Decades ago, when I married into a French family, my mother-in-law Francoise explained that in her family and in many other French families, chicken is traditionally the centerpiece of Sunday dinners.

She explained that hundreds of years ago, King Henry IV of France (a royal with the best of intentions, who is credited with attempting to improve the life of the French peasants) proclaimed that everyone would eat chicken on Sundays. So, she said, it is customary for many French people to eat chicken on Sunday.

As a result, I figure that my children consumed a minimum of 1,000 French-style chicken dinners before I packed them off to college. Most often those birds were roasted. Simple, and in those days, inexpensive.

I’m a bit nostalgic about Sunday chicken, but now its preparation strays from the roast alone mode. Here are three recipe suggestions for showcasing chicken that are delicious any day of the week.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms, Hazelnuts, and Cream

My nephew Don Haderle met my niece Holly when they were studying to become chefs at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. After graduation he worked the line at Joyce Goldstein’s esteemed San Francisco restaurant, the now-shuttered Square One.

Don told me that Goldstein loved this chicken dish and was emphatic about developing the flavors and textures using specific techniques and ingredients. She didn’t want it to taste anything like chicken cooked in canned mushroom soup. Indeed, it is scrumptious and bears no resemblance to soup chicken.

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, about 1/2 ounce

3 large (8- to 10-ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided use

4 cups finely chopped fresh mushrooms, such as cremini, or white button mushrooms, or a combination (I often just thinly slice them)

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

6 to 8 tablespoons toasted chopped hazelnuts

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

PROCEDURE

1. Rinse dried porcini to eliminate most surface dirt, then soak them in a cup of very hot water for about 1 hour. When quite soft, pour the soaking liquid through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a bowl and set aside. Rinse, squeeze dry, then chop porcini.

2. Pound chicken breasts (with meat pounder, mallet, or bottom of a saucepan) slightly to a uniform 1/3-inch thickness between sheets of plastic wrap. Dip chicken in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Warm 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken gently 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until almost cooked through. You don’t want the chicken to develop a crust. It must remain tender. Remove from pan and keep warm.

2. Turn to medium high and add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet used for chicken. Add fresh mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until mushrooms give off some liquid. Add broth, 3/4 cup porcini liquid, and porcini; simmer 2 minutes. Add cream and hazelnuts; cook on a low boil for 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan and heat until cooked through. Place chicken on plates. If sauce is too thin, cook it a bit longer, then spoon over chicken. Garnish with chopped thyme and parsley.

Source: Adapted from “Kitchens Conversations” by Joyce Goldstein (William Morrow, $25)

Wine-Braised Chicken with Orange and Olives is made with marinated thigh pieces. (Photo by Cathy Thomas)

Wine-Braised Chicken with Orange and Olives

These luscious, braised chicken thighs need to be marinated in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or up to 24 hours) before cooking begins. The dish can be prepared up to 1 day in advance of serving; cool and then refrigerate. Before serving, spoon off congealed fat and discard it. Reheat covered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes; if there isn’t sufficient sauce, add a tablespoon or two of chicken broth before putting in oven. Garnish with fresh chives.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 navel orange

Rub: 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 2 large garlic cloves (minced), 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground mace (or nutmeg if you don’t have mace), 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 6 fresh thyme sprigs, 1 bay leaf

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; see cook’s notes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

1 large leek or 2 small leeks (white and light green parts, halved lengthwise, cut into thin slices, rinsed in cold water, drained

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup sliced pitted green olives or small pitted green olives left whole

Fresh lemon juice, if needed

Garnish: chopped fresh chives

Optional for serving: cooked rice

Cook’s notes: Sometimes chicken thighs have a large flap of skin hanging off the side(s). I like to trim off that excess skin with scissors and discard it.

PROCEDURE

1. Grate 2/3 cup of orange zest and set aside in large bowl. Squeeze orange juice into a measuring cup; you will need 1/3 cup of juice. Refrigerate juice.

2. In the large bowl with the zest, add salt, garlic, allspice, mace, coriander, pepper, thyme sprigs and bay leaf; stir to combine. Add chicken thighs and rub all over with rub mixture. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.

3. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry without removing the rub mixture and reserve any leftover juices in bowl including thyme and bay leaf. Add chicken thighs skin side down to pot in a single layer (if they won’t fit, cook them in 2 batches). Cook until lightly browned on all sides, turning a couple of times, reducing heat if they start to burn. Transfer chicken to a plate.

4. Stir leeks into chicken drippings in pot, adding a little more oil as needed. Cook on medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine, reserved orange juice, and any reserved marinade with thyme and the bay leaf. Nestle chicken, skin up, along with any accumulated juices, into pot, cover, and bake 35 minutes.

5. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Add olives, pushing them down a little into pan juices. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and tender. Taste sauce (be careful it will be hot); if needed, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice along with some salt or pepper.

6. Serve the sauce over the chicken, topped with fresh chives. I like to serve it over rice to soak up some of the delicious sauce. If desired, garnish each serving with a half slice of orange.

Source: Adapted from “Dinner in French” by Melissa Clark (Clarkson Potter, $37.50)

Lidia’s Chicken Parm Light features chicken breasts or thighs coated with breadcrumbs and topped with tomatoes and slices of cheese. (Photo by Cathy Thomas)

Lidia’s Chicken Parm Light

Chef Lidia Bastianich, author, restaurateur, and award-winning TV host, takes Chicken Parmigiana in a different direction in her “light” version, steering clear of submersion of the bread-coated chicken in thick tomato-based sauce. Instead, she oven-roasts the fried, breadcrumb coated chicken thighs (or breasts) topped by sliced fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella or Fontina cheese.

Once plated, the tomato sauce is judicially spooned around the chicken or spooned under the chicken. She, of course, makes the tomato-based sauce from scratch. I take a shortcut and use heated store-bought marinara sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer), about 1 1/2 pounds

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

All-purpose flour for dredging

3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

3 ripe plum tomatoes, cored, thinly sliced

6 ounces fresh mozzarella or Fontina cheese

For serving: 8 ounces store-bought marinara sauce

PROCEDURE

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using thighs (which I prefer), cut off any remaining fat. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to even thickness (use a meat pounder, mallet or bottom of a saucepan — Bastianich uses the toothed side of a mallet). Season with salt and pepper. Spread flour and breadcrumbs on 2 rimmed plates or pie pans. Beat eggs in wide shallow bowl. Working with one chicken thigh at a time, dip in flour and shake off excess, then dip in eggs and then coat with breadcrumbs, patting gently to make sure it is well coated.

2. Heat oil in large, deep skillet on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, fry the coated chicken, turning once, until golden, about 8 minutes. Drain on plate lined with paper towels.

3. Place chicken on rimmed baking sheet, each topped by overlapping slices of tomato, dividing tomatoes evenly. Drape sliced cheese over tomatoes to cover chicken completely. Bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. While the chicken is baking, heat the marinara sauce.

4. Place chicken on four plates. Spoon heated sauce around chicken. Or, if you prefer, spoon sauce on plates and top with chicken.

Source: Adapted from “Lidia’s Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine” (Knopf, $37.50)

Cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas at [email protected]

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