Best Chicken Cookbook I've Found
Written: Jun 18 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to make dishes using common ingredients, nutritional information
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: The best chicken cookbook I've found. I recommend it to all cooks, especially those that prepare a lot of chicken.
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| mariahan's Full Review: Pillsbury Best Chicken Cookbook: Favorite Recipes ... |
I'm very glad that I purchased this cookbook, because it is probably the cookbook I use most often. We eat a lot of chicken in our household, particularly skinless, boneless chicken breasts, and I'm constantly searching for new chicken recipes. Pillsbury's Best Chicken Cookbook has a lot of features (and great recipes, of course!) that make it a valuable addition to anyone's cookbook collection, and a must-have for those that cook chicken often.
The chapters of this cookbook, featuring more than 150 recipes, are listed in bold text.
Chicken Know-How
The cookbook begins with a chapter that explains chicken labels, cutting and boning chicken (pieces, as well as a whole bird), cooking methods, and storing and safety issues. This chapter spans from pages 8-21 of the book.
Menu Magic
This "chapter" (pages 22-25) is really a list of 20 themed menus, using an individual recipe from the cookbook along with suggested accompaniments (either easily purchased or quickly made side dishes, beverages, and desserts) to create a theme. These themed menus include Casual Family Fiesta, Satisfying Sandwich Supper, Stir Fry Dinner, Company Casserole Supper, and Italian Supper on the Patio, and many more. There are themed menus from each of the recipe categories, which are the remaining chapter titles.
Main-Dish Salads
This chapter includes 24 salad recipes, such as Grilled Raspberry Chicken Spinach Salad, Chicken Tortellini Salad, Light Caesar Chicken Salad, Grilled Chicken Taco Salad, and Waldorf Chicken Salad.
Sandwiches
This includes recipes for Bacon Cheddar Chicken Fillet Melts, Southwest Burrito Burgers, and Chicken Pita Taquitos. There are a total of 22 recipes in this category.
Soups, Stews, and Chilies
Who knew there were so many chicken soups and stews to be made so easily!? Here you'll find out how to make Chicken and Pasta Chowder, Chicken, Red Beans and Rice Chili, Oven Chicken Stew, and Spicy African Chicken Stew. This chapter has 26 recipes.
Skillet and Stir-Fry Entrees
This is one of the chapters I use most often, especially in the summer when I want a delicious recipe that doesn't require that I turn on the oven! This chapter includes 33 recipes, including Chicken Cacciatore, Country Captain Chicken, Easy Chicken Tetrazzini, Light Chicken Chop Suey, and Tangy Sesame Chicken.
Baked and Roasted Entrees
You're sure to find favorite winter-time recipes in this chapter, which has recipes for Roasted Chicken and Vegetables Provencal, Carmelized Garlic Chicken (very easy and tasty!), Crescent Chicken Newburg (one of my family's favorite casseroles), and Sage and Rosemary Roast Chicken.
Grilled and Broiled Entrees
If you like to cook on an outdoor grill, you'll love this chapter of the cookbook, which has 21 recipes for dishes like Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Barbecue Chicken Pizza, and Indonesian Chicken.
Glazes and Rubs
The final recipe category is Glazes and Rubs, recipes for easy to prepare concoctions to brush or rub onto chicken before grilling or broiling. There are 15 recipes, including Apple Curry Glaze, Caribbean Rub, Lime Salsa Glaze, and Mexican Dry Rub.
OTHER FEATURES
This cookbook also includes some valuable tips and information that appear throughout the cookbook. These tip categories are all color-coded:
Recipe Fact: culinary background of the dish
About...(ingredient): talks about specific ingredient used in a recipe
Kitchen Tip: shortcuts and/or alternative store-bought items that make the recipe easier and quicker to prepare
Healthy Hint: ways to reduce fat/calories
Ingredient Substitutions: alternatives if you lack a specific ingredient
Make-Ahead Tip: how much of the preparation can be done in advance
Recipe Variation: transform recipes into new and different dishes
Make It Special: garnishements and embellishments for the entree
Menu Suggestion: ideas for dishes to complement the recipe
There are also three "flags" that are used with the recipes to categorize them. These flags are "30 Minutes or Less" (from start to getting the dish on the table), "Low-Fat" (10 grams of fat or less per serving), and "Editor's Choice" (staff's favorite recipes.)
In addition to the great features and easy to prepare recipes, the Pillsbury Best Chicken Cookbook has lots of bright, clear photographs of the completed recipes. These photos will certainly make you want to try most of the recipes in this book! Nutritional information and dietary exchanges are listed for each recipe. The other big plus is that the recipes call for common ingredients, no hard-to find or unusual stuff that will have you hunting around with your shopping list. This cookbook has recipes that run the gamut, from easy to prepare recipes for casual family dinners, to fancier recipes for when you have guests.
This cookbook is 256 pages, including the index and Conversion Chart. Each dish category/chapter also includes a beginning page that lists all the recipes in that chapter and the page on which you'll find each recipe.
I recommend this cookbook to all cooks, especially those that cook a lot of chicken.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID: mariahan
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Member: Maria
Location: West Bend, Wisconsin
Reviews written: 178
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me: I'm back to writing after a too-long break. Check out my new reviews!
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