortment of pieces your family likes, takes less cooking time, and cuts out that pesky carving step. Yet you still get the wonderful qualities of roasting: the juiciness, the moistness, the tenderness, the flavor. This recipe may call for a higher heat than you usually use, but that’s how to get that amazing crispy skin (which you can pull off, if you wish, you model of self-restraint you, but do it after the chicken is cooked). You’ll need to buy skin-on, bone-in chicken; that’s the key. Other than that, thighs, breasts, drumsticks, even whole legs or chicken halves are fair game (ha! I didn’t even see that one coming). You can rub the chicken with any of the rubs a day ahead; this allows the seasonings to permeate the meat.

What the Kids Can Do Note: They can help measure the ingredients for any of the rubs, and if your kids aren’t grossed out by the prospect, they can rub the rubs onto the chicken. Follow this by a lengthy hand washing in warm, soapy water (and a reminder not to stick their hands in their mouths until after the soapy water bit).–Katie Workman

LC Dinner on the Double, er, Triple Note: Nothing against a whole roast chicken, although as Katie Workman explains above, roasting these here chicken parts is slightly quicker and, arguably, a little easier. In addition being dinner on the double, it’s also eminently customizable, enabling you to draw on any–or all–of these spice rubs, even going so far as to reach for each family member’s favorite for their portion. Dinner on the triple, actually. Seeing as how the rubs keep almost indefinitely, you may as well mix up a big batch of each and keep them within weeknight reach.

Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 1 hour

Spiced Roast Chicken Recipe

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Heart of the Artichoke | Artisan, 2010 | Serves 4 to 8

There’s something wonderful about a big pile of peppery chicken wings for a casual supper. Remove the wing tips and save them for stock, so what you’re serving is the meatier part of the wing. You can use the same seasoning and technique for chicken thighs, if you prefer.–David Tanis

LC Magnificent Multipurpose Peppery-ness Note: The intensity of the classic buffalo wing is tempered here, usurped by a warming–though not incinerating–blend of spices. Truth be told, we rather prefer the defiantly untraditional, beguiling blend of paprika, allspice, cayenne, and clove to the incendiary heat of most classic wings. That said, the recipe is eminently adaptable. If you crave a more intense flavor, double the amount of ingredients for the rub—both spices and oil—and marinate for the full 12 hours. And if you like crisp skin, leave them in a little longer. If you like your wings tender and moist, pull the chicken out of the oven just shy of an hour. And if, like us, you really swoon to this spice rub, try it on thighs and breasts–bone-in, skin-on chicken, that is–either as a game-day conversation starter or a simple weeknight supper.

Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Peppery Chicken Wings Recipe

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Comfort Food Fix | Wiley, 2011 | Serves 4

I knew I was onto something when my husband, one of the world’s most critical, and perhaps most experienced, Buffalo wing eaters, reviewed these as “Excellent wings!” That’s just the response I was going for and it is especially meaningful when you see how their numbers stack up against the ones he’s used to eating. The secret to keeping them crispy and flavorful without the saturated fat and calories is to par-boil, then broil the chicken instead of frying it, and use a touch of oil and broth in the tongue-tingling sauce in place of the usual load of butter.–Ellie Krieger

LC Little White Lies of Omission Note: Shhhh. No one needs to know these this broiled Buffalo wings recipe contains no butter. (Yes, we realize low-fat wings is sort of an oxymoron, although you may not miss the butter, as the results still draw on the requisite hot sauce and an über cheesy, über easy blue cheese dip.) Whatever you do, whether tell the truth or commit a little white lie of omission, don’t forget the beer.

Active time: 25 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

Broiled Buffalo Wings Recipe

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At Elizabeth David's Table | Ecco, 2011 | Serves 4

Ground coriander, cumin and/or ginger can be combined with the cinnamon or used in place of it, and the proportions can be increased or diminished according to taste. Make the cinnamon butter in larger quantities and store in the freezer, keeping a small jar in the refrigerator for current consumption. A simple green salad with a very light dressing is the best accompaniment.

