Chicken

A true coq au vin is made with the master of the farmyard, a rooster. If you can't find such a beast, use a good-size roasting chicken, and reduce the cooking time (cook it for about one hour, or until the meat is tender and cooked but not falling from the bone).

Round out this French-style meal with rice and steamed asparagus; polish things off with raspberry tarts from the bakery.

These make-ahead savory pies are wonderful centerpiece dishes for a casual dinner.

This rich curried soup has been served at '21' for years. Our restaurant is one of the few places in this country where you can still find it. At '21' the classic garnish is diced poached chicken; this version substitutes chutney.

A sensational version of roast chicken that is great with rice.

For a first course, toss mixed greens with a cider vinaigrette.

This was inspired by a classic dish at San Francisco's Zuni Cafe. Uncork a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir to accompany the menu.

Duck, turkey or dark chicken meat can substitute for the goose with equally delicious results. Fine accompaniments are a green salad with Roquefort vinaigrette and hot crusty bread. For a quick and sophisticated dessert, add a bit of red wine and ground cinnamon to canned pears with their syrup.

In New Mexico, chili verde is prepared with lots of meat — and no beans. This recipe uses chicken, and you can make it spicier by adding jalapeño chilies. Serve it with the Layered Rice Salad and the Toasted Jalapeño Corn Bread .

Adding fresh seasonings to a prepared salad dressing gives great flavor to the marinade for this easy and attractive dish.

This is a handy recipe for families where the kids have less sophisticated tastes than the adults. Without doing more work or cooking something different, you can please everyone. Because this recipe is quick but requires tending to, be sure to finish whatever side dish you're serving first. I like this with plain cracked wheat or rice, or steamed potatoes or broccoli.

In the eighties, the popularity of this homestyle dish caused take-out rotisserie chicken shops to spring up across the country.

You can buy a cooked chicken and frozen puff pastry for this dish. Both make this pot pie a very easy family meal.

This soup is from Italy.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr