OWNFoodcookingDinner Recipes

The 3 Best Recipes In America, According To Mario Batali

The chef's new Big American Cookbook is a tribute to his favorite recipes from across the country. The dishes in this trio originate from spots east to west.
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A Meal Worthy of a New England Winter
Credit Quentin Bacon
Snow tires? Check. Long underwear? Check. Pot roast? Check. These three items are key to making it through the coldest season—and even if you live in a place where the first two aren't necessary, we highly recommend the third. It's one of those warm, slow-cooked dishes that's practically synonymous with "Sunday dinner," and is also a quintessential way to turn inexpensive ingredients into a meal that's ultimately more than the sum of its parts. This recipe uses chuck roast, but you can use any tough cut of meat, from brisket to lamb shanks to short ribs. The ingredients list also includes carrots, onions and potatoes (along with some wonderfully velvety gravy), so it's truly a one-pot meal.

Get the recipe: Yankee Pot Roast
A Gulf-Coast Classic for Mondays (or Any Day)
Credit Quentin Bacon
Traditionally, New Orleans' famous red-beans-and-rice dish was something you ate on Mondays, since that was usually laundry day, when no one had time to cook. We'd happily hunker down with a bowl of fluffy white rice and creamy, meaty red beans any day, though. The dish takes on a smoky taste thanks to a ham hock, which you simmer with the beans (there's also chili powder, thyme and bay leaves, as well as chopped bell pepper and celery). Dash of hot sauce on top? Don't mind if we do.

Get the recipe: Red Beans and Rice
The Southwestern Casserole You Need in Your Repertoire
Credit Quentin Bacon
When comfort-food cravings collide with a hankering for the spicy flavors of Mexican cuisine, there's nothing better than an old-fashioned tamale pie. The base is sautéed ground pork, chorizo, jalapeños, corn, tomatoes and spices; then comes a thick cornmeal mixture; and finally, shredded cheddar. Bake this tri-layered wonder until the crust is set and nicely brown—and although it's wonderful after resting for just 15 minutes, Batali swears it's even better the next day.

Get the recipe: Tamale Pie Recipe

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Before You Go

8 Of The Fastest Chicken Dinners You Can Make
The Crispiest Nonfried Chicken You Can Make(01 of08)
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If you haven't tried broiling chicken thighs, meet your new favorite weeknight-cooking technique. In fewer than 15 minutes, you'll have juicy, tender meat that's perfectly crunchy on the outside. This recipe has you make an herb-lemon-garlic mixture and slide a little under the skin of each piece, to infuse the meat with flavor. The broiler's direct heat cooks food in a flash, so the chicken only needs about five minutes, per side, to be fully cooked, with a lovely golden edge.

Get the recipe: Crispy Herbed Chicken Thighs (credit:ALLEKOiStock)
Poached Chicken That Departs From The Usual(02 of08)
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Poaching chicken is one of the most healthful and least messy ways to cook the bird. Traditional poaching uses water flavored with aromatics such as herbs, celery, carrots, salt and pepper, but this Asian-inspired version has you mix lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce and slices of chili pepper into the water. In 15 minutes, you'll have tender meat that you can eat just as it is, or shred for use in a salad.

Get the recipe: Shredded Lime and Chili Chicken on Basil Leaves (credit:Luca Trovato)
The Throw-It-All-In-A-Pan-And-Done Dinner(03 of08)
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Each of the ingredients in this dish pulls its weight, and then some -- which means you get tons of flavor out of a minimal ingredient list. Lemon, olives and capers are pretty much all you need, along with a dash of olive oil. The citrus juice helps make the chicken tender and mingles with the meat's juices to create a delicious sauce.

Get the recipe: Chicken with Olives and Capers (credit: Alexandra Grablewski)
An Asian Dish Where Every Bite Is A Winner(04 of08)
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Stir-fries are terrific speedy meals. What makes this one special, though, is that it calls for chicken legs and thighs -- and the dark meat stands up beautifully to the richly flavored chili-soy-garlic sauce. This recipe also has a fantastic contrast of textures, from tender chicken to crunchy peanuts to celery, which seems to fall somewhere in the perfect middle.

Get the recipe: Chicken Stir-Fry with Celery and Peanuts (credit:John Kernick)
A Way To Get That Easy-Breezy Summer Feeling Anytime(05 of08)
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Homemade salsa usually relies on superfresh tomatoes, yet here's a version that calls for other vegetables, which (yay!) you can find year-round: cucumber, red bell pepper and avocado. Mix them with lime juice, cilantro and honey, and you've got a quick and tasty topper for cumin-and-lime-coated chicken thighs that cook under the broiler in a matter of minutes.

Get the recipe: Spicy Chicken Thighs with Cucumber-Avocado Salsa (credit:Dara Michalski)
An Alternative To Taco Night(06 of08)
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Here's a fantastic way to jazz up grilled (or grill-panned) chicken, and it only requires four simple ingredients: olive oil, garlic, cumin and lime juice. The vibrant flavors give the dish a subtle Latin taste -- so cue up the black beans and rice, or the warmed tortillas (Coronas optional).

Get the recipe: Lime Grilled Chicken (credit:Brian Woodcock)
A Surprise Use For Apples(07 of08)
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Combine the classic fall fruit with a creamy, sour cream-based sauce, and you've got a superpowered matchup that keeps chicken moist. You cut the meat into bite-size pieces, so there's more surface area to soak up the flavorful juices created by cooking the apple slices in chicken stock. A bit of thyme and Dijon mustard give the dish even more depth and counterbalance the tart fruit nicely.

Get the recipe: Chicken with Apples and Carrots (credit:Alison GooteeStudio D)
A Meal You Won't Have To Make Another Shopping List For(08 of08)
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The beauty of chicken salad isn't just that it's a completely different iteration of leftover roast chicken after eating it hot the night before -- it's also that you can adapt it based on whatever you have on hand. If you don't have corn or black beans, swap in any other veggies, from pieces of lightly cooked asparagus to canned artichoke hearts. Or, skip the tostadas in this recipe and throw in tortilla chips. And any vinaigrette will work, too.

Get the recipe: Chicken Salad (credit:Erin Kunkel)
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