The butter also works well with pheasant. (For a young bird of about 1 3/4 pounds, the timing and temperature are as for the chicken, but the pheasant should be wrapped in well-buttered parchment paper or foil.) –Elizabeth David

LC Subtle Is As Subtle Does Note: Sometimes something subtle can have just as strong an effect as something that slams you in the face. Take this baked chicken, which relies on a simple yet nonetheless enthralling spice-infused butter for its–you guessed it–subtle fragrance and flavor. Subtle is as subtle does…or something like that.

Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Baked Chicken with Cinnamon Butter Recipe

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Mighty Spice Cookbook | Duncan Baird, 2011 | Serves 4

I learned how to make this classic Chinese dish in Beijing. On a snowy winter’s morning I took a cab to a traditional Chinese home in the north of the city to do some cooking. The taxi driver dropped me off and I walked along the narrow streets, shivering, looking for the right house, which turned out to be a few tiny rooms around a courtyard. So in a freezing kitchen, my host, the cooking teacher Cheng Yi, and I made a superb lunch, including this fiery, warming chicken. A good meal in China is always followed by tea, so after we’d eaten we sipped on a lovely hot brew and watched the snow fall thickly in the stone courtyard outside, like a scene from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.–John Gregory-Smith

LC Kung Pao or Gung Bao? Note: Okay, here’s how we understand the relationship between Gung Bao and Kung Pao chicken, aside from the fact that they rhyme. The former is an authentic Szechuan recipe, a classic stir-fry consisting of chicken, chiles, Szechuan peppercorns, and peanuts. The latter is the bastardized, er, Americanized rendition of the former containing less spice but more vegetables and beloved by “Chinese” takeout mavens across this country. This recipe is–you guessed it–the former.

Active time: 25 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes

Gung Bao Chicken Recipe

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Comfort Food Fix | Wiley, 2011 | Serves 4

In Cincinnati they heat things up with heaping bowls of chili cooked until practically melted, with additions such as warm spices like cinnamon, cocoa powder, allspice, and cloves, and a touch of sweet molasses. Served over spaghetti and topped with hearty beans, cheese, and onion, it’s like no chili you have had before, but definitely one you’ll make over and over again.–Ellie Krieger

LC Three Way, Four Way, Five Way, Oh My! Note: Are we all familiar with Cincinnati-style chili? This unique and saucy take on chili is traditionally and ubiquitously plopped atop spaghetti and, if you please, glopped with Cheddar cheese, red onions, and/or beans. Mind you, there’s proper Cincinnati chili terminology to describe exactly how you like yours…

Two Way: Chili plopped on spaghetti

Three Way: Chili plopped on spaghetti and smothered with cheese

Four Way: Chili plopped on spaghetti and smothered with cheese and diced red onions or beans

Five Way: Chili plopped on spaghetti and smothered with cheese, diced red onions, and beans

One last thing. This rendition is made with ground turkey, which is hardly traditional, although you can’t really tell the difference. Honestly. That said, we’re not going to try to stop you from making it with ground beef. As if we could stop you.

Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Cincinnati Chili Recipe

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Essentials of Roasting | Weldon Owen, 2009 | Serves 4

Nearly everyone likes classic roast chicken, whether it’s served hot and golden brown right from the oven or enjoyed the next day in a sandwich or salad. Roasting the bird at a high temperature produces crisp brown skin and moist meat without having to baste or turn the chicken during cooking. Using a roasting rack also helps crisp the skin on all sides. –Editors of Williams Sonoma

LC Easiest Roast Chicken Ever Note: Crisp-skinned. Succulent. Simple. If that’s what you seek in a roast hen, your search stops here. This approach uses nothing but a slick of olive oil on the skin, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, some aromatics in the cavity, and a hot, hot, hot oven. Nothing else. No flopping the bird this way and that midway through roasting. No fussing with pan juice or gravy. It’s just not necessary with a hen that turns out this juicy. For purists only.

Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

Classic Roast Chicken Recipe

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Geila Hocherman and Arthur Boehm | Kosher Revolution | Kyle Books, 2011 | Serves 4

This duck prosciutto recipe began with my realization that what makes ham taste like itself has less to do with the meat than its cure. My quest for kosher prosciutto—nothing less!—led me first to smoked turkey leg, which is hammy all right, but hardly like the Italian specialty. I went to work, and, happily, scored a triple bull’s-eye by giving duck breast a really easy salt cure—just fifteen minutes of prep followed by a “set-it-and-forget-it” refrigerator stay. The resulting “prosciutto” is so much like the real thing, but with a special character all its own, you’ll be amazed. Try it draped atop sliced melon, wrapped around asparagus spears, or diced and sautéed as a salad garnish.–Geila Hocherman and Arthur Boehm

LC Ducking Duct Tape Note: Glance at this unassuming duck prosciutto recipe, and you may notice something rather unusual, aside from the fact that it calls for making prosciutto out of duck rather than pig. Yup. It relies on that handy dandy, every man’s favorite tool kit mainstay, duct tape. Not as an ingredient, as a means of hoisting the duck from the top of the refrigerator where it needs to dangle for a couple of weeks. If you’re not the duck, er, duct tape type, you can follow the inspired lead of one of our recipe testers, Jo Ann Brown. When Brown was getting ready to hang the meat in the fridge, she sent her husband out to find, in her words, “a super duper suction cup with a hook  to hang the meat from.” Not only did he find what she wanted, he brought back two. What a keeper!

Special Equipment: Cheesecloth and duct tape.

Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 15 minutes, not including curing.

Duck Prosciutto Recipe

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Aurora Baccheschi Berti | My Tuscan Kitchen | Rizzoli, 2011 | Serves 8

This chicken liver recipe, called Crostini di Fegatini in Italian, is totally Tuscan. The cooked livers keep well for several days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.–Aurora Baccheschi Berti

LC That Other Tuscan Tradition Note: The author notes that this recipe is a Tuscan tradition. Huh. Who knew? Although we guess it should come as no surprise to learn that a splash of wine, that other Tuscan tradition, enhances the character of this chicken liver sauté.

Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes.

Sauteed Chicken Liver Recipe

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Adapted from Sara Foster | Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen | Clarkson Potter, 2011 | Serves 6 to 8

Before you make this deep-fried turkey, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your fryer and get a turkey that will fit easily in the fryer, preferably no more than twelve pounds.–Sara Foster

LC Why This Turkey Is Almost Worth Catching Your Garage on Fire Note:  You may have heard others heap praise upon the burnished appearance and moist beyond belief meat of a deep-fried turkey, and you may not have paid any mind to what they had to share. In case that rings true for you, we’re going to say it, sing it, SHOUT it as loud as we can–this is the best damn turkey some of us have ever had. Specifically, those of us who swoon to crisp, crackly skin and plump, tender breast unfettered with extraneous flavors. Besides, it frees up your oven for all those gratin-y side dishes.

Frying a turkey has acquired something of a bad rep because, well, accidents happen. There are precautions, though, that can be taken which make this as mundane an act as boiling water. We’ve mentioned them where relevant throughout the recipe, but first, just a few words about the fryer itself. They sound a little scary, but really, they’re simple. (And just wait till you taste that turkey.) First, don’t even consider jury-rigging a hot-frying contraption. Pony up the money for a proper outdoor deep fryer. Trust us. And while you can get away with not reading the instruction manual for your espresso maker, actually read the instruction manual that accompanies the fryer. Those instructions will no doubt reinforce this, but it can’t be stated enough–set up the fryer outside on a flat, flame-retardant surface. Think concrete. Do not–we repeat, do not–even consider frying in your house, garage, or even on your porch. In fact, set it up at least 10 feet from your home, your garage, your fences, or anything else you treasure and don’t wish to see go up in flames. (Hey, we’re just saying…) If using a gas fryer, position the gas tank at least 2 or 3 feet from the fryer, preferably more. And the fryer must, must, must be situated so that the wind will carry the heat that emanates from the fryer away from the tank, not toward it.

Now go have fun.

Special Equipment:

• An outdoor deep fryer, either gas or electric  (check to make sure it comes with a fry basket; if it does not, purchase it separately)
• Long-sleeved fireproof gloves
• Heavy apron
• Safety goggles (in a pinch, a clear-bottomed plastic bowl will suffice)
• Shoes (um, other than flip-flops; leather boots with steel toes do quite nicely)
• Stopwatch or kitchen timer some sort
• Instant thermometer
• Fire extinguisher (for the love of all things good, if you’ve never used one, read the directions; if, heaven forbid, you need to use an extinguisher, there’ll be no time to reach for your reading specs)
• Common sense

Active time: 1 hour | Total time: 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.

Deep-Fried Turkey Recipe

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