Chicken again! Celebrate this versatile and economical poultry with delicious recipes | Where NOLA Eats

In 2021, Americans consumed 97.2 pounds of chicken per person, according to the National Chicken Council, a trade group. The price has gone up, but compared to beef and pork in this time of inflation, chicken is still a relative bargain.

But maybe you, too, wonder: What’s new and a little different?

Try Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu. It’s much more simple than the traditional rolled version of cheese-and-ham stuffed chicken, and visually more impressive. The flavor is also impressive. This is from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. Her recipe called for eight full-size chicken breasts (is she feeding a lot of cowhands?) but just one chicken breast made two servings in our house. I cut her formula in half.

To review: Classic chicken cordon bleu involves a pounded flat chicken breast layered with ham and cheese, rolled, dredged in flour, egg and bread crumbs, then deep fried. This recipe has no pounding or dredging or frying. Instead, in the “hasselback” method, the chicken is sliced not quite through in thin layers, which are stuffed to add more flavor. Halved Canadian bacon is the ham element, paired with quarters of pre-sliced Swiss cheese. Honey mustard helps adhere a crust of flavored panko bread crumbs. It’s much easier.

These freeze beautifully.

I didn’t try to freeze Hawaiian chicken packets. We just ate them all. Cubed fresh pineapple, red bell pepper and red onion slices go in the packets first, followed by seasoned chicken, topped with barbecue sauce (I used a no-sugar one) embellished with ginger, soy sauce, smoked paprika and more. The folded packets go on the grill or into the oven.

The next day, out of the foil, the chicken reheated well at half power in the microwave.

Chicken thighs got a good workout in a new recipe in my kitchen, made into chicken shawarma from RecipeTinEats.com. You’re probably familiar with shawarma. It’s similar to gyros. Gyros come from Greece and are beef or lamb; shawarma is Middle Eastern and can be lamb, turkey or chicken. And, shawarma is seasoned with a fragrant, delicious spice combo. Mine came out spicy. We enjoyed it with pita, tomatoes, lettuce and a simple yogurt sauce loaded with cumin and garlic.

Marinate the chicken shawarma at least three hours, or up to 24. (Mine went 48 because: life.) This would be excellent on the grill, but I used a cast-iron skillet indoors with very good results. Be sure to run the exhaust fan! Because of the dark spice coating, you may need to cut into them to make sure they are completely cooked through.

Extra shawarma went into the freezer for another quick weeknight meal. Thank you, chicken, for all you do.

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Chicken Shawarma

We had this in pita pockets, but it would also be good with rice pilaf. The chicken can be frozen in the marinade if you wish. It’s good on an outdoor barbecue, but also fine to make indoors. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Marinade:

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon cayenne (or ½ teaspoon for less spicy)

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons salt

Black pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

YOGURT SAUCE:

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 garlic clove, minced or crushed

1 teaspoon cumin

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper

FOR SERVING:

4-5 flatbreads (such as pita)

Sliced lettuce

Tomato slices

Finely sliced red onion

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a large ziptop bag. Add chicken. Seal. Massage the exterior to make sure each piece is coated. Marinate, refrigerated, at least three hours, or up to 24.

2. Combine yogurt sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Will last 3 days, refrigerated.

3. Preheat grill or stove: Lightly brush a barbecue grill with oil and preheat to medium high. Or, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil (I used cast iron and no oil).

4. Cook chicken in skillet or grill; cook first side 4-5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and cook second side 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken to a platter and cover loosely with foil to rest 5 minutes.

5. To serve, slice chicken and pile onto platter with flatbreads. Serve yogurt sauce and vegetables beside it. Assemble with a smear of yogurt sauce on the pita; top with lettuce, tomato, onions and shawarma.

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Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu

I cut the Pioneer Woman’s recipe in half. To make sure you don’t cut all the way through the chicken breasts, use the same trick for making hasselback potatoes: lay a chopstick on each side of the chicken as you cut. These are much easier to make than their look and taste indicates. Makes 4 to 8 servings.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup honey Dijon mustard (or Dijon mixed with honey until sweetened)

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 slices Swiss cheese, cut into quarters

12 round Canadian bacon, cut into half-moons

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. At a slight angle, cut 6 slices into each of the chicken breasts, making sure not to cut all the way through. Leave about ¼ inch unsliced. Brush top of each breast with mustard.

3. Mix breadcrumbs, butter, salt and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle evenly over chicken, using your hands to press mixture into the mustard.

4. Place a quarter piece of cheese and a half-moon piece of Canadian bacon into each of the slits in the chicken breasts. Transfer stuffed chicken to a baking sheet (coated with nonstick spray or covered with parchment).

5. Bake until chicken is cooked through and crumbs are golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve warm.

6. To freeze: Place uncooked assembled chicken onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze at least 3 hours, until frozen through. Transfer chicken to foil pans lined with wax paper. Label, date, freeze until ready to cook. From frozen, bake at 425 degrees about 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and crumbs are golden.

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Hawaiian Chicken Foil Packs

Whole pineapples were 99 cents at the supermarket the day I shopped to make this recipe, adapted slightly from delish.com. I used sugar-free barbecue sauce because that is what I had. Makes 4 very large servings.

1 cup classic barbecue sauce

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup chopped cilantro, divided use

¼ cup sliced scallions, divided use

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, from a 1-inch piece

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, divided use

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

2 cups cubed fresh pineapple

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3 pounds total)

1. In a large measuring cup, combine barbecue sauce, soy, oil, 2 tablespoons EACH cilantro and scallions, lemon juice, paprika, ginger, garlic and 1 teaspoon EACH salt and pepper.

2. On four 16-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil (or two sheets of regular foil), divide the bell pepper, onion and pineapple. Top vegetables with a chicken breast. Season with 2 teaspoons each salt and pepper, dividing equally. Pour sauce equally over each. Tightly fold each piece of foil.

3. Preheat grill to medium high for at least 3 minutes. Grill, covered and undisturbed, 20 minutes. Use tongs to carefully open top of each packet. Grill another 5 minutes, until instant-read thermometer reads 165 when inserted into thickest part of the chicken. Remove from grill and rest 5 minutes.

4. ALTERNATELY, place packets on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Again, test for doneness.

5. Transfer packet contents to plates and spoon remaining sauce over top. Garnish with remaining cilantro and scallions.