Chicken

Cinnamon sticks are made from long pieces of bark from various laurel trees that are rolled, pressed and dried. The type of cinnamon used in Thailand is from the Cassia tree. Cinnamon has a sweet, woody fragrance in both ground and stick forms. Rich in therapeutic essential oils, cinnamon warms the body and enhances digestion. It boosts metabolism and is thus useful for weight loss. It is also good for diabetes as it stimulates insulin production.

Most of the ingredients used in this recipe are staples, so all you need to buy are the breadcrumbs, chicken, and parsley. Look for panko in the Asian foods section of supermarkets and at Asian markets.

Roasting greens, such as broccoli rabe, turns them deliciously crispy and earthy. The broccoli rabe's inherent bitterness nicely offsets the sweetness of the roasted-garlic pan sauce. The chicken needs to be salted one day ahead.

Figs combine beautifully with all sorts of salty flavors—prosciutto, for instance, or Gorgonzola, or, of course, bacon. They also add succulent, sumptuous texture.

Chicken breasts are a terrific foundation for an easy-to-make dish that's sweet, salty, dilly, and—is this even a word?—grilly.

Horseradish has a very special sharp, peppery taste that is highly versatile. It can be used in sauces and dressings, or just shredded and sprinkled on a cold piece of meat served on a slice of bread with mustard. Horseradish grows very well in our climate. If you can't find chervil for the sauce, use parsley.

Food critics often say that the measure of a great restaurant is its roast chicken. This technique is much more forgiving than regular oven-roasting chicken, although it doesn't have a crunchy crust. I believe that achieving moist white meat is even more important than the crust.

At Palate Food + Wine, chef Octavio Becerra makes his own potted duck, whitefish, Berkshire pork, and chicken, our favorite. It's herby, homey, and sophisticated. And it makes a great lunch with a salad on the side. A timing note: The chicken needs to marinate overnight before it's braised.

Chef Art Smith gives chicken a southern twist: First he smokes it, then he shreds it and coats it in a brown sugar and coffee barbecue sauce. And he serves this chicken over hoecakes, which, as the menu puts it, are sweet cornmeal griddle cakes "traditionally cooked after a hard day's work on the farm."

If you don't get enough fat from the chicken, supplement with purchased chicken fat (from the freezer section of the supermarket). Go here for pastry-making tips.

Complex and richly flavored with aromatic spices, this chicken curry is also quick and easy to prepare. To save even more time, use an already cut-up "best of fryer" chicken (preferably organic) for this dish.

Ras-el-hanout is a Moroccan spice blend available at some specialty foods stores and from adrianascaravan.com. Couscous is delicious tossed with brown butter: Simply melt butter over medium heat until browned, then toss it with the cooked couscous.

Pollo al ajillo Here is another popular al ajillo preparation. I use chicken thighs for this dish because they remain juicier and are more flavorful than breasts, but chicken wings also work well. If you like a little heat, add a pinch of hot paprika or cayenne pepper with the sherry.

A restaurant kitchen can be a virtual United Nations, with a staff made up of people from around the world. A dishwasher at Aquavit who comes from Mali told me about the typical midday meal he had growing up: peanut stew made with onion, tomatoes, and spinach served over rice. His description was the starting point for this peanutty stew, an elegant interpretation of a dish eaten throughout West Africa every day.

Here's an excellent reason to make a beeline for the ground-chicken section of the meat department: moist, flavorful meatballs speckled with pancetta and glazed with tomato paste. These are wonderful made with white or dark meat.

This sandwich gets a toasty power-up from your grill pan. Melted mozzarella bolsters chicken cutlets, and its gooey richness is offset by the fiery spark of cherry peppers. A tomato-basil salad rounds out the meal.

Farro is a nutty-flavored grain that's popular in Tuscany. It's not as heavy as some other whole grains, but it's still packed with protein, fiber, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, C, and E. Here, it's the base for a satisfying summer salad.

These are equally delicious hot off the grill or cold the next day.

This salad is a wonderful mix of flavors and textures. Serve it with warm flatbread, such as naan. Make a simply beautiful dessert by tossing together chopped honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelon.