Everyday food: 3 new ways to roast chicken

By Sarah Carey

Everyone loves a chicken dinner -- just not the same one week after week. Mix things up with these new flavors and techniques.

Roast chicken with sourdough stuffing

1 thick slice rustic sourdough bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (2 cups)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, diced small

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

1/2 to 2/3 cup chicken broth

Salt and pepper

1 chicken (about 5 pounds)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake bread in a single layer until dry, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir into bread, then stir in enough broth to make mixture evenly moist but not wet. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Pat chicken dry. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity, tie legs together and tuck wings underneath. Roast chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, about 1 hour (tent the exposed stuffing with foil if it's overbrowning). Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Stuffing and tying

1. Stuff the bird: Fill the cavity with stuffing, but don't pack it in tightly.

2. Tie the legs: Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together; a bow is easy to untie when the bird is done.

Nutritional information per serving: 572 calories, 16 grams fat (6 grams saturated fat), 86 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 25 percent of calories from fat.

Coconut-lime chicken with Thai garnishes

Chicken parts are quick to cook and simple to serve -- no carving required. Even better, they take on big flavor when marinated. That means you can streamline your day by prepping them in the morning, and when you're ready to start dinner, most of the work is done.

2 packed tablespoons grated lime zest, plus 1/4 cup juice (from 2 limes)

2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar

Fine salt

1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk

1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces (see note)

Cooked jasmine rice, shredded carrot, chopped peanuts, cilantro leaves, sliced shallot and lime wedges, for serving

1. In a large glass bowl, combine lime zest and juice, ginger, garlic, sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Slowly whisk in coconut milk until mixture is smooth. Submerge chicken in marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 and up to 12 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 475. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and fit with a wire rack. Remove chicken from marinade and shake to remove excess. Arrange in a single layer on rack, skin side up. Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 165, about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with suggested accompaniments, if desired.

Nutritional information per serving: 464 calories, 29 grams fat (14 grams saturated fat), 42 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 56 percent of calories from fat.

Note: Cutting chicken into pieces

1. Remove legs: Cut through skin between each breast and thigh. Pop thighbone out of the socket. Cut leg off.

2. Divide legs: Turn each leg skin side down and cut along fat line through joint to separate thigh from drumstick.

3. Remove wings: Pull each wing to expose joint; cut between joint and breast to remove wing.

4. Remove breast: Use kitchen shears to cut through the bone on either side to separate breast from the back.

5. Divide breast: Use kitchen shears to split breast. If desired, cut into quarters.

